Page 6 of Finding Embers and Stars (Twin Flames Duet #1)
Chapter six
T he sun is hitting me straight in the eyes, making it hard to sleep. Ugh, why is the sun hitting me? My blackout curtains should be blocking it. I go to stretch my body only for my hands to smack the car roof and my knees to connect forcefully with the dash. I sit up so fast I almost smack my head on the window. Shit, I'm in Sage’s car. The events of last night come rushing back to me as I look over at Sage.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty, have a good rest?” She glances at me with a toothy grin.
“Sage, how long did you let me sleep? It was the middle of the night when I fell asleep, and it looks like the sun has been up for hours!! What the hell happened to taking it in shifts?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Chill out, I'm fine. I stopped for coffee and pee breaks a few times and started listening to a new audiobook. I honestly need a mate with a tail, or maybe tentacles.”
I stare at her like she's lost her damn mind. Which is Sage’s default setting.
“Tails and tentacles, huh? Could be fun. How long did I sleep, and can we stop so I can stretch and grab some food? I'm starving.”
She hums at me. “Yes, tails and tentacles will be needed to ensure a happy future!” I can tell she’s playing up her silliness to help keep my mind off the shitshow of our life. I love that about her.
“There's a little café up ahead. I was going to wake you when I got to it. We can eat, stretch our legs, and then you can drive. To answer your question, you slept for ten hours and don't even start your shit. You needed a good sleep, and I wasn't tired. I’m getting tired now, so this all works out.”
Looking at the navigation, it shows we’re in British Columbia and about to be in Fort Nelson. When I do the math and realize we’ve driven over 700 miles from home, a slight feeling of relief settles over me. I won’t be able to fully relax until we make it to this shelter. Normally, I would be worried about that, but I trust Mama Rose with my life. I know she wouldn't send us somewhere unsafe.
Sage pulls up to a cute little café and I basically roll out of the car. I'm so stiff. Sleeping so long and being unable to fully stretch my long legs is brutal.
“Wanna go grab us a table? I’m going to stretch and walk around for a minute.”
She nods and heads inside. I do a few stretches to help loosen up the muscles of my back, then follow her inside. As I walk through the door, I glance around, looking for Sage, and I find her with her eyes closed, sipping a cup of coffee. The look on her face is closer to an orgasm than what drinking a bitter, dirt-tasting beverage should get anyone. As I get closer, I can hear the little moans she's making.
“For fuck’s sake, Sage. We’re in public. Keep the sex noises to a minimum, please.”
She sets her cup down and looks at me like I've just insulted her firstborn. “I can’t believe you would speak of my one true love that way, Piper. You know coffee and I have a very serious and long-term relationship. Just because you're a weirdo that doesn't require this divine nectar of the Gods doesn’t mean you get to go around insulting those that do. Just for that, I'll be eating the cinnamon roll I ordered for you.”
I glare at her as I sit down and then realize she's also ordered me a hot chocolate.
I take a sip of the glorious, chocolatey goodness while staring at my soulmate. The only thought rolling through my head is that I would have no clue what I would do without her.
While I’m watching her like a creeper, she starts laughing. “Piper, you’re staring at me like you are either about to get on one knee and propose or kiss me. While I love you with my whole heart, I prefer dicks, and I know you do, too.”
I throw my head back and laugh just as the waitress comes over with our food. She looks over at Sage, grinning. “Same girl, same.”
We nearly fall out of the booth from laughing so hard. Once we calm down, we tuck into our breakfast. Sage ordered my standard biscuits and gravy with the bonus of a cinnamon roll. I almost cry when I see a literal mountain of bacon being set down between us.
Sage is eating her usual breakfast of eggs benedict and it’s nice to just have a moment to breathe and laugh even with all the shit we’ve had thrown at us in the last twenty-four hours.
We finish eating and get back on the road. Even with ten hours and 700 miles between my father and me, there’s no way I can relax.
