Tora's Sacrifice

11. Photographs And Memories

This is just a filler chapter, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to give a little insight to what happened on Tora's end the night that Nate slept with Amber. Just to be clear, Mates are forgiving by nature, so Tora held no contempt for Nate after letting go of the initial anger.

Hope you enjoy!

xKayl

Tora's Point Of View

Sean and I were dancing to some soft ballad playing over the loudspeaker, laughing as we watched the other couples around us shuffling awkwardly. The scent of oil, corndogs, popcorn and funnel cakes hung heavily in the air, creating an unforgettable perfume. I knew that Sean had invited me out to the fair because he knew my love of deep fried food and carnival rides, and he wanted to get my mind off of my long departed Mate. I had a fantastic best friend. Sean grinned down at me, flashing his gorgeous dimples my way as he urged me to spin dramatically. I couldn't help the booming belly laugh that I let out, causing quite a few heads to turn in our direction. As I returned to the safe haven of his arms, I noted a few girls watching us in awe staring at Sean as if he were a piece of candy and blushed madly. While I was sort of used to the looks sent his way, I always felt terrible for stopping him from spending time with other females, though tonight I was especially grateful for his company. Sean held me in his arms, humming softly under his breath as we moved, chuckling playfully after I pinched him for dipping me suddenly.

"You okay, Tora?" He asked softly after a few minutes, pulling away to stare down into my eyes as the song ended and a more upbeat one began to play. I nodded in response but felt bad for trying to lie to my best friend. I didn't want to tell him about the ache in my chest or the troubled feeling in my gut. I couldn't pin down what was wrong and I didn't want to ruin the fun we were having over something we couldn't figure out. Instead, when he flashed me another concerned look, I smiled and took his big hand in mine, wrapping  my fingers around his before tugging him off of the concrete dance floor toward the bright colors dancing in the distance. I wanted to hit a photo booth one more time before we left for the night, thinking that the three photo strips I had in his back pocket wasn't enough to keep me satisfied. I loved how Sean, unlike Nate, never complained about me wanting to capture every moment of our nights together.

"Tora?" His voice was deep and husky -- sending shocks down my body as he spoke. I was accustomed this by now, the way his voice both soothed and comforted me. It was something I had never really understood, considering my own Mate's voice didn't do this for me, but I ignored it. For some reason, the last thing I really wanted to think about was Nate. Sure I was slightly irritated at him for extending his trip another week, but I had never not wanted to think about him. Xi was with me, which made me slightly uncomfortable. She'd never, not even once, been angry or held a grudge when it came to Nate and I was concerned.

"Yes?" My own voice was quiet, demure -- I could feel the uncertainty wrapping around my gut and squeezing. I didn't know what was going on and I was growing scared. My chest ached, a slow thud growing to feel as if someone were kicking me in the chest repeatedly, my head throbbed lightly, but I attributed that to the long absence of Nate. My limbs were growing heavy as we walked toward the rides. I could hear the sound of screams around me, but they were drown out by the woosh of my blood pumping. I stopped short in front of Sean, swaying lightly as my head swam. Thick muscular arms wrapped around me, steadying my body as it swayed. I was grateful for Sean as usual.

"Tora!"

"Don't feel well, Sean." I whispered, putting a hand to head in order to try to slow down the spinning. My whole body hurt now, burning like I'd never felt before . Even Xianna was feeling bad, whimpering in my mind; I could feel her curling into herself, trying to block out the pain.