Chapter 40: Book 1 : Chapter 40 The W Word

November 3rd

My view when I first woke was not the white bed sheets but the tall swaying trees of the forest. The cold air was biting at my feet making me shiver, but a thick blanket enclosed my body and somebody warm and strong held me.

My eyes widened as my situation sank in and I let out a sleepy groan.

"Leo?" I asked, catching the scent of the man carrying me. "What the fuck is happening?"

"Ssssh, don't worry about it, Ella. Go back to sleep," he replied softly.

Go back to sleep? So I'm not dreaming right now?

I looked at the sky to see stars strewn across the clear sky in little clusters and swirling ribbons. The deep purples and blues of the night were rich like the most pigmented paint and it all just so surreal and dreamy.

"Is this real?" I asked, just to be sure as I reached my hand out of the blanket to the gentle breeze that danced at my fingertips.

"I said go back to sleep," Leo said, still in a quiet, but more authoritative tone.