Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 24~

~Raelyn~

~March 22nd, 2023~

I woke up to the sun streaming in through the blinds, warm and golden and entirely too cheerful for how wrecked I felt. My body ached in all the best ways, muscles sore and happy from the night before. I stretched, groaning softly, and immediately smacked into something solid and warm beside me.

Colby.

Wolf boy, destroyer of sleep and other more delicate things.

I turned my head and grinned, reaching over to poke his cheek. "Good morning, wolf boy."

He groaned like I'd just stabbed him. "Don't ever call me that again."

"Oh, c'mon, it's cute," I teased, poking his cheek again with extra enthusiasm. His jaw flexed, and then he pulled the pillow over his head like the drama king he is.

"Leave me in peace," he muttered from beneath the fluff.

"Never," I declared, sliding under the blanket with him. "You made this bed, wolf boy. Literally. Now lie in it. With me."

"Rae," he warned, peeking out from under the pillow like an annoyed turtle. "You're insufferable in the mornings."

"You're insufferable all the time," I shot back, snuggling up to him as he flipped over pulling me into him. I was absolutely the little spoon and we both knew it.

He wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my hair with a lazy sigh. "Mmm. You smell like coconut. And crime."

"I'm sure," I said with a smug smile, my heart still pounding from how ridiculously perfect last night had been. "And crime? What kind of crime?"

"The kind where you break my will to sleep," he mumbled. "Arrest yourself."

"I'd rather arrest you," I giggled, tracing my fingers down his chest. "You're the one who kept me up until like... what was it, three a.m.?"

"Not my fault you're irresistible," he smirked, rolling me onto my back and nuzzling his nose against my neck.

God, I loved this man. Even when he was half-asleep and annoying.

We'd been together for just over a year, but it still felt new—maybe because our start was insanely rocky. Like, enemies-to-lovers level rocky. Our first meeting back in September 2021 was a disaster. I had just moved to LA, all nervous and curious, and he'd looked me up and down like I was a vampire in disguise. Which... okay, not unfair. I'm half.

We didn't get along at all for the first few months. Lots of yelling. Lots of sarcasm. A door may or may not have been scratched. But somewhere between all the arguments and sarcastic insults, we fell. Hard.

Still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little freaked out about everything. We moved fast. Maybe too fast. Last night was... intense. Beautiful. Steamy. But also terrifying, in the "is this too much too soon?" kind of way.

"You okay?" Colby asked suddenly, lifting his head to look at me. His blue eyes were still heavy with sleep, but there was concern in them now.

"Yeah," I said quickly. Too quickly. I bit my lip. "I just... I love you. I really do. But sometimes I wonder if we rushed this."

He frowned, brushing hair from my face. "You think we rushed us?"

"No—yes—I mean, I don't regret anything, but like, you're a werewolf, I'm half vampire, you basically live in my bed now, and last night was..." I trailed off, cheeks heating. "A lot. We've done it plenty times before, but this tine was different."