The Scarlet Hunter

Chapter 38-3

Isla is opening her eyes to the morning sun creeping through the curtains. It's another morning that she looks around, trying to remember where she is and why.

The room is sparse but comfortable. It's a bachelor's room with solid dark colors and no frivolous décor. The dresser, which she remembers opening, is dark wood with brass handles in a midcentury style. She's tucked neatly under a dark blue duvet that feels so nice on her chest, her naked chest.

She looked around the room with a little more interest to find Damon passed out in a leather chair next to the corner windows. Taking a small amount of comfort that at least he was clothed, she moved her feet around, looking for her discarded clothing, and found something between the sheets.

Damon stirred, and she pulled the blanket up to her chin. His eyes opened. "Good morning," came squeaking out as he stretched. "Now, I'm going to need you to explain to me why you refused to keep any clothes on last night." Isla buried her face in the blanket.

Galan appeared in the doorway with the introduction of voices. "Ah, good morning. So did you ask her about the clothing thing?"

"Yeah, Isla, someone should have warned us. Do you realize you started stripping on the couch?" Damon laughed as he stood up and stretched. "We literally couldn't get you to stop. Every time you fell asleep, you would just start again."

Isla poked her head out, "It's just a thing. I hate sleeping in anything." She sighed. "I hope my body didn't cause you too much distress."

"Absolutely no one here said that." Damon laughed, "We just wish we were more prepared for that."

"Well, I made breakfast, so if you think you can keep your clothes on Isla, you are more than welcome to join us." Galan joked as the two giant warriors sauntered out of the room.

It was a peaceful but lonely day. She was without her cell phone and couldn't link to Alpha Alec. This is the most separated from him that she's been since she arrived. It felt odd. Not good or bad, just different. The trio played cards, watched TV, and tried to play a board game until they discovered that Damon didn't have all the pieces they needed. Damon and Galan took turns making rounds, the remaining one always staying in the same room as her. She would have loved to have gone with them, but her scent would draw unnecessary attention from the patrols.

To be cautious, Isla stayed inside most of the day. Craving fresh air, she stepped up to the door and sent out her feelers, making sure the area was clear. She felt Galan and Damon. Both were happy and content but had an undercurrent of lust and protectiveness.

She stepped into the sunshine smelling the dirt in the air and feeling the heat on her. This was the day before the full moon. It was only three days that she needed to stay away from Alec. It seemed like nothing when they planned it.

Damon came out and stood next to her, squinting to scan the treeline. She wrapped her arm in his and zoned out in silence. The morning fog had burned off and the breeze was coming from the West, pulling familiar scents and cooler air with it. The body next to her stayed completely still, barely breathing.

Next to her. Warm. She seemed to become aware of the contact she initiated and jumped back. "I'm sorry," She exclaimed.

His chuckle brought acceptance with it. "It can happen during this time. It's not a big deal."

"Oh," Isla said. Other people had talked about the pull of the full moon, but she had never experienced it before. She shouldn't be feeling it until the next month, the full moon before her birthday.

Damon mindlinked Galan, "She's already showing signs of the pull, and the full moon isn't even until tomorrow. We might have our hands full."

After clearing out her lungs with fresh air, she walked back inside and joined Galan on the couch to watch a movie. She sat down absentmindedly right next to him so that her leg was entirely against his and her body was where his arm should go. Galan reached back and put his arm along the back of the couch, behind her but not resting on her. "I see what you mean." Galan linked back to Damon.