Ethereal Mortal {DISCONTINUED}

CHAPTER XV

"You don't know he knew your mate?"

I could tell Sam was getting aggravated by the way his eyebrows furrowed and his voice lowered. I wondered why my father was called Ramona's mate. Is that another way of calling a friend?  I remember the first time I had met Sam, he called me mate. Did he do that to announce that I was no threat to the others? That I was a friend? I gasped at the thought of what Sam has done for me even if I was a stranger to him. 

Sam looked at me questionably while Ramona was talking from the other side of the strange device on Sam's hand. It was called a cellphone according to Adonis, who smiled as he chose from the garments in the shop. I shook my head at Sam and sent him an apologetic smile. Maybe my gasp disturbed his phone call. Sam reluctantly reached for my hand.

"What do you mean I should just stay there?!" Sam gripped the cellphone harder, but never tightened his grip on my hand. "You know why I don't try to stay too--" Sam glared very quickly at Adonis, as if he could burn him alive with his eyes. "Fine, talk to her then." Sam handed me the device and I stared at it.

"Do I place it on my ear too?" I asked softly and Sam nodded, his gaze softening as he stared into my eyes. I placed it on my ear and Sam adjusted it slightly so the edge of the cellphone is nearer to the hole of my ear. How strange, the device feels lighter than it looks.

"Hello, Alina." I could almost hear the smile on her face that reminded me of the cheek kisses she gives me when we see each other. I smiled at the memory, remembering Ramona's kindness and how she could very well be my friend.  

"Good evening, Ramona." I greeted her cheerfully. Maybe I had missed talking to her. 

"Would it be alright for you if those two men stay with you at your home?" 

"Of course, there are plenty of guestrooms available." I nodded absentmindedly, thinking about the clean sheets I could use for the guests. We never had guests before, so there were only quite a few sheets. There were enough for each bed, but not for changing the sheets. "I have never had guests before." 

"I know, but I also know your father taught you well." Ramona remarked and I smiled. Father really did. Sam reached out for the cellphone and I gave it to him. He placed it in his pocket and grabbed the bag of clothes he just bought for me. 

"You're going to walk." Sam called out coldly for Adonis, who instantly faced him with a scowl.

"Don't be mean." I softly told Sam before Adonis could speak his irritation. Adonis mockingly grinned at Sam. I could see his jaw tighten, indicating his annoyance, but I did not want to make any of my guests to walk to my home when I could perfectly give them a ride. "I could drive instead." I offered, but suddenly remembering that Carter had brought my car with him. That just means we would be using Sam's ride.

I glanced at him to find that he was staring at me with an unfathomable look. "Fine, but I should drive." He sighed, glancing at Adonis with a hateful look. "I don't want your..." He paused as if to think of the right word to use. "...smell to linger inside my car." Sam sneered at his distaste on the situation. 

"Please, it's me that would rather avoid your wet dog smell." Adonis flicked on of his fingers that was full of rings. I wondered about what he said. Sam certainly did not smell anything like a wet dog. Did he have one?

"Then just walk there." 

Adonis grinned. "And miss the chance of pissing you off?" He laughed as he passed ahead of us and got out of the shop. "Besides, Alina wants me to come right?" He then faced me with a playful grin. 

"Of course, it would be rude to let you walk from here." I smiled back and Adonis clapped his hands together.

"Excellent!" He exclaimed as we neared Sam's car, which was a deep red luxurious car. It only had two doors. Sam opened the passenger's door and folded the car seat to reveal the backseats. He looked at Adonis expectantly, who just rolled his eyes. I could see why he did, it was obvious that he would not really fit comfortably inside.  

"I could sit there instead." I offered, seeing Adonis' dilemma. Both guys looked at me with different looks. One looked grateful, the other irritated. 

"No." Sam stared Adonis down, as if threatening him silently. I pulled lightly on Sam's hand, making him look at me. I was almost shocked that he looked at me with irritation. 

Adonis laughed, making me look at him as I try to remove the memories of the look on Sam's face. "It's fine, darling." He winked and gracefully slipped in the backseat of the car, almost like a cat. Sam gestured me to get inside and so I did. I did not miss the fact that he could not look at me even as he drove towards my house. 

I decided to distract myself from this uneasy feeling brought by Sam's irritation. I peeked to see if there was a wet dog inside, but there was none. Adonis wrinkled his nose and fanned his hand over his face, looking disgusted by the smell. I could not smell anything unusual, only the fragrance of natural soap. Asking Sam about it seemed rude, as if I am assuming his car would smell bad. 

"Do you have a dog, Sam?" I asked softly, noticing his hard stare as he drove. 

"No." He hesitated as he answered and Adonis laughed. Both knew what I was thinking about, but I did not know theirs. 

"I cannot smell any wet dog." I frowned at Adonis, who laughed louder at my statement. Sam sighed, the side of his lips twitched as if trying not to smile. When we arrived in front of my house, a man's figure stood by the edge of the forest. 

My hear beat frantically, expecting my father. Maybe he had come home. As soon as the car stopped, I opened the door to run towards the figure. It seemed as if it was getting farther as I came nearer. I hear my name being called by Sam, but I dare ignore it. 

"Father!" I cried out, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. By the time I had come close, the figure was gone. It was as if I had only imagined it. The figure had already blended perfectly with the dark shadows of the forest. I stopped, scared of letting the darkness grab me and pull me into the dark forest to be lost forever. 

The forest was far too silent, like the times when my father was here. There were no birds, no crickets, not even a rustle of leaves. Beyond the visible trees looked like a never-ending abyss, unreachable and inescapable. But somehow, I felt drawn to it no matter how scared I felt.

"Alina." The warm and familiar voiced snapped me out of my trance. I was back in the moonlight and the darkness seemed to be far away again. I looked into the marvelous green eyes that suddenly stared at me with disbelief. He staggered back and blinked multiple times.

"What is it?" I asked and he shook his head, frowning. "I thought I saw him." I whispered and Sam touched my elbow. It made me look at his pale face that looked troubled. "Are you alright?" I asked, noticing that he almost looked like he was more troubled than I am. I touched his hand, only for him to avoid it. Embarrassed, I dropped my hand and gave him a small smile. "I apologize. Come on, let's go in."

I wanted to shake off this unusual feeling. It was like a rope strangling my heart and chest, stopping me from breathing properly. Maybe it had hurt me that Sam would refuse me, but I know he has the freedom to choose so.

By the time I opened the door to my house, Adonis was already inside. It was strange, since I was sure to have locked it before I left this morning. Only I had the keys to open it and yet I could hear him from the kitchen, it sounds like he's cooking. 

Before I could take another step, Sam gently pulled on my elbow and made me face him. He looked disoriented, like he had seen something horrible. I am worried, but I did not want to make him uncomfortable again. "Is everything alright, Sam?" I asked softly.

"Yes." He paused, his face changing to a look of concern. "How about you? What did you see?" 

"I thought I saw a figure of a man." I paused, looking at the dark forest through a window. The moon seemed to shine brighter, as if welcoming me home. "I thought it was Father, but as soon as I got close, the shadow disappeared." I looked at Sam who now looked relieved but sorrowful. 

I watched as his eyes drifted away from mine, as if he was avoiding it. His aura was tinged with worry and a bit of curiosity. Did he think I was that weird? Enough to avoid me? As his eyes scanned my home, he swallowed lightly and tried to soothe his furrowed eyebrows. He lifted his head, his nostrils moving slightly. His eyes then landed on something on the living room, staring hard on the thing that caught his attention.

"Hey, pumpkin."