"Why can't I feel this pull you talk about?" I actually feel a little guilty when he physically flinches at my words. "I mean I still feel very attracted to you... I mean not very attracted." I cross my arms across my chest and look away from where Erik is watching me ramble with a curious look on his face. "I just meant, why haven't I felt this... longing for you my entire life like you say you've felt for me? And if I was fated to be with you, why was I dreaming about that other boy?""Maybe it has something to do with you living in the human world, why you couldn't feel our connection, that is. As to why you were visiting that bear of a man, I have no idea. He was already four or five when you two crossed paths, so there's no way he could be your fated, even if I hadn't been there. Luckily for you." He sneers a little."You don't seem to like him." I say, crossing my legs and watching him. He was very expressive, and it was easy to tell how he was feeling. Why did I care what each
As I climb out of the bed, I can see the actual room we were in was quite large. It had tall walls made of the same salt material I had seen before, with a large entryway covered by more curtains. I could see a giant white and gold wardrobe with a matching platform beside it, with tall mirrors acting as the border for said platform. I assume that's where Erik admires himself from all angles.My eyes shoot back to him as he holds the curtain open for me, and I swear I see him smirking again."What's so funny?" I ask as leads me down a hallway. There are more high places with holes with glowing light coming from within here, and giant vases filled with fresh flowers lining the edges of the hallway. I resist the urge to gasp at the huge twinkling chandelier dangling from the ceiling. "How is that lite?" I ask after he ignores my first question. There's not a lightbulb, and the floating orb of pale-yellow light doesn't look like a flame either.I jump when his voice whispers in my ear fro
I shrug a little at Erik's question about if I'd come here for that other boy, picking up one of the orbs from my plate. I pop it in my mouth and am so happy I trusted him enough to try it. It popped like a grape, with a firm skin and a juicy middle, but it tasted like... cotton candy? Like cotton candy but fresher, not quite as artificially sweet. It filled my mouth and made my tongue water for more once it was gone."Why?" I examine his face as he asks me to explain myself. It looks pinched, uncomfortable. He seemed genuinely upset that I hadn't been pining after him all these years. But it honestly wasn't like a, "got rejected by a girl so I broke into her therapist's office and stole her session notes to post on social media." It was more like I had hurt his feelings. LIke he was... sad. Why does that make me feel guilty? It's not my fault I felt nothing for him. I'm quiet for a moment while I eat another orb. "I wanted to know who he was at first, and then it was about saving hi
I start towards the edge of the gathered crowd, my heart in my throat. I had been told not to leave, and I was so much smaller than all these people. If they wanted to pick me up and put me in time out for disobeying them, they very well could. Even the women stood at no shorter than five nine. I felt like a child.Nonetheless, I was nosey, so I pushed my insecurities down as far as they would go."Excuse me." I say with as much confidence as I can muster once I reach the group. The woman closest to me, probably five eleven, with short black hair and sharp brows, glares down at me. At first. We meet eyes however, and she sort of goes, "oh!" and quickly moves aside, slapping the arms of the people around her, who all pretty much have the same reaction.Interesting.I begin tiptoeing forward, at first glancing wearily at the tall wall of people on either side of me, but eventually moving my eyes towards where the group was originally looking. I gasp and stop for a moment at the sight.T
A few moments after everyone else left, the man who had run away before comes back with more leather clothes in his hands now. Finally, I look back at the bear, who is already looking at Erik."Come." I jump a little at the sudden touch of Erik's hand on my shoulder. "He needs room." I comply, standing beside and a bit behind Erik while the bear does what he needs to do.It lays down, closes its eyes, and seemingly starts to shrink. It's a bit creepy looking for a moment, not gonna lie, as its black beady eyes disappear and are replaced with very human-like blue ones. Its limbs start to shrink and almost look freeze dried for a second. It's fur kind of... dissolves into the air.In just a few moments, the bear has become the boy from my dreams, and I felt a surge of satisfaction at finally getting to lay eyes on him for real, face to face, in person.The man tosses him the clothes from behind me, and I huff a little as Erik blocks my view with half of his body as the boy gets changed.
