Page 72 of His Arranged Plus-Size Mate

He nodded. “Yeah. I had a hard time sleeping when they found me. Took me months before I felt even a little normal. I still have bad nights. I don’t think they will ever go away.”

I rested my chin on his chest and softly smiled as I stared. I took in his calm face. “Do you think we have a chance? Or do you think we’re fucked royally?”

He clicked his tongue. “I hope we win. But we honestly have no idea how many they have. We won’t know until we get there.”

I rested my face down and closed my eyes. I felt him tug the blanket over us, and I basked in the warmth. My stomach churned with the knowledge we only had hours before we were leaving.

Chapter 25 - Hazel

I woke up to the sound of an alarm. I could hear Asher turning it off. I opened my eyes and stared at him. He gave me a soft smile, and his hand reached out to stroke my cheek.

I smiled, feeling my heart skip a beat. I loved him so much.

I shifted, moving closer against him. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He leaned forward, brushing his nose against mine. “Good morning.”

I felt like we were sitting in a warm cocoon, and all of our issues could never touch us. But I knew we needed to get moving. We had all of last night to spend together, and we couldn’t drag our feet. Everyone else was likely getting ready like we were.

“We have to get up, don’t we?” I asked, feeling dread starting to settle in.

He nodded. “Yeah, we do. I’m sure everyone else is getting ready. We don’t want to be the reason we have to delay this.”

I nodded my head and rolled my tongue over my lips. “Don’t die. That is your one big job today.”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “I don’t exactly want to die. That is always my one big job.”

“No, I know. I just…don’t die.” I swallowed, placing my hand on his chest. “I don’t want to spend my life without you.”

He smiled. “And the same goes to you.”

I watched him pull himself up and start to grab at his clothes. I slipped out of the bedroom to change and headedup the stairs. I pulled on some thick leggings and a sweater. I yanked on tight boots and headed back down the stairs. I headed into the kitchen and shoved the knife drawer open.

I grabbed the first one I could and shoved it into the pocket of my leggings.

“What’s that?” Asher appeared in the hallway and looked at me.

“A knife.”

He frowned. “Why?

“In case I need it.”

“Do you know how to use it for self-defense?” We never went over using anything during training. Now that I think about it, we should have. It would be smart for me to know how.

I shrugged. “Not really, but I can figure it out.”

He walked closer to her, pulling my hand up, and grabbed the knife. He wrapped my fingers around the handle, making sure I held onto it tightly. “Keep your wrist tight, and hold it firm. You don’t want them to get their hands on this.”

I looked down at the blade and then back at him. I swallowed, realizing this was our last moment alone together.

He kissed me softly. We stood there for a moment before he stepped back. I put the blade away, and we headed out to the car. We drove in silence. I held onto his hand, never wanting to let go.

As we pulled up, it looked like everyone was here. I knew we were taking a group out with us, and Chelsey was joining. Gabriella, Nora, and Jade all stood looking unhappy.

We got out of the car, and Gabriella came toward us. She pulled me into a tight hug. “You have to come back. Do you hear me? I can’t live without you.”

Gabriella started to cry, pulling me closer. I felt Asher let go and nod toward the guys, giving me a moment.