OffSpring | ✎

Chapter XVIII

Chapter Eighteen | Presence
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I was given permission to roam freely around the household, and only to places, I was shown. So, of course, I immediately headed to the library to find a book to read and pass by time.

I push the heavy doors inward with a heave and walked inside, inhaling deeply the fine prints and padded deeper inside. The soft glow of the room gave off a warm feeling that settled in my chest, the smallest of smiles made its way upon my face as I gazed around, I knew for sure I was going to be spending a lot of time in here.

Now, I wondered, my eyes lingering over shelves of books near me and across the room; where do I start?

•••

Sometime while reading a romance novel, I dozed off laying horizontal on a soft cushioned sofa, the book on my chest and my hand resting on my stomach. I was barely conscious when I felt the presence of someone looming over me, the ghost touch of fingers drifted down the side of my face, curling around my ear; I subconsciously shiver and the touch disappears.

The feeling of weightlessness settles with the pressure of arms underneath my back and knees. My eyes flutter open to see the ceiling above, swaying as it moved, I blinked my mind too fogged up to realize it wasn’t the ceiling moving but me.

Breathing in deeply, my eyes sluggishly move to the side colliding with intense blue eyes as they stare back at me. Exhaustion still makes itself known, weighing down my limbs as I lay limply in Delano’s arms.

“Wha. .?” I try to speak, as my eyes flutter open and close.

He shushes me, “Sleep,” he says, and for once his voice isn't hard and commanding yet soft and low.

I don't protest and simply fall back asleep, my head slumping back. Just before dreamland, I felt the hands around me tighten just a tad.

The next time I woke up it was to the rumbling of my stomach, and this time I was in bed the duvet pulled up over my shoulder. The room was drenched in darkness, the air cool and chilling now with the sunset, the door was parted open as I slowly sat up.

With my eyes trained on the door, I slip out of the bed, my toes meeting with the plush carpet. I wiggle my feet as I stalk towards the door, my goal set on getting to the kitchen and getting something quick to eat and snack on. The door opens with a loud creak and I freeze, waiting a few seconds then continuing out the door and to the steps that lead down the familiar path to the kitchen.

I walked quietly through the archway of the kitchen and to the fridge, popping the door open, the cool air immediately hits my exposed skin causing goosebumps to rise on my skin. My eyes scan up and down the clear shelves stocked with food, mostly somewhere just ingredients that one had to cook and honestly, I didn't have the time for that.

My gaze zeros in on a container of mixed fruits, I reach forward and grab the tasty goodness that had my mouth watering and didn’t waste a second to clamp down on a pineapple biting into the juicy fruit. I moan out loud when the sweet fluid hits my taste buds and close the fridge with my hip.

I walk over toward the island counter and set the contain of fruits on top before sliding on the stool and munching away at my midnight snack, it didn’t take long for me to finish off the fruits. Sucking on the tips of my fingers, I wonder over to a smaller door beside the cabinets and find it to be a walk in pantry where food was stocked.

Again my tummy slightly rumbles and I look over the items inside, a second later my gaze zeros in on a bag of trail mix and I walk inside reaching for it when a sound comes from the kitchen. I whip around and peer out into the kitchen, the doorframe blocking my view of looking into the rest of the kitchen.