Chapter Thirty-Seven

Claire The heavy feeling of sleep weighed Claire down when she tried to pry open her eyes. She slid her bare legs against the soft sheets of the bed beneath her and stretched her arms above her head, feeling a rough tug in her lower belly, bringing back the memories from the night before. Claire sat up quickly, seeing no imprint of where Axel slept next to her or any indication he'd been there recently. She reached up and touched the sore spot on her neck, kicked off the covers, and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. She looked well-rested, considering the amount of sleep she got the night before. Her hair was wild, but— The mark on her neck was bright blue, a full moon, with two twinkling stars above it. She gasped, her fingertips traced the outline as her heart hammered into her ribcage. "My mark," she mumbled to herself. It was beautiful and perfect, but … Axel wasn't near so she could show him. She didn't hear anyone moving around in the rest of the house, or any sig