Beckoned (The Brazil Werewolf Series) (12 page)

Sophia nodded her head, “I think it’s good for you to be here with her. She needs you.”

I nodded my head, knowing that I needed her too. I went back to the room where my mother slept and sat down in the chair beside the bed. For the next few hours, I waited for my mother to awaken. Unfortunately, it was only during sporadic moments all day and only for a few moments at a time. Right after the sun began to set I realized that my mother’s temperature had risen slightly and I told Sophia. She brushed her lips across my mother’s forehead and frowned.

“Aurora, I’m sorry but I need to sit with her now,” she said, smiling but it did not reach her eyes, “I have to make sure that the fever stays low. You need to go home and rest. You can come back again tomorrow.”

“Sophia, she’s my mother,” I said, distressed, “Let me help.”

“Aurora, she’s not dying. Quit acting like she is,” she said, exasperated, “I know how to heal. So, let me do what I do best. You go home. I promise everything will be okay.”

I looked at my mother, wary, “Are you sure?”

“It’s a slight fever,” she said, still smiling, “I’m sure. Mirella will walk you home,”

I wanted to argue further but I had been dismissed. I glanced at my mother one more time and walked into the living room where Mirella waited by the door.

She was silent as we made our way across the motor home park but as we crossed in front of the bonfire pit she sighed finally breaking the silence.

“It’s too pretty to go in right now,” she said, looking up and stretching her arms upward, “I mean, look at the stars.”

I looked upward and smiled, sadly at the points of light that marked a million places in the black canvas of the sky. The moon glowed at half-crescent and though it was not the full moon that people sang about, it was still beautiful.

“It is beautiful tonight,” I said, looking back at her.

“Let’s go to the bonfire pit for a while,” she said and I began to shake my head.

“Please…Please…Please,” She pleaded. I shook my head again.

“What about the wolves?” I asked with wide frightened eyes.

She laughed, “The men will keep them from here,” she said, rolling her eyes, “Don‘t be such a coward. Besides, if you don‘t stay with me, I‘ll be out here by myself.”

I dropped my head in defeat and then, sighed, “Okay. Lead the way to the pit.”

Mirella led me to one of the benches near the bonfire, skipping as we went. As I sat down, she grinned, “I brought something else to keep you from worrying about your mother,” she said as her green eyes sparkled. She pulled a bottle of wine out of the bag that she carried. My eyes widened, “Don’t tell momma, okay?” She said, suddenly worried.

“Mirella, we really shouldn’t,” I whispered, feeling my stomach turn. I had never drank before, “You’re mother will kill us.”

“She won’t kill us,” she said, rolling her eyes again, “She’s not going to find out and even if she did, I’m her favorite daughter.”

“You’re her only daughter,” I said, biting my bottom lip.

“And that’s why she won’t kill me,” she shrugged, “Besides, you’re her only daughter in law, so you’re safe too.”

I raised a brow, “You’re logic is so comforting.”

Mirella grinned at me crookedly, “You’ve never drank, have you?”

I blushed. Why did I always feel like a child around this family. I shifted, nervously, “No, I haven’t,” I admitted, glancing back at the sky.

“Well, let me be there for your first drink,” she said, unphased by my admission. I looked back at her, giving her a small smile. She hadn’t made me feel bad for never drinking. Other people would have taken the admission as a reason to make fun of me. I was quickly realizing that Mirella wasn’t like other people.

I watched as she opened the bottle and took a drink. She didn’t wince as I’d seen other people do. Instead, she seemed to enjoy the taste. She handed the bottle to me and grinned when I sniffed it. The smell of fruit drifted to me, sweet within the bottle. Slowly, I placed the bottle to my lips. The taste of strawberries hit my senses and something else that burned on it’s way down my throat.

“What is this?” I asked, trying not to cough at the warm bubbling sensation flowing down my throat.

“Strawberry wine,” Mirella said, taking the bottle from me and taking another drink. She tilted her head as she studied me, “So, you’ve never drank?”

“No,” I said, blushing again.

“It’s okay. It’s just…I had expected that you had drunk something before. Most people your age have,” She said, tilting her head, “I was just surprised.”

