Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
I jolted awake at the sound of a knock on my door.
I checked the clock. I’d been sleeping for four hours.
“C-come in.” I scrambled out of bed, put on a sweatshirt, and then pressed shaking fingertips to my swollen mouth.
The kiss had felt so real.
The grass.
The taste of him.
Winter?
My bands seemed to shimmer at the thought. I quickly tugged my sleeves over my wrists, just in case.
“Hey there.” Hath poked her head in. “You were pretty tired last night, so I brought you some breakfast and a strong cup of coffee.”
I exhaled in relief. “Yeah, that’s— Thank you. Sorry, it was just a really weird day.”
Hath walked in and set the tray on the lone table in the room. Her leather pants, crop top, and red heels looked completely out of place in that room with its flowery decor, but she didn’t seem to notice.
With a snort, she took a seat and examined her long fingernails. “When do things not get out of control and weird over at the manor?”
I gulped. “Right? Both times felt… strange and left me with crazy dreams.”
“Did you ask Benjamin why?” Hath leaned forward. “He may have answers…if he’s not being an asshole that day.” She offered a shrug. “Then again, it is Tuesday, so…”
I laughed. “He’s just… reserved.”
“Benjamin?” Her eyebrows shot up. “He’s more than reserved, he’s careful, and after years of isolation… well, let’s just say he’s turned into a complete psychopathic jackass, but a loving one that at least takes care of all those poor kids and shoves taffy down their throats.”
I pulled out a chair. “So, he owns the taffy shop and the orphanage next to it?”
What a strange combination?
“Yup, this year he’s working on some CBD shit with the taffy. With his luck, he’ll probably make another billion and still be grumpy about it.”
“Billion?” I nearly choked on my coffee. “How the hell does taffy bring in that much money?”
She averted her eyes. “There’s rumors…”
“Real ones or fake ones?”
She sighed. “Look, I’m not supposed to talk about it, but don’t you think it’s strange that a small-town taffy company, world-renowned or not, brings in that sort of money? And yet, they do; trust me, they’re richer than Croesus, and it’s not all family money.”
“And they have no other side hustles?”
“Not large enough to bring in that much money off a new taffy flavor, Luna.” She sighed and got up from her seat, reaching for the coffee and handing it to me. “I gotta go back and serve my penance in the kitchen. Enjoy breakfast!”
“Penance?” I called after her.
She just laughed. “I tried leaving Montu—again. He got pissed and went on a tirade out in the forest, it’s all fine now, but the boss downstairs got pissed because he scared a few customers away, and we need all we can get right now, so yeah… things have been tense. Then again, they always are near a full moon.”
“It’s a full moon?”
She just stared straight at me. “When you’re around, I’m sure it’s almost always a full moon.”
“Huh?”
“Luna? Your name?”
I rolled my eyes. “It has nothing to do with my name, but thanks for making me feel special. Now that I have a warning that it’s a full moon sort of day, I’ll be on the lookout for strange things.”
She barked out a laugh. “Man, I like you. Maybe you shouldn’t have come to Orca Cove if you wanted to avoid strange.”
“Maybe.” I took a small sip of coffee. “Oh, before I forget.” Her hand was on the door handle. “I think my alarm clock’s broken.”
Before I could explain.
She was leaving and saying over her shoulder. “Trust me, it’s not.”
The door shut quietly behind her.
I was almost afraid to look at the simple alarm clock.
It told the time and looked completely normal.
Maybe it had been a hallucination brought on by exhaustion?
Yeah, that was it.
I most definitely wasn’t somehow communicating with random strangers in my dreams or time traveling.
Hah.
I needed to get more sleep.
Immediately.
But first—work at the bookstore, more research, and definitely more coffee.
Chapter Fourteen
Benjamin
Three a.m. on the dot. But of course, it was three a.m. When wasn’t I up pacing at three a.m.?
It was the exact time she had been born.
Her mother had told us all how she nearly woke up half the clan with her screams, announcing to the world that she was alive and waiting for mischief.
I put on a pair of black joggers and made my way down to the library. Her pile of books remained in the corner.
I wanted to hope she would find something that could help me. It wasn’t like I wanted to be around her all afternoon—that did nothing but make me want to kiss her senseless and claim her as my mate.
But two heads were better than one.
So, if she wanted to do research, and ask her questions, then I was going to let her because I was at the end of my rope.