Unclaimed

Chapter Sixteen

"Charli, breathe. You're okay, you're okay. Breathe!"

My eyes flew open to see Grady standing above me, and I looped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to my chest. I needed to feel him close to me. I hissed when the pain started on my shoulder, worse than last time.

Grady pulled back just enough to look at my shoulder. "Holy shit it's still going. There's three teeth marks gone. Time is running out fast. You sure you don't want to tell me?"

My sobs were muffled by his shoulder as I buried my face into it. "I'll tell you when it's over, I promise. It was just a bad dream." After a shaky inhale, I offered him the tiniest of reassuring smiles. "I'm fine. You can go back to working. I think I'm awake now."

He stared at me like he was trying to figure something out. "Don't run away from me."

My lips quivered as the ache in my chest made tears threaten to fall. I had pushed him away too many times and now he feared it. "I'm not running. I'm right here."

He accepted that with a nod, then nodded towards the door. "Let's head down for lunch. I think it's almost ready anyway."

"I slept that long?" I had fallen asleep shortly after breakfast.

"I guess so." Grady pulled me to me feet and held me close to his side, where I was the most comfortable.

"I must have. How- how did you know I needed you?"

He looked away from me, leading me towards the bedroom door. "You let me know."

"What do you mean? Was I screaming or something? Shit, did I scare Grandma?" I would have to apologize.

"You weren't loud. She's not scared."

He's trying to evade my question. I squinted at him as we started down the stairs. He really didn't want me to know. "Why won't you tell me?"

"I was listening, okay? Is that... creepy enough for you?"

My laughter must've caught him off guard, because he looked confused. "How can you hear me that well?"

He cleared his throat. "I'm tuned in to you. It's... We don't have to talk about it. Ah, look, Grandma just finished cooking! Perfect timing!"

I scowled as we took a seat for lunch, but shook it off. I was keeping a secret from Grady, so he was entitled to one of his own. I put my hand on his arm and whispered, "Sorry for pushing you. You don't have to tell me."

He smiled, but stayed silent as he accepted the plate Grandma Lisa placed in front of him.

"Charli, it's so good to have you here, sweetheart," Grandma said, laying a soft hand on my forearm. "Its good knowing we don't have to worry about you."

I gave her a soft smile. "Thank you. I didn't mean to have anyone worried about me. I just... forgot." It was a lame excuse and I knew it, but it was true. My life had changed so much from when I arrived two weeks ago. Everything was going so fast. I was in this unnamed thing with Grady I'd been trying to fight off since I arrived. I stumbled across the kid who bit me, and then had him removed from me. I was confused and hurt and just hadn't remembered that I needed to eat.

Now I was having these damn dreams about Luke. Had we really dated for two years? He said I broke his heart and made the witches erase him from my memories. Why would I do that? That must've been a tough break for the kid who had loved me for years before that already. He was trying to get me back, and from my dream it looked like it was working. Why had I driven him out of my heart like that?