Tethered Hearts
I couldn’t believe I was actually going through with it.
About half an hour ago, I’d decided I needed to see Ethan after waking from my exhausting nap. Luckily, I didn’t get any dreams from my doppelganger, so I rested well enough.
But even with the rest, I woke up with the same questions running through my mind. I needed answers. I was sure Ethan wasn’t going to offer them willingly, so I planned to catch him off guard in his room.
So there I was, sneaking through the longest hallway I've ever walked through, following the faintest trace of Ethan's scent to locate his bedroom.
The house was eerily quiet, to the point I could hear someone breathing from a room downstairs. I was sure if someone listened closely enough, they could hear my every step. I continued anyway.
Ethan's sandalwood scent pulled me closer to a black door at one end of the hallway in the second wing of the mansion. The minute I reached his door, my pulse quickened. Why? For one I hadn't really thought about what I would say. I simply woke up with an urge to talk to him and It was too late to turn back. I slowly pushed the door open and slipped inside before I could second-guess myself.
The room was mostly dark as I expected. A pair of heavy curtains blocked most of the moonlight. However, my eyesight adjusted quickly, landing on Ethan lying on his bed.
He didn't look comfortable. His chest rose and fell unevenly as though he were in the throes of a nightmare or fighting something worse.
“Ethan?” I whispered, stepping closer. He didn’t respond. But his body shifted slightly as his hand twitched against the sheets. He was obviously in some pain.
Without thinking much about it this time, I hurried to his side. My hands hovered over him, unsure of whether I should shake him awake or wait it out.
But then he let out a low and guttural sound. I caught his face contorting in pain. I didn't need to think much about it as I placed a hand on his arm to shake him. A gasp escaped me. I was not expecting the intense heat of his skin. “Ethan, wake up,” I urged, my voice firmer than before.
His eyes snapped open, greeting me with a wild golden glint in them. He grabbed me with startling speed and In an instant, I was pinned beneath him on the bed with his weight pressing me dangerously into the mattress.
“Ethan—wait! It’s Harlyn!” I choked, my hands frozen where they’d landed on his chest.
He blinked, recognition seemingly dawning as his breathing slowed. However, he didn’t move away. His grip softened but his body remained tense above mine.
My face reddened at the sight of a shirtless Ethan hovering over me. My eyes traveled down his sweat glistened skin and the faint glow of moonlight highlighted the sharp lines of his torso. They were heavenly defined. Even for a teenager if you asked me.
My heart suddenly hammered in my chest, as I realized I was staring. “You, uh... sure know how to make a girl feel welcome,” I blurted out, attempting to make the situation less awkward.
The corner of his mouth visibly twitched, breaking through his strained expression.
“Harlyn,” he hoarse in a sinfully low tone. Goosebumps bloomed like wildflowers on my skin.Never in my life had I been called with so much rawness.
He released a shaky breath and collapsed gently against me. I flushed even redder. What was he doing? His weight shifted so he rested on one arm but his head pressed against my chest.
“My apologies,” he muttered, his voice muffled. “Didn’t mean to—”
“It’s fine,” I interrupted quickly, though my cheeks burned as I became hyper-aware of just how close we were. His hair tickled my collarbone, his warmth seeped into my skin and his scent tickled my nose strongly.
The situation was growing hot and I needed some sort of distraction before I lost my nerve. I cleared my throat, attempting to sound casual. “Rough night, huh? Do you always greet your guests like this, even if they appear in your room in the middle of the night.” The last statement barely held any conviction.
His shoulders shook slightly. A soft laugh followed despite the pain still evident in his voice. “Only the ones who wander into my room uninvited.” I really wanted to see him laugh but his face was buried in my chest.
“Well, lucky me then,” I said quickly, my words tumbling out in a mix of nervous giggles. However, my insides buzzed with every shift of his weight. Ugh! Focus Harlyn. I chide myself. I cleared my throat again. “Want to tell me what’s going on?” I asked, trying to divert the conversation.
He lifted his head slightly, meeting my gaze. The vulnerability in his warm gold-lit eyes sparked a flux in my heartbeat. It felt like we were on the plane once again. “It’s nothing you need to add to your list of worries right now,” he murmured.
“Too late for that,” I retorted gently, brushing a strand of hair away from his forehead without meaning to. “You’re kind of hard to ignore, you know.”
His lips curved into a faint smile, triggering another flux in my heartbeat. But much to my dismay, the tension in his body remained.
I stayed still, focusing on the rhythm of his breathing, hoping to steady him, hoping to steady myself.
Ethan moved again and his breath fanned against my collarbone. I shuddered. “The pain. It comes during the full moon. It's there because you’re too far away. But I’m glad you came into my room.”
I controlled the urge to smack myself over the head. Everything I wanted to ask had snuck out the window when he pinned me down to the bed.
My fingers twitched against his shoulder as I hesitated, unsure how to respond. “Is it because of the soul bite? The bond thing you mentioned before?” My voice shook slightly as I spoke. “Is that what’s hurting you?“
How long had it been doing that? I wanted to ask but I kept that question to myself afraid to know how deep this bond could possibly be.
Ethan didn’t move but his silence felt heavier than his weight on me. I pressed on, the question spilling from my lips before I could stop myself. “Does it pull us together somehow?“
“Mmm,” he hummed in response, confirming my suspicions. Perhaps it wasn't just random questions that had me looking for him so late at night. But if that was true, then why didn’t he come to me earlier today, when I was in pain?