Orion

Forty Eight. Found Out

Try measure loss, measure the silence of a house
The unheard footsteps at the doorway, the unemployment of the mouth
The waking up, having forgotten and remembering again
The full extent of what forever is
With each grave, I think of loss and I can only think of you
I couldn't measure it

~*~

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was his smell.

Then, the scent of flowers.

My eyes weren't open yet, but I knew that there was a new bouquet on the bar counter.

Orion's chest rose and fell with each deep breath he pulled in and let out.

His large right had the shirt that I as sleeping in- his shirt- bunched within his fist. The other rested on my ass.

"Hey. Good morning."

The deep , hoarseness of his morning voice vibrated throughout his chest and against my cheek. When I answered his greeting, Orion squeezed my ass. He spoke after a brief lapse, "How do you feel?"

"Still tired," I answered truthfully.

My bones felt like they had lead in them. My eyes burned, begging me to close them once more and retire to slumber to continue to regain the rest of what I was still missing.

I felt haggard.

Orion rubbed my back, up and down as he hummed, "Your mother called you while you were asleep. I let it ring the first few times, but she kept calling and I didn't want her worrying so I answered."

"She must have felt me working, felt me drain."

Orion raised his head to look at me, eyes bright with curiosity, "How? That's not your coven anymore. Maline shouldn't still have a link with you."

The question paired with his reasoning had me chuckling quietly, "Your mothe- Lacey- never did that with you?"

There was a beat of silence before Orion wistfully sighed, "Yeah. She did it a lot. She was the one to notice when I started noticing them."

"Same thing. She raised me. She didn't birth me, but my Nee Nee has a bond with me that's identical to a biological parent's. Very strong maternal instinct with that one... but it also could have just been clairvoyance."

Orion hummed, then, "You were out for about eight hours. Mariah brought over some food. I'll feed you and then you can go back to sleep."

I shook my head, laying back down on his chest? Listening to his heartbeat as my eyes slid closed, "No. I'm not hungry, just tired."

"Maline told me you'd say that. I've been told yo at least get something light in you before you go back to bed. Yesterday, you ate at noon, four hours before we went out. If it had been later that you had lunch, I would let you rest, but it's been fourteen hours. I'll get something small."

He made me a little bowl of soup. He sat next to me on the couch, thighs touching and body tense, but not saying a word. It wasn't a comfortable silence.

The air was tense like it used to be with us- it was distressing. I figured my mate was just worried, but after five minutes it felt unbearable.

Once I finished eating, I placed the empty bowl on the coffee table. When I looked over at Orion, he was frowning, obviously deep in thought about something, but I couldn't catch anything through our link, his block was up.

The same second that I opened my mouth to speak, to ask what was wrong, Orion beat me. His voice was flat when he spoke. He stared unblinking across the room, "When... earlier... after you-"