Chapter 12: Stand Your Ground Part 1
*Maria*
Warmth.
A feeling of safety and comfort.
Something I haven’t felt waking up in so long. I open my eyes to see a man’s muscular chest. Usually, I’d scream, but I remember who this is.
The one that helped me where even Smokey couldn’t. I snuggled deeper into his embrace.
“Mmmmm. Who-” A barely awake Aren said.
“Just a bit longer, okay.” I said, trying to sound a bit seductive.
But for some reason, that made him shiver. He grabbed my shoulder roughly and pushed me away far enough that he could get a good look at me.
I suppressed any instinct to struggle because of the strange way Aren was looking at me.
Something was in Aren’s eyes when he stared down at me. It was a strange mix of fear, relief, and sadness. It quickly faded into neutrality when he realized it was me.
“…Oh, it’s you. I’m sorry.”
He slowly removed his hands from my bare shoulders.
“Are you alright?” I said with as much warmth as I could provide.