“Well, I have never drank,” I said, frowning, “It’s probably because we never stayed anywhere long enough for me to make friends and my mother would have never given me wine or anything like it.”

“You’ve never had friends?” She asked, smiling sadly.

“You’re the first one,” I said shrugging.

She grinned widely, “Well, that makes me feel special,” she tilted her head as she studied me for a few moments, “So, have you ever been kissed?”

I blushed again, “Of course,” I said, feeling embarrassed, “Yesterday during the wedding.”

Mirella’s mouth dropped open, “Is that the only time?”

I bit my lip and nodded, “That was the only time.”

“So, you’ve never had a boyfriend?” she asked, tilting her head.

“No,” I said, shifting uncomfortably.

Mirella’s smile widened, “And you’ve never had sex…I mean before last night?”

“No!” I said, alarmed, not mentioning that I didn‘t have sex the night before either, “Have you?”

“No!” She said, offended, “That would make me dirty. I want to be suitable for my husband. I was just wondering about you because you’ve traveled so much.”

“Oh,” I said, shifting uncomfortably.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said and handed me the bottle to drink some more, “You’re not a dirty girl. That’s a good thing since you married my brother.”

I smiled, “I guess so.”

She smiled as I took a large gulp of the wine, hoping to stop all of the questions. After a few more minutes, I began to feel warm and oddly comfortable with the rest of Mirella‘s questions.

***********

The wine had made me feel dizzy and free of any worry that had been plaguing me, making my mother’s attack seem a whisper in my consciousness. The possibility of my father or Garridan returning for me had lost its importance. Only Mirella and I existed as I danced around the bonfire pit with her. A giggle burst from me bubbling up until it was laughter.

I tripped and fell backwards on the grass, laughing as I did. Mirella stopped and sat down beside me still hiccupping in laughter, “So are you upset about the marriage?”

My mind felt fuzzy and I struggled to think about the question. Andre’s face drifted into my mind…so heartbreakingly handsome that my heart pounded making my face heat. I blinked knowing that he seemed to reside in my mind a lot lately. I frowned wondering what that meant. I thought of Mirella‘s question and then, shrugged finding I didn’t feel aversion to our marriage anymore.

“I haven‘t felt upset since the first day I found out,” I said, trying to think of a reason why. Finally, one came, “Andre is…nice.”

Mirella raised an eyebrow at me as if she didn‘t believe me, “And stubborn and grouchy and bossy.”

“That’s just because he’s your big brother,” I said looking up at the star dotted sky, “He’s protective and gentle and kind.”

“I know that it was an arranged marriage but do you think that he’s handsome?” Mirella asked, picking up the bottle again and taking a drink before passing it to me.

“Very,” I said, eyeing the bottle as I sat up already feeling warm and giddy and definitely too honest. Still, I took two more drinks and handed it back to Mirella.

I laid back again, watching the sky begin to swirl and I closed my eyes. I must have slept because the world became quiet then. I don’t know how long I laid there before I woke to a hand gently caressing my cheek, causing my eyes to open wide. Andre grinned above me.

“So, my wife is drunk?” He said, amused. He cocked an eyebrow at me and gave me one of his crooked grins, “I’m beginning to believe that my little sister is a very bad influence on you.”

I grinned, giddily, trying to contain my laughter as I avoided looking up at the still twirling sky “I’m not drunk,” I lied, struggling to sit up and falling back twice before finally finding myself in a sitting position. I heard Mirella’s giggle as I put my arms out to keep my balance as I stood and found my footing, “I’m just tired from dancing.”

Andre wrapped his arm around my waist pulling me close to him as he began to help me to stay on my feet, “Dancing,” he said, rolling his eyes skyward before looking back down at me.

I nodded my head, “Dancing and answering Mirella’s many questions,” I said, looking toward Mirella who had already stood up and was brushing the grass from her clothes. For a moment, I wondered how she had gotten up without the same effort that it had taken me.

“What kind of questions?’ Andre asked gaining my attention again. I stiffened as a few of them came flooding back, realizing that I did not want him to know the answers. My heart galloped as he looked past me to Mirella.

“I asked if she’d ever drank,” she said and I felt myself relax until she kept speaking, “And I asked if she’d ever had a boyfriend.”

