The Warrior Queen

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight
The first thing I felt when I woke up was my body being gently jostled against a firm chest. The second thing I noticed was the smell of pine trees and warmth. I instantly knew it was Rowan who was carrying me.

I tried to think back to remember why he was carrying me in the first place. I remembered the party and I remembered getting a drink with him at the table, but thinking of anything else made my head spin. I've never gotten black out drunk before. It's a weird feeling.

I kept my eyes shut tight, knowing that opening them would be blinding. It wasn't long after that when I was being placed in a soft bed. I didn't have to analyze anything to know it was Rowan's.

"Why am I here," I murmured into his pillow after getting comfortable.

I felt the bed dip ever so slightly as he sat beside me. "I can't trust that you won't choke on your vomit in your sleep."

"Charming," I murmured, my eyes still closed tight despite how awake I suddenly was.

This is the first time we've really interacted since I yelled at him. I didn't know how to feel about spending the whole night, or whatever is left of it, with him. Especially with how vulnerable I was with him right now.

Though, honestly, I didn't feel that sick. The last time I got drunk off of this stuff, I puked everywhere and the hangover was pretty intense. I didn't even feel that sick now. Maybe every time I went to the table, I grabbed a snack. Eating food while drinking alcohol soaks it up.

Or maybe it's because Rowan is sober. Maybe that's why he was constantly eating and drinking. Maybe our connection has gotten so intense that I can feel that. My stomach flipped at the thought, and I groaned into my pillow.

"I'm going to grab you some ibuprofen and water," Rowan informed me as he leaned over to his nightstand to grab them.

I didn't open my eyes until the water bottle was being handed to me. I thought the light would be blinding, but he had his room rather dim. I sat up in bed before taking the water bottle from him. I took it as quickly as I could, making sure there was no skin to skin contact. After a few gulps of water, I took the pills from his open hand. I gulped those down as quickly as I drank the water.

I set the water down next to me and clasped my hands awkwardly in my lap. Now what?

"How are you feeling," Rowan questioned me from the other side of the bed.

I kept my eyes trained on my hands as I shrugged. "Fine, honestly."

"You were snacking a lot. I figured it would save you from a hangover. You really just need to sleep it off now."

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that you stayed sober," I blurted out without thinking about it.

Rowan let out a long sigh. I finally looked up at him, knowing I would need to see his reactions for a conversation like this. His eyes widened when he saw that I finally looked at him, but he didn't comment on it. "Our connection doesn't work like that. We can sense each other, and sometimes even feel immense feelings the other is having. We feel when the other is in pain. But we can't make the other sick because we are sick or vice versa. It's just a feeling we get from the other that gets more intense as the mating process goes on."

"And what stage are we at?"

Rowan ran a hand through his dark curls before responding. "The more the mates interact, the more intense the bond is. It can't be completed without the ceremony, but our bond has grown fairly strong."

"So while I was gone," I trailed off, not wanting to say it.

"I could feel your pain," Rowan confirmed with a curt nod.