Richard just stood there, shocked. He had always dreamed about finding his mate, the one person that would understand him and stand by him when all others failed. He quickly withdrew his hand when her eyes fluttered open. "Richard, what are you doing here?" The confusion in her voice could be heard plainly, but the smile that he gave her quickly soothed her nerves.
"I was heading to bed when I heard you screaming. I thought you were in danger, but you were just having a nightmare. Are you alright?" Laretta smiled at him, though it wasn't her usual smile. "Yes … No. I don't know Richard." Laretta hung her head, trying to sort through her thoughts, but the sleepy haze that hung over her mind kept them scattered.
Pulling her legs up to her chest, Laretta laid her head on her knees. Slowly, Richard eased down on the bed waiting for her to speak. He knew that if she was rushed, she would clam up quicker than he could blink. "About six months after I moved to Ireland, I started receiving letters from a secret admirer. They were sweet, very thoughtful at first. But then they started turning creepy." A shudder ran through her body and Richard's hands itched to pull her close to him and hold her tightly. But he couldn't, not yet.
"They got so bad at one point, I just started burning them whenever I got one, not evening opening it to see what it said. They had been coming for almost two months when I met Thomas. The day he asked me out, they stopped coming and I was grateful. But I never did tell him about them. I thought there was no need to." She fell silent again, tears sparkling in her eyes.
"Since it had been so long since I received a letter, I believed that whoever was sending them had finally moved on. But they didn't. Whoever it was, he ... He called me this evening."
"What did he say?" Richard's voice washed over her, easing her worried mind even more. "He ... He said that I was his; that he would be coming for me." A deep growl erupted from Richard, making Laretta's head jerk up. She noticed that his eyes were flashing gold and she knew that his wolf was surfacing. And she also knew that if it had been anyone else sitting here before him while his wolf was fighting for control, they would be scared for their lives. But not her; no, she knew that Richard would never hurt her.
As she watched the man before her, she realized something; something she had buried for the past two years. "Thomas was one of you, wasn't he?" She suddenly asked Richard. Puzzled, he nodded slowly. "How long have you known?"
"I think I've known since I started seeing him, but just pushed it to the back of my mind. I was used to your eyes turning gold when your wolf was trying to take over. His would do that when he ... Well, I remember them turning color." Richard didn't say anything, knowing that she meant when he was drunk and would hit her. He was content to just sit there and listen to his mate's voice.
"For now on, until we figure out who this guy is, you're not to go anywhere alone. You'll be with either me or Jon at all times. If we have something that can't be taken care of by someone else, I'll make sure you're very well protected."
"Richard … "
"This is something that you can't talk me out of Laretta." Richard said with a fond chuckle as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I care far too much about you to let anything happen to you. Please understand." Smiling softly at him, Laretta nodded her head.
"It's late. Why don't you try to get some more sleep? If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, I'm just right across the hall. Come and get me, alright??
She nodded her head as she watched him walk out of the room, closing the door behind him. Lying back down, Laretta pulled the thick cover over her and let out a sigh. The nightmare had been a familiar one, one that she knew frontwards and backwards.
The shocks that had exploded in her arm had been new, but she hadn't said anything. She knew that Richard had to shake her to wake her up. It had happened once before during college and the only room-mate she ever had, had to shake her hard to get her to snap out of the nightmare. But Laretta didn't care about that. Laretta wanted to know why she felt shocks when he touched her.
Did that happen when all werewolves touched humans? Shaking her head no as she remembered when Thomas hit her there had been no sparks. Pushing the questions down, she let her eyes drift shut and sleep swiftly claimed her again. But this time, she slept peacefully.