A Romance Sort of Thing

Chapter 11: A Protector

"You can't just stop trying magic because the first time was a bad experience," Zayden's voice was strained.

We have been arguing all day long, and now we sat at his dinner table with emptied plates.

"The food was great, thank you," I commented as I tried to ignore his statement.

He glared at me while finishing his orange juice, "you can't ignore this forever." 

"I know, it's just everything is moving so quickly, and that," I pointed at the empty spot on the table where the candles once were. "That scared me," I said earnestly.

"I promise you, Lillith, that I won't let anything happen to you. I am here to protect you," his voice was sincere.

"As much as I want to believe that. I am not sure that you are able to protect me as much as you think."

"Well I can sure as hell try," he was determined.

I sat back in my chair and sighed.

"I am going to head to my room now. I need to check on Aaylah and get some rest," I said as I stood up and grabbed the plates to put them in the sink.

"I will walk you back," he said, walking to the door and putting on a sweater.

I followed him and grabbed my own sweater, the nights got cold here, even though there was no snow like back home. We walked back to my room mostly in silence, small talk here and there. The vibrant stars shone brightly in the night sky, with the moon at its waxing gibbous stage. The lighting shone through the windows of the castle hallways. The full moon would be soon.

"Here you go my lady," Zayden opened my door and gestured to enter.

"Thank you," I giggled as it felt odd to have someone be so... chivalry? If he was truly my mate, I wouldn't mind much. He has been earning my trust massively since the first day I woke up here. He was always kind and honest. Two qualities that I found rare in this world.  

Meeoowww. Meeoow.

Aaylah came trotting over and rubbing herself on my legs, purring like crazy. I couldn't help but smile and bend over to pet her, she was my baby.

"You and Aaylah are inseparable," Zayden chuckled.

"I rescued her. She was abandoned in a ditch when she was only a few weeks old. It was cold and snowy. She barely made it," I said sympathetically. 

The memory of the little white kitten that blended into the snow. I was walking home after working at the bar and heard tiny distressed animal noises. They were faint but enough to grab attention as I looked at the dirty snow.

The dirty snow didn't help me find her much as she was dirty herself. She was barely moving. I immediately took her took her in and nursed her back to a healthy state. She blossomed after a couple of weeks, like a flower that found sun after ages of sitting in the dark.

"You have a kind heart, don't ever forget that," Zayden's voice was soft.

Those words stood out to me for some reason as if I was judging myself on if I had a kind heart or not. I never broke the law, I never hurt anyone. How bad could I be?

"Zayden..." I trailed off, thinking of the question that has been itching at me since he told me he thought we were mates.

"Yes?"

"How would we know if we are mates, for sure?" I asked, standing up and dusting off Aaylahs shedding hair from my hands.

"Generally, there's an unseeable force pulling the two werewolves together, a bond that ties them together, and then the claim comes last," he shuffled his feet, his intense dark eyes watching me.

"What's the bond?" I asked.

"Generally, intimacy," he replied, I noticed he kept saying 'generally' as if it sometimes didn't happen.

"Why? You want to try it?" he smirked.

"You wish," I scoffed, crossing my arms and glaring at him. He raised his hands in retreat.

"I was just offering," he chuckled.

He moved towards me cautiously and grabbed my hand gently into his, bending over slightly to kiss the top of my hand. His warm lips shooting electric tingles of pleasure up my arm. As soon as his lips left my hand, it felt like a void. Empty. Like something was missing. 

"Goodnight, princess," he said as he turned around to walk out. I grabbed his hand to stop him from leaving.

"Wait," my voice was so faint I didn't think he heard me.

He turned back to me, he was so close I could feel the heat waves coming off of him. His eyes holding mine, dark depths that should scare me but I could only find them attractive, pulling me to him, like I was a piece of metal and he was a magnet. His lips curled into a small grin.

"Did you change your mind, princess?" His voice teasing, making my stomach flip over.

I bit my lip in nervousness. His eyes grew darker with lust and he somehow moved closer to me.

"No," I whispered, his face fell into confusion. "Can you stay with me?" I asked nervously.

"Of course, it will be my honor," his voice like a finely tuned guitar. It was music to my ears to listen to him.

He cupped my cheek with his hand and gently leaned in, kissing my forehead. His warm lips leaving tingles lingering. At that moment I could see us. I could see us making genuine love with all the electricity in the world engulfing us. I closed my eyes, trying to control the urges to just pull him in.

"Thank you," I said softly as I moved away reluctantly. Grabbing some clothes from the closet to change into for bed.

"Can I take one of your blankets?" he asked.

I looked at him confused, "why?"

"You want me to sleep on the floor with no blanket or pillow?" he looked at me like I was crazy.

"You can sleep on the bed, just keep your distance," my voice feeble because I wasn't sure that was a good idea.

I knew if I made him sleep on eh floor I would feel guilty though. I didn't want to be alone either because I was still fearful of the unknown. Maybe of myself.

"Are you sure?"

I gave him a nod, I was sure. I would rather have some company with a gentleman than to be alone knowing my magic was dark. Or someone was after me.

After changing, I crawled under the covers, content with everything. Zayden didn't try to move closer from the other side of the bed. He was respecting my wishes. I felt Aaylah jump up on the bed and her small paws made their way to my chest. She curled up and went to sleep purring. The rhythmic beat of the vibrations coming off her body relaxed me. It allowed my thoughts to disappear, and eventually, I found myself floating into blackness.

Audience:

Hmm... what does everyone think so far?

Do you think Lillith is getting fond of Zayden much?

Hope everyone is enjoying so far! (:

Thank you for reading!