The woods here are very beautiful.The forest is composed of what look like Ghost Gum trees, a fact I only know because my dad was always taking me camping. I'm not saying we ever came across any of these, because we lived in North America, but he talked a lot when we'd go out together. He'd tell me all sort of random facts, different uses for plants we'd walk by. I always felt like he knew everything. We'd fish, we'd catch frogs, we'd pick berries and he'd tell me what was safe to eat and wasn't. I grew up around nature, always running and playing with him. He was my best friend.I ran a hand across a tree as I walked, my thoughts heavy on my dad.You're so close child...I jump at the words that float through my mind when I touch the tree. I pull my hand away quickly. I pause for a moment, then place is back. Nothing this time. Am I for real losing my mind right now? I shake my head, and keep walking, occasionally touching a tree or a hanging leaf. Each time I heard that little voi
"I don't think I want to talk about this anymore." I huff at the trees mention of Erik loosing interest, sitting up and choosing to instead lean my head against the tree. "Let's talk about you instead. Yeah?"I have no quarrel with that.Ha. A prideful tree. How funny."Who are you to me? Why can I hear you? Can everyone hear you?" I look up at its beautiful drooping branches, all heavy with gently falling pink flowers.I am what some consider your Aldre, a mentor of sorts for you and only you. Until you depart this world, that is. I blossomed from the blood of your ancestors, and therefore am connected to your blood line and your blood line alone. No one else will ever be able to hear my thoughts.My heart aches a little at that. How lonely.Sweet child. So sweet. Too sweet...You are quite weak, you know. Especially if it is the belief you are an Alva."Gee, thanks for calling me out." I rolled my eyes and looked down at my legs. I had never felt all that small or weak, but these pas
"I just don't understand how you can both claim to love me when neither of you knows me." I say to Erik once I've started following after him again."On the contrary, I can say for sure I know you quite well." I roll my eyes."Just because you got a slideshow of my greatest memories, doesn't mean you know me." He throws his head back and laughs."You've been around Mann for too long, Delilah. You were weak when we met, I was not. You only saw fragments of my life; I saw your entire story. I felt everything you felt when your dad died, how excited you were the first time you tied your shoe, the sadness in you when your cat was killed by a loose dog." I stare up at his back as we walk closer to his estate. I can see it looming in the distance now. "I saw all of it." He breathes softly. My heart skips a little. Damn him. He was making it really hard to be cold towards him."Well. It seems awfully rude to tease Larkin like that and then just send him away." I mutter, more to myself really
Erik and Larkin talked for another hour. I got bored halfway through and started organizing Erik’s desk. He had glanced at me curiously when I’d begun, but now I think I had mostly faded into the background of this conversation. Erik’s idea was we should go to where the remaining Gud species reside, confront them head on and get this over with. He said he didn’t want to wait around for him to attack, always looking over his shoulder. Maybe I was stereotyping here, but I found it interesting how Larkin argued against doing that. I guess from looking at them, you’d assume Larkin was the brute, the one who wanted to charge in head first, swords drawn, ready to die. Unfortunately for me, it seemed my new husband fit that role more accurately. Erik’s eyes were alight with passion and anger as he spoke of his plan to sneak onto their land. Then Larkin would point out the only idea Erik even has on what their territory looks like is based on a fifteen year old sketch of a map his father h
“All good?” Erik asks as we walk inside and join him again. He really had been waiting close by; just past the entry way, standing there like he was a guard himself. As soon as I turned the corner, he had gently grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back against his side, like me not being there had been physically paining him. More like letting me talk to the one man who amounted as my ex, but I was trying not to focus on all the awkward tension rolling between the three of us.“Yup.” I nod and smile up at him, standing on tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. He seemed to visibly relax, which was kind of cute. “He wants all of us to talk about the Gud now though.” I say, tilting my head to where Larkin was lingering behind us, awkwardly looking anywhere but at us.Erik nods. “Yes, yes we should. I would go as far to say it’s impossible to think he’s not hunting you.” His hand that had moved to wrap around my waist as he guided us all somewhere tightened a little at his words. I could te
“I came down here for a reason other than breaking up your cat fight.” Erik calls after me as I walk away from him and back towards the main estate. “Someone is here for you.” I stop then, my heart jumping. “Who?” I ask, not turning to look at him yet. He’s quiet for a moment, then says, “Larkin. He wants to talk to you about Bacudal’s death.” I nod, and take a deep breath. “Okay, take me to him.” Erik walks beside me as we head towards the main estate together now. We don’t say anything at first, then I ask, “how did he… seem?” I glance at Erik.He sighs. “Tense. Angry, impatient. I worry another war with the Gud species over this.” I furrow my brow. Another? “Would you like me to remain with you while you talk?” He asks, looking down at me. I shake my head a little. “I feel like you being there won’t help his irritation any.” “Very well. I will remain close by, just in case he attempts to take you back with him again.” I can hear the edge in Erik’s voice when he talks about L
