Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“How about if I close the windows all the way, Little one?”
She shook her head. “No, Daddy. Leave them.” Something inside her told her she needed to remain alert even while she was sleeping.
“Okay, Baby girl.” After settling against the headboard, her Daddy cradled her in his arms and tapped her lips with the nipple.
She closed her eyes and suckled, but she couldn’t keep the restless feelings from continuing to upset her. It seemed like every inhale filled her nostrils with that stupid scent of death. It was gone now. It left with Drow, but it niggled in her head, taunting her as if it were a riddle she was supposed to solve.
Daddy was right. It could have been something simple like an animal Drow killed earlier in the day, but she didn’t think that was it. If so, she would have scented the blood of the animal. If Rylee was hedging her bets, she would guess that there was one of three possibilities: either Drow was planning to kill, he was dying, or he was in danger of dying at someone else’s hand or from an accident.
She couldn’t stop any of that. And why should she care? He wasn’t a good person.
When the bottle was empty, Rylee accepted a pacifier from Daddy and curled up in his arms. Sleep took a long time coming, and even then, she was restless.
Daddy rubbed her back and stroked her hair, never leaving her. He didn’t get up and close the windows either. He simply held her close and tried to soothe her.
At some point, she finally dozed off, though she didn’t know for how long. Suddenly she bolted awake, sat upright, and dropped her pacifier from her mouth. She inhaled deeply, shuddering as her nostrils filled with the distinct stench of death. It was much stronger than earlier as if the earlier smell had been a precursor or a warning.
The previous scent a few hours ago had been difficult to understand. Confusing. Hard to put into words. What she smelled now was actual death. On top of that she could scent anguish and frustration. The former was coming from Drow. The latter was coming from Surge and Thorn and two other bears she didn’t know.
The phone rang, and Daddy reached across her to answer it while she continued to draw in deep disgusting breaths.
He must have put it on speaker because she heard Felix speaking. “Khloe had a vision.”
This didn’t surprise Rylee. At the same time, she could scent Molly. Her friend was in wolf form and heading this direction. Gavin was with her of course.
The sound of Felix’s voice grew muffled as he continued to speak. “Drow killed Firat. Several of the bears are at the scene. They’ve taken him into custody.”
Daddy mumbled excuses to Felix and set the phone down. It wasn’t until he lifted Rylee into his arms and stood, rocking her, that she realized she was hyperventilating.
“Take a deep breath, Baby girl. Breathe with Daddy.” He inhaled long and slow over and over until she managed to join him.
She was aware of him grabbing a blanket off the bed and wrapping it around her. The next thing she knew, he was opening the front door.
Rylee cried out and plugged her nose, grateful that the door was only opened for a few seconds before he shut it and then moved around the house closing all the windows.
He never released her.
She sobbed into his neck, grateful that the stench was significantly lessened once the house was sealed off. There was no way to block it entirely, but it was better. She continued to plug her nose and breathe through her mouth, but she couldn’t stop crying.
She knew Molly and Gavin were in the house, and she sniffled and blinked at her friend when Molly set a hand on her back.
Molly’s brow was furrowed, but she nodded toward the kitchen. “I brought something for you.”
Daddy carried her toward the stove where Gavin was stirring something in a pan.
“Lean her over it,” Molly said. “You can let go of your nose, Rylee.”
Rylee stared at the steaming pot and released her nose. Her next inhale was such a relief that she smiled. As if she hadn’t breathed in an hour, she took several long deep breaths.
“What is that?” Daddy asked.
Gavin shrugged. “My mate is a genius. She made it.”
Rylee glanced at Molly to find her shrugging as if it was no big deal. “I did a little research this afternoon and found this recipe. It’s basically like a potpourri of pleasant scents. I meant to bring it over the next time I came, but when I heard what the bears were saying, I knew you would need it now.”
Rylee continued to breathe in the delightful smells. “That’s amazing.”
“It’s basically eucalyptus, tea tree oil, and several other things combined. Strong pleasant scents that block icky odors. I made you several different types. One is citrus based. Another is peppermint. And there’s a lavender one. You can try them all and see what you like best.”