Sage puts a sleep spell on herself, and I have to admit I'm slightly jealous of how much shorter she is than me. She doesn’t need to imitate a pretzel to get comfortable.
I spend the hours listening to my favorite music and honestly thinking about what I would want to do with my life. Sage and I are huge readers. Since my father doesn’t approve of reading romance, Sage has always shared her books with me.
Over the years, I’ve dreamed of escaping the pack. More importantly, escaping my father. I never allowed those dreams to be more than passing fantasies because I knew I couldn’t leave Sage behind. And just because my family is fucked doesn’t mean that she should have to run from hers. I love her parents.
Now that the opportunity for a fresh start is right in front of us, I can’t help but think of my deepest, most outlandish dream. To become an author. Other than the fact that I could never have done it while still at home. Imposter syndrome is a bitch.
What if I can’t do it?
What if I do it, but everyone hates my book?
Yet, I’ve always felt that if we could just live in a house in the mountains and write all day, I would forever be happy.
By the time Sage starts to stir, I've already been driving for over thirteen hours. We’ve made it to the other side of Calgary and only have about ten hours left to drive.
Sage stretches and sits up and I grumble under my breath about how short bitches get all the leg room.
Sage snorts, “I’m pretty sure you meant to say that in your head, but you’re not wrong. Us short bitches do get the leg room.” She pulls out her phone and checks the time. “Now do you care to explain why I got my ass chewed for driving ten hours while you slept, and you've driven over thirteen?”
I give her my best side eye and shrug. “I've got a lot of energy after shifting and then sleeping for so long. I may nap for a bit after we eat, but honestly, I'm not tired.”
I pull up to an all-night truck stop that has a diner attached to it. These places always have the best comfort food. We both order chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes. The thought of them has Sage doing a happy wiggle in her seat. We both have a love of mashed potatoes, any potatoes really, but mashed is our favorite.
Our food comes and we dig in while talking about this shelter we’re going to. I have to admit, I'm curious about it and how it came to be. I really hope they can help hide us from my father.
Once we’re back on the road with Sage driving, I bring up my earlier thoughts on becoming authors.
“So, I had a thought earlier about what we could do. I know it's out there and obviously we would need to have other jobs to support us while we are trying to make a name for ourselves.” I bite my lip, super nervous to tell her about the dream that my brain has hyper-focused on.
Sage just looks at me, waiting patiently for me to get the words out.
“I think we should become writers.” I dive in, ignoring Sage’s shocked expression as I try to force all the details of my plan out in the open.
“Co-authoring with my bestie would be a dream come true. I couldn't help but picture us living in a cabin in the mountains writing together. It could even be in Wyoming.”
“Get out of my head!!! How did you do that? Honestly, I was thinking the same thing. Only my dream location was a beach house in Florida.”
We spend the next ten hours talking about this crazy idea of co-authoring. Once we get close to Ranchester, I ask Sage if she's hungry.
“No, I'm too nervous to eat. What are we about to walk into, Pip? I know mom wouldn’t send us somewhere unsafe, but fuck. We just ran for our lives, left mom and dad behind, and drove over two thousand miles in two days. We barely qualify as adults. I’m actually kind of freaking out right now.”
I pull into a gas station so I can focus on Sage. “I know, so am I. I've never even left Skagway before. I can't explain it, but I'm not scared about going to this shelter. Something just feels right about it.”
I give her a hug and pull back out onto the road. It only takes us another fifteen minutes to get to the address Mama Rose gave us.
A man standing by the front door is the first thing we see as we get out of the car. He’s gorgeous. He’s tall, with a lean swimmer’s build. Chocolate brown hair with some dark green highlights that match his stunning green eyes. His smile is friendly, and I automatically feel at peace around him. He steps forward with his arms open like he wants to give us both a hug, and for some unexplained reason, we don’t hesitate before walking into his arms. I think we both needed that hug after everything we went through.
He squeezes us gently before stepping back and opening the door for us. “Welcome to New Leaf Sanctuary. My name is Nox. You’re safe now.”