He Found Me

Chapter 5: Him

Him

"Everly?"

Her head snapped up and her green eyes connected with mine. My heart stopped. God, she was so beautiful. Even more beautiful than I remembered her. For a second, my mind tried to convince me that it was too good to be true. This girl couldn't be Everly. This had to be some kind of coincidence; it was a mistake. Everly was dead.

But, no, here she was, sitting in front of me with the same bright red hair, the same gorgeous green eyes, the same mouthwatering scent.

"Is it really you?" I asked quietly. I wanted to run up to her, take her in my arms and never ever let go. But I was afraid that if I moved too fast this image that my mind was creating of the girl I loved would disappear and I would be left with the same cold emptiness as before.

I heard her say something and her voice rang in my ears like soft bells in my ears. I couldn't even comprehend what she was saying. I just simply kept moving toward her. Her eyes widened and she was suddenly moving frantically. I watched her every movement. As she turned her back, I noticed her hair was longer now. Before it had barely reached her shoulders, but now it went a bit past her shoulder blades.

Her scent was the same though. She smelled like... I didn't know how else to explain it besides saying that she smelled like Everly; she smelled like home, like sunshine and laughter, like hugs and warmth, like late night talks, like the girl I loved. My heart felt constricted in my chest. I couldn't help the baffled smile that came to my face.

The fact that she didn't jump for joy or immediately run into my arms the second she saw me briefly crossed my mind, but I couldn't bring myself to think or care about it too much.

All I knew was that I had to be closer to her.

I quickly moved, jumping over the counter that separated me from her until I was right behind her. My arm instantly wrapped around her waist and I tugged her to my chest. I felt her body stiffen, but I ignored it, letting my nose run up the base of her neck to her jaw. I wanted to drown myself in her scent, in the scent of my mate.

Her knees buckled and I smiled, tightening my hold on her to keep her from falling. When we first found out that we were mates, she always told me whenever I touched her like this she felt dizzy and weak like she was going to fall. She hated it, saying that it made her feel weak, but I didn't mind at all. It was good to see that I still had the same effect on her.

I moved my head to the other side of her neck, ready to take in more of her amazing scent. But what I saw right where her shoulder and neck met made my chest tighten. It was my mark. It was the mark that I had given her when we were seventeen years old, right after we had mated for the first time. It was one of the happiest moments of my entire life; the moment when we became truly bonded to each other, when we became one soul in two bodies.

My breath faltered for a second. "It is really you..." I whispered. I bent down and, not being able to help myself, and pressed a gentle kiss to the scar.

I was surprised, however, when I didn't feel anything. Usually, when I kissed or touched Everly's mark, I would get a surge of electricity running through my system. It was our bond surging between us, letting us feel our love for each other. It felt amazing. But this time I felt nothing but the feel of my lips on her skin.

My heart dropped. This could only mean one thing. Our bond was no longer solidified; it had been broken. It explained so much. This was why I couldn't feel that she was still alive or mind link her anymore. It was why it felt like she was dead. I couldn't feel her anymore because her soul had been ripped from mine, harshly and painfully, the same way it would've been if she had actually died. My mark no longer meant anything. We would have to go through the mating process all over again.