G H O S T R U N N E R

<T W O>

© Amber Kalkes 2014

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>T W O <

Arden’s bare feet make the floorboards below her whine as she exits the bathroom. Her hair is still soaking but cleaner and smelling of roses like the shampoo she’s used. Draped in just a light blue towel she enters the bedroom to see a white nightgown on the bed. It’s big on her thin frame but much better then any other clothing she’s been given before. She lifts it to her nose and realizes that though it smells mostly of that woman, May, it also has light scent of Sam as well.

She really does like his smell.

Towel drying her hair she looks around unsure where to put it before letting it hang over the end of the small twin sized bed’s footboard. Now she’s at a loss. What does she do now? Sam mentioned food but she doesn’t want to push his hospitality.

 Sure, he’s her mate but what does that mean to a man who knows nothing about what she is? If he finds out how quickly will he kick her out? The pain that idea causes steals her breath for a minute. No, she won’t tell him. She’ll try her best to be worthy but if she can’t be then she’ll leave.

She doesn’t want to make him stay with her.

Resolute in that decision she still doesn’t know what to do now. Luckily the panic is cut short when three knocks erupt on the outside of the door. Arden takes hesitant steps forward before opening the door open a crack to see Sam smiling at her with raised eyebrows like he knows what she's doing and finds it cute.

“Hi.” He grins.

She lamely waves her hand then blushes a little at how stupid she's being.

“Hungry?”

Now she's at the kitchen table downstairs with a plate of two grilled cheese sandwiches in front of her and a glass of water. She's eaten the first sandwich quickly, ignoring the pain in her throat when she swallows, and is already on her second glass of water before Sam speaks again.

“Doesn’t that thing on your neck bother you?”

Yes. It does bother her. The silver lined on the inside of the collar makes her skin burn while making swallowing or breathing difficult. She wants it off but she doesn’t know much about humans. Will it burn him as much as it burns her? Can she risk him being harmed just for her own comfort?

No. She can’t do that.

She shakes her head and goes back to slowly eating her second sandwich. When she winces as she swallows the bite she’s just taken Sam exhales sharply before walking away from the table. Oh no! Has she made him mad? Will he punish her? She really doesn’t know how her wolf will take being harmed by their mate.

Arden jumps nearly out of her skin when something is slammed on the wooden table before her with Sam’s large tanned hand over it. Her eyes snap up to his and they soften a bit before he slowly sinks to his chair. Scooting the chair closer to her, her eyes widened at how close he suddenly is. The scruff on his cheeks and the deep gaze of his gray eyes has her hands itching to touch his face. She wants to touch his scars, his face, his lips and she wants him to touch her back but she doesn’t do it.

She doesn’t want to make him mad.

“Can you move your hair out of the way?” he asks with a slightly husky voice.

Frowning she does as he asks. What is he doing?

Suddenly the thing in his hand is raised near her making her flinch hard enough to hit her head on the back of the chair.