What’s my objection anyway, other than the fear of dying? Yeah that one, that’s all that’s needed isn’t it; that real fear that something might go wrong. But that night he’d been so in control. I can’t imagine that perfect specimen being so far gone over me that he’d lose his senses to the point that he’d kill to have me.
And what would it feel like to have his hands on me again? To be that close, held that intimately in his big strong arms! Have mercy! Even as I had the thought my body felt open, ready…I forced those dangerous thoughts aside as I finished up in the bathroom, shaking my head as if coming out of a trance. How long had I been standing here in front of the mirror lost in thought?
My eyes fell on the mark on my neck and I remembered what it was I’d been doing before I started daydreaming. I can’t let the others see my neck, which seemed to be getting darker by the minute. Not until I had some answers myself as to how it got there. So I did my best to conceal it with some makeup.
That only hid it to some extent but it would have to do for now. Pulling my hair forward did the rest and I looked myself over one last time before leaving the bathroom.
I suddenly felt more rested than I had in days, weeks even, and was looking forward to spending another lovely Sunday afternoon with my sisters before school started again in the morning. How odd the mind is. It can go from the sordid thoughts I’d been having as I stood before the mirror. Thoughts that were incendiary at best, and now to something as innocent as school the next day.
I took birdie downstairs with me leaving Patrick in his cage since the two of them couldn’t seem to get along. I’ll make it up to him later. Right now I have to find something for my new little pet to eat. He rode on my shoulder as I headed downstairs where the others were already busy getting breakfast started.
“Good morning everyone.” They all turned from what they were doing to look at me.
“Good morning sleepyhead. We were wondering when you’d be coming down. We need to talk.” Uh-oh, when Zoe says we need to talk it’s always something serious, usually some infraction of Annalise’s but this didn’t feel like one of those times.
“What’s up?” I pulled out a chair and sat, petting birdie’s head. He’d jumped from my shoulder to my lap after hiding under the hair behind my neck when I first walked into the room. Phoebe came over with a cup of my favorite raspberry tea and sat it down in front of me before going back to the stove.
Zoe was at the grill making her famous fairy pancakes while Annalise was juicing fresh oranges. They could have the meal prepared without lifting a finger if they chose, but we’d decided long ago to do things the way our human compatriots preferred.
It was easier to get use to doing things this way than having to explain to someone who’d dropped in unannounced how we’d prepared a four-course meal in minutes. Once was enough for that near miss.
“Didn’t you feel anything last night?” Phoebe asked as she put the teacup and saucer down in front of me.
“Huh?” I lifted the steaming brew to my lips and savored the first sip. “Like what?” I didn’t miss the look she shared with the others but it still didn’t registered in my mind that there was anything wrong.
“There was something here last night, or someone I should say.”
“Two of them.” This from Zoe who did not seem pleased in the least.
“Who, who was here?” I looked from one to the other of them.
“We don’t know, we’re not sure. I think we need to try getting ahold of the elders again. I definitely felt a very strong presence here, hovering over you.” Zoe flipped a pancake and prodded at the edges of another with her spatula.
“Yeah, well, I thought that was the worst of our worries you know, you being imprinted on by ‘him’, but I could’ve sworn I smelt hag in the air.” That one caught my attention. Fairies and hags do not mix and have gone out of their way for centuries to steer clear of one another. The hate is as real and as simple as jealousy. The hags hate the fact that the fae have a reputation for being good, while they, dark spawns that they are, get a bad wrap.
Birdie seemed a bit restless and I turned my attention back to him. “Oh what a pretty bird!” Annalise came forward with her hand stretched out to pet him and he made a fuss, flying up to my shoulder and running from one to the next to escape her touch.
There was something odd about his behavior, and for a split second I swore I could feel his emotions strongly. Come to think of it, he seems rather closed off. I’m usually very good at reading the animals around me but I just realized I haven’t been able to do the same with him. Very odd!
Lucien
Hey, cut it out. You’re not allowed to touch me, only she…. Dammit Lucien you’re a bird. Whatever, I moved from one of Natalia’s shoulders to the other to evade and escape the grasping hands of bitch girl who couldn’t seem to catch a damn clue.
I would’ve pecked her damn hand raw if I didn’t think my beauty would take offense and since the sun was on its way up I didn’t have time to deal with her fairy ass. I was on my third circuit around her shoulders when I felt the change. Her scent hit me like a cool wind in a Moroccan desert.
I turned my head swiftly to look at her and my eyes landed on the mark on her neck that she’d tried to hide but was still glaringly obvious, to my eyes at least. What was that? There was something… I sniffed the air again and my eyes half closed in ecstasy.
Well shit! I shook my head to clear my senses and barely caught myself in time to avoid the catastrophic fuck up of changing in her damn kitchen. I flew from her shoulder in the next second, looking for an open window or door and for the second time in as many days made a hasty escape.
By the time I reached the balcony outside my bedroom the sun was well up in the sky and I knew the drill from the day before. Dennis who’s been trained to always be one step ahead of me had preemptively prepared the icepack that was now awaiting me in the ice bucket he’d left on the bedside table.
This time I made it all the way to the chair next to my bed and sat down to ice my aching balls. If the men and women who fear me could only see me now. Brought low by my woman’s ovaries.
I’ve never truly understood the female body and all of its wonderful machinations so I’m at a bit of a loss as to what the fuck just happened. I’m not sure if it was because our mating time was so close that she’d subconsciously gone into possessive female mode, but I’d felt it in her.
Had her sister touched me she would’ve knocked her on her ass. I’d felt the confusion in her too; the little innocent had no idea what was going on, or why she suddenly felt murderous towards someone she loves.
But that’s not what had sent me flying out of there once again like my ass was on fire. Oh no, it was something much worse, according to how you look at it anyway; something that’s going to change the game for both of us.
I’m not going to be able to give her any more time, something I knew was a long shot since the beginning anyway. It’s not normal for my kind to hold out this long after imprinting. Mostly because of the fear of what might happen if we waited too long.
I felt a sense of rising panic for her before I was able tamp it down again. At least we’ve already met so it won’t be a complete surprise when I show up again. She already knows who I am; that I’m her fated mate, so there will be no surprise there either. And I can overcome her fear if I have to.