Seven Days (17 page)

I trailed my fingers down his arms, reveling in the feel of his muscles tensed under his skin. The minutes ticked away, no matter how hard I tried to make them stop.

“What a difference seven days can make,” I whispered. “If my life were only seven days long, I could live my entire lifetime in a single minute. How much longer?”

Xavier shook his head, refusing to answer.

I turned to watch the sun sink ever lower in the sky. It didn’t matter that he wouldn’t tell me, I knew. My last day was slipping away as surely as the sun slipped into the horizon.

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you, too.” He crossed his arms over my shoulders, pulling me against his chest while we watched the sunset.

As the last of the sunlight faded into the darkness, I could feel the marching of ants along my skin. The jerking muscles dislodged me from Xavier’s embrace and I turned so his beloved face would fill my vision. His pale eyes grew large and changed so drastically it was hard to see in them the man I loved, but I knew he was there. We gazed at each other and eternity passed in the turning of only one minute of the earth's path around the sun. I held my breath, wanting to cling to that last minute. The last of the light slipped away and the silver moonlight left us bathed in its cold reality. It was over. The sun had set. The mood had risen. Xavier lay on his side, his breath coming in short pants. His tail swished irritably.

I knelt by his side. “You’re beautiful,” I whispered, sinking my fingers into his deep black fur.

Xavier growled low but leaned into my very human hands.

[Fluffer Nutter]

I hope you enjoyed Seven Days. Don’t miss the rest of the Highland Home series including Mourning Sun, Captured Sun, Banished Sun, and Nine Lives. These books are now available wherever you buy books.

Coming soon! Book Six: Two Suns