Page 27 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

I couldn’t keep it up, though. Somewhere inside me, doubt overcame desire, and I quickly covered myself up before he could start teasing me. I know who he is, what he is, and I’m lucky I had a shred of sanity left that saved my dignity.

Except…

Except I haven’t seen that guy. The bully, the party dude, the one who makes fun of everything and anything. Last night, after the wedding, he said some things I didn’t like, but looking back on it, he wasn’t bullying me. Not like the old days. He reallydid look sorry, and he went to a lot of trouble to make it up to me.

I smile, thinking about the huge breakfast he cooked. No one has ever made breakfast for me in my entire life. He asked me how I make my coffee and paid close attention to the food I like.

He even took it a step further at the supermarket, asking lots of questions about my favorite meals and even what soap and shampoo I liked. I can’t see the old Jenks doing that. No way.

Okay, then, if he’s so obsessed and overflowing with desire, why did he run from me and lock himself in his room?

I want to believe that he was respecting my privacy and trying to make me comfortable, but far back in my mind, flickers of doubt whisper.

Maybe he couldn’t stand to look at me and wondered what the hell he’d gotten himself into?

I sit up suddenly, hurling the pillow to the floor. My skin feels hot and itchy, and my muscles are cramping from stress. I want to just march straight down the hall, knock on his door, and demand that he answer my questions.

He’ll open the door slowly, rubbing sleep from his eyes. When he sees me, he’ll go quiet, eating me up with his gaze. I’ll just pull my nightgown off over my head and stand in front of him, whispering, “Don’t you want me?” And all his savagery will come out in an instant as he throws himself on me, and we make crazy hot love right there in the doorway…

I giggle in spite of myself. I’m not the kind of girl who could ever do something like that, even if I was completely assured my little fantasy could come true.

And I’m not sure. At all.

Sighing, I throw myself back down on the bed, shaking my head. I take long, slow breaths, trying to calm myself down. I don’t know how to face him after this, now that he’s seen me naked.

Do I just say good morning and pretend it never happened?

Stop it. Just get some sleep.

I take a long breath and hold it for three heartbeats. Then I release it and hold it for the same amount of time. I’m so exhausted, both mentally and physically, that it doesn’t take long for the relaxation trick to work. As I start to drift off, Jenks fills my mind, but the images are soothing, not ridden with anxiety.

I see the soft look in his eyes, and his gentle smile. These are real, not my imagination.

He’s a different guy now. But how different?

I sink into sleep, waiting for a lucid dream. But instead, I feel like almost no time has passed when I blink my eyes open in the early dawn light.

Strange, to not remember my dream. That almost never happens.

I know everyone dreams every night. The people who say they don’t just aren’t remembering them. That can be dangerous if it happens long-term.

Dreams link the conscious and subconscious worlds. They’re our connection to truly understanding ourselves and having control of our willpower. For witches, it can be the highest magic, but it’s important for everyone to learn how to navigate their own mind.

I stretch out a bit, feeling relaxed and comfortable. Even though I don’t remember my dream, I do feel well-rested, which is all that really matters right now.

As I sit up, I feel a little thrill of electricity run across my skin. My ears pop and ring.

Spirits!

A sudden change in air pressure usually means ghosts or incorporeal beings are around. They can be impressions of humans who have died, or even stranger creatures that were never human.

I grab my robe and slippers, hurrying out the back of the house. I run across the deck to the wide-open backyard that leads straight into the forest.

Extending my arms and my aura, I cast a magic circle, throwing my response out into the ether.

I am what you seek. Appear, those who are lost!

Immediately, I sense spirits gathering around me. I’ve always been strong and had a natural talent for communicating with ghosts, showing them the way to their unfinished business. As for nature spirits, they often tell me how to care for plants and wildlife, preserving the balance while keeping us well-fed and sheltered.

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