The Beast

Chapter 29 - Savior

My mind was fuzzy, and I could almost swear that I could feel something, or someone, shaking me.

I was officially crazy.

Wait, where am I? I could feel my eyes sealed shut, and the last thing I could remember was seeing my mother standing in front of the hospital, alone.

Was I wet? I could feel something that resembled water droplets trailing down my skin. It even felt as if my hair was completely soaked.
There it is again-the shaking. Whoever it is, they're quite annoying. I was obviously sleeping.

I must have went home at some point and gone to bed. Why else would I be laying on something so warm that it melted my insides? That doesn't explain the wet hair, though. Maybe I showered? That had to be it.

I was shaken once more, this time by the shoulders, and I had enough. I grunted from being rudely awoken, but I couldn't seem to get my eyes to open. I could also hear a faint mumble, like whoever was trying to wake me up was also attempting to talk to me.

I strained my ears, but they felt clogged. Everything that reached them was muffled, like I gad cotton clogging my ear canals.

Alright, now I'm really irritated. What is wrong with me? Why can't I wake up?

It was like I had no control of anything on my body. I couldn't open my mouth to tell whoever it was to leave me alone, I couldn't wiggle my eyebrows, and I couldn't lift my eyelids.

I could also feel pressure on my hands that was almost immediately followed by the best feeling I had ever known. The entirety of my arms tingled, and I wanted to curl into it to experience it just a little longer.

There it is again-the voice. Only this time, it was a little louder, and I could almost make out what they were saying. It was short, and seemed like they were desperate. I wonder what's wrong with them.

"June?" I gasped, and it was like every feeling in my body returned. I was flooded with memories, of me searching for Arias, of me trying to cross the river-the river. I really didn't get out?

That would explain why I'm all wet. But how am I still alive? Who is shaking me?

"June." The voice spoke again, and I could recognize that tone anywhere. Only one person in the world called me by a nickname.

My heart fluttered in my chest, and the ringing in my ears seized. My eyelids weren't as heavy, but it was still difficult to get them to open.

I could feel Arias cradle me against his heater chest, and his calloused hand brushed my cheek, using the same gentleness he always seemed to show when he was with me.

What was I thinking? Was I really that willing to just give up and leave him in this world alone? I can't believe how selfish I acted.

I focused solely on my eyes. My body was protesting extremely, but I managed to make them flutter before I lost control again. I tried again, and they opened part of the way only to blind me with a stream of sunlight that broke through the roof of tree branches.

I groaned and squinted so I could see past the harsh lighting. Arias rotated his body to block the sun, and in return I got a perfect view of my mate's perfectly asymmetrical face.

His thick, black hair glistened from the water that drenched each strand. Little droplets fell from the hair that hung over his forehead and onto his tanned cheeks, leaving a trail as it trickled down to his sharp jaw. His eyes were burning with unanswered questions, but once they locked with mine, everything seemed to melt away.

His tensed shoulders dropped, and his stony eyes held so much anguish and worry. "Thank the goddess." He mumbled, pulling me up against his strong body.