I shifted uncomfortably and Andre looked down at me, curious. I pressed my lips together as I felt the color in my skin rise to a scarlet red.

“Well, did you?” He asked when I didn’t aswer. I narrowed my eyes at him for making me answer the question and shifted uncomfortably.

“No,” I said, unable to hold my seriousness. For some reason, uncontrollable giggles burst from me again.

Mirella grinned widely at me and spoke again as if encouraged to go on, “And I asked if she’s ever been kissed.”

My laughter halted abruptly and I looked at her with wide panicked eyes. Mirella began to laugh when Andre stiffened. I narrowed my eyes at her and she shrugged as her laughter turned to a grin.

He looked down at me as his eyes burned in intensity. I blinked as my stomach flipped, “Well?”

“If I’ve never had a boyfriend, I’ve not been kissed,” I whispered, wondering at the intensity in his eyes.

“Well, except for when you got married,” Mirella laughed, amused and hiccupping as she continued, “She had her first kiss…in front of everyone…with you.”

Andre blinked in shock and looked down at me again. The intensity in his gaze burned higher, “I was your first kiss?”

I shrugged as my embarrassment raised another notch, “And my only.”

He frowned as he looked down at me. That intensity burned higher and higher and I shivered, “Are you cold?”

I sighed, feeling another tremble sweep through me, “Yes,” I lied, looking up at him. His face was masked in a look that twisted and turned my insides.

“Mirella, you need to go home,” he said, finally looking away from me. I released the breath I didn‘t even know I had been holding. I listened to him as he spoke to his sister, struggling to compose myself, “And don’t let momma catch you on the way in or you’ll be in trouble for drinking.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, giggling as she saluted him, “I told you he was bossy,” she whispered as she passed by me giggling as she tripped back to her house. Andre watched until she was safely inside, shaking his head.

He turned to me and narrowed his eyes as he shrugged out of his jacket and put it around me, “What were you doing out here?” He asked, frowning. His face darkened for a moment as he looked at the forest and then, back at me.

I bit my bottom lip and shrugged uncomfortably as I formulated an answer. I didn‘t want to blame it on Mirella even though she had told him the answers to the questions she asked.

“I was waiting for you,” I said after a moment and then, peeked up at him, “You were hunting wolves…so I was worried.”

“You were worried about me?” he asked, grinning as he looked down at me. I nearly rolled my eyes at his pleased look.

“Of course,” I said, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

I pulled the jacket tighter around me as a gust of wind hit us. Andre studied me intensely.

“I guess you would be,” he said as my teeth began to chatter. I frowned as I found that I really was cold. Thankfully, our motor home loomed in front of us. We made it to the lot where it was parked before I shivered again. Andre surprised me when he pulled me close to him and wrapped his arms around me.

“You should have worn a jacket,” he said, rubbing my back, “You’re freezing.”

“I didn’t feel the cold until now,” I said, allowing his warmth to seep into me.

He smiled and looked down at me, “Alcohol does that. It makes you feel warmer than you actually are. It also makes you more truthful,” he said, smiling wider when I blushed, “I didn’t know that you had never been kissed before me,” he said and reached up to caress my cheek, “You really are pure, Aurora. You don’t know how rare that is.”

I bit my bottom lip, feeling suddenly very nervous, “Well, I guess that you can’t say that now. I have been kissed.”

Andre laughed, “I don’t think that counts,”

“Why not?” I asked, pouting. It counted for me.

“There was no passion…no fire in it,” He said as his eyes darkened, “That’s the way a kiss should be.”

I laughed, nervously “Well, I will have to try to have one of those kisses one day.”

Andre pulled me closer, “How about now?”

I gasped struggling to say something…anything but I didn’t have a chance. His lips touched mine…moving over them as I stood motionless and unsure what to do. He pulled me closer as my heart began to pound. I gasped again and he took advantage and pushed his tongue into my mouth. My insides warmed and I moaned.

“Give in, Aurora,” he whispered against my lips, “Kiss me back.”

I reached up tangling my hands in his hair. My lips moved in sync with his as our tongues warred. I trembled as he pulled away wanting something…wanting more His eyes blazed.

“That was a real kiss,” he said in a strangled voice, “Count that as your first…not the one in front of a church full of people.”