"Can you believe her?” I huff as soon as Reni is out of earshot, turning to look at Erik. “I’m not entirely sure what just happened.” Erik says, looking at me carefully, like he was trying not to piss me off more. Smart man. “Your favorite and most trusted guard wants me to make my dragons into slaves, like she does to everyone else around here.” I say, gesturing around at nothing in particular. “I see.” Erik nods a little, looking up to where the dragons are now flying in a circle above me. They had come over when the tension had started between me and Reni. I almost wondered if they would’ve done anything had she returned my attack. “She was insulting me, implying I couldn’t handle my dragons properly, and just being a plain bitch.” I finish, crossing my arms angrily at the memory.“Perhaps you misunderstood what she was trying to get at…” he says, and I narrow my eyes at him. I take back what I said before. He wasn’t a smart man, he was a very dumb one. “Seriously? You’re goin
“Your dragons are proving to be quite the challenge for everyone.” Reni says to me as she closes the distance between us. She has her arms crossed, making her forearms look more defined, and is staring down at me like a kid looking at an ant under a looking glass. I nod a little, looking back up to the three dragons, who are still bickering playfully in the air above us.“Do you have any plans for them?” She continues, still watching me. I have no idea why her words make me prickle a little, but they sure do. Maybe it’s the way she said it, the way she looked up at my dragons like they were some prize. Or maybe it was because I knew for a fact she was perfectly okay with branding people as slaves. Keeping in mind Bacudal’s warning about people wanting to use dragons for their own purposes, her words made me a bit defensive. “No.” Is all I say, meeting her gaze. Even though I had only said one word, she seemed to pick up on my hostility, because her brow raises and she looks a littl
“Lady Delilah, did you enjoy your time with your new husband?” I was back in Erik and I’s room now, getting changed into something more practical. I’d been wearing loose, mostly see through dresses during my time with Erik. I’m sure that was his choice, but it wasn’t exactly appropriate attire for everyday life.It was still early in the day when Erik and I made it back, maybe noon, so I planned on doing something today. At the very least, I wanted to see my dragons. Honestly I was a bit surprised when they didn’t crash into me on my walk up here. I’d been keeping an eye out, bracing myself almost constantly. I was weirdly disappointed when I made it to the main estate without any dragons attacking me. I turn to look at Chepi, and as soon as I see her, guilt floods me. Her hair was frazzled and unbrushed, she had lines under her eyes, and despite the smile on her face, I could tell she was overworked and tired. “Hey, babe.” I say in a concerned tone. “You look like you need a break
The days after Erik and I’s wedding were mostly filled with us glued to one another, touching, kissing, talking and laughing. I couldn’t keep my hands off him now that I’d had a taste, and he was no different. I wasn’t even embarrassed to say, we had learned every inch of each other’s bodies in the five days we spent locked up together. I’m not even sure we came up for air sometimes.I would’ve stayed locked up in that cabin with him forever, because I knew as soon as we stepped out, it would be back to work. He’d get super busy, especially since he’d been gone for a minute now, and I would get wrapped up with my dragons, trying to uncloak myself, and getting used to this new life I was about to start living.We may not get another minute alone like this for a while.Eventually though, our five days were up, and we left the little house Erik had built for us, and made our way back to the main estate. Erik was already ticking off the things he needed to do, and I was walking beside
Despite my inexpierence, something about the nervous way Erik is looking at me makes me feel more bold than I ever thought I could be. I sit up on the edge of the bed and grab the back of his hair, gently pulling him down so I can whisper in his ear, “are you going to make love to me now?” I ask him softly. He grunts, and I feel his hands moving to push my mouth against his own, my words forcing him into action. I feel him moving to pick me up by the ass and move me to the center of the bed so he could hover over me. “I can't believe you are my wife.” He mutters, running a finger along the metal plates on my breast. His finger moves up the hem of the see through part of my dress above my boobs, and I gasp when I feel him dig through the material and start tearing it down the middle. “What are-” His hand over my mouth forced me to stop talking. “I want to see all of you, my flower. I want to lick you, everywhere.” I shudder into his arms, white hot pleasure shooting all the way dow
I smiled against Erik's mouth at the yells of congratulations from the watching Alva at the top of the path. I pull away, resting my forehead against his and back up a little. I stared into his sea foam green eyes, thinking about how crazy this was that I did this, but also feeling... happy. As I've said, I hadn't any luck with men in the other world, so I wasn't sure I was ever even going to get married. To be standing here now, a crazy handsome man in front of me looking down like he was the lucky one? I couldn't help the excited skip in my heart.“What now?” I whisper, searching his eyes. I laugh and squeal when he suddenly picks up and throws me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I can hear cheering and whooping, encouragment from all the watching Alva. At least no one was booing us, demanding to know why'd he'd marired some wanna be Mann from another world.“Now I get to show you what I’ve been building for you this week.” He flips me around once we start walking throu