Free MARKED (Hunter Awakened) by Rascal Hearts

that
I'd been putting off due to the insanity of recent events. By the
time I finished, it was dark and I was planning a night of watching
movies and reading a good book. What I wasn't expecting was a knock
on my door.
    Even as I walked towards it, I knew who was
on the other side. I didn't really have a logical reason for it,
but I knew it all the same. No matter how crazy it sounded, the
connection was real. When I opened the door, I was already smiling.
“Hey there.” The expression on Elias's face made my smile widen. He
was wearing was his almost-shy look, the one that twisted my heart.
“Come on in.”
    He spoke as he stepped inside. “I was
wondering if you would like to accompany me on a picnic.” His tone
was still formal-sounding, but there was a vulnerability to his
voice wasn't usually present.
    “A picnic? You mean like for lunch
tomorrow?”
    He shook his head and gave me a small smile.
“Have you ever had a picnic under a full moon?”
    “No,” I said. The memory of the poem he'd
recited the night before came back to me. “But I'd love to.”
    The smile on his face blossomed and his eyes
shone. “I had noticed yesterday that many of the leftovers would be
perfect for a picnic. Shall I prepare them?”
    I nodded. I suddenly remembered what I was
wearing and heat rushed to my face. “And I'll go change.”
    “Why?” Elias asked, already half-way towards
the kitchen. “If you are comfortable, then, please, remain as you
are.” This time I could hear the smile. “I rather like the
attire.”
    After a brief internal debate, I decided to
do as he said and stay in my comfy clothes. He'd already seen them,
so what was the point of dressing up? Besides, he'd said that he
liked them. I smiled as I hurried up to my room to grab a
sweatshirt. LA was far from in a cold zone, but night this time of
year could get a bit nippy.
    By the time I made it back to the kitchen,
Elias was waiting with everything packed into a picnic basket I'd
never seen before. Over his arm was a fleece blanket the exact
shade of his eyes. I didn't recognize that either. He must've
brought them with him. As I closed the distance between us, he set
the blanket on top of the basket and walked towards me. We both
stopped when we were less than a foot apart.
    Without a word, he raised his hand towards my
face. At first, I thought he was reaching for me, but then I caught
a glimpse of color and turned my eyes towards his hand. He was
holding another orchid, the bright blue Thelymitra Ixioides .
He tucked it behind my ear, the tips of his fingers brushing down
my cheek as he dropped his hand. I couldn't breathe. My skin was
tingling where he'd touched me.
    “Beautiful.”
    He breathed the word and I wasn't sure if he
was talking about the flower or about me. I really hoped it was the
latter, though I could understand it being the former. It really
was an amazing flower.
    He took a step back and the spell was broken,
or at least dampened. He held out his arm like something from an
old-fashioned move. “Shall we?”
    I put my arm through the crook of his and
earned a smile. He picked up the basket and blanket and we headed
for the French doors that led from my kitchen to my backyard I was
a bit confused.
    “Where're we going?” I asked as we stepped
outside. A cool breeze greeted me and I was glad I'd gotten the
sweatshirt.
    “Considering recent events, I did not think
it wise to be out and about at night. Here, the wall surrounding
your property will prevent any issues,” Elias said,
matter-of-factly.
    Thinking like a bodyguard even when he was
off duty, I mused. He and I walked between the in-ground pool and
the covered patio to the hill that led down into the rest of my
property. When I'd purchased the house years ago, most of the land
acres behind my house had been covered with stone, leaving only a
thin strip of grass surrounding the servants' quarters slash
guesthouse at the far edge of the property.
    One of the first things I'd