Gretchen carefully opened her bedroom door then peeked into the hallway. She didn't want to run into Damien, so she made sure he wasn't there before she left her room. Her heart pounded as she licked her lips and kept her eyes on his door while she crept swiftly down the hallway.
Once she got to Haldir's room she knocked and sighed in relief as she heard his heavy footsteps approach from the other side.
Haldir closed the door behind him, then they started out towards the foyer. "Sleep well?"
Gretchen twirled a curl around her finger as she searched the faces in front of her. "Like a very sedated baby. Thanks."
"Maybe you should think about slowing down on that stuff. Tessa said you shouldn't be using it long term."
"I will when I leave here. I don't want to keep everyone up all night with my screaming and shit. Although, I don't want to be doing that at Tessa's either, so..
Gretchen's head lay against her arm as she looked out over the forest from the balcony while the sun went down behind the mountain. The orange light melted into pink before fading away in the horizon completely, leaving Gretchen alone in the darkness.She shivered as an icy breeze went down the back of her shirt.The chill in the air let Gretchen know that time was still passing by and that everyone she loved back home was going on with their lives without her. Her eyes teared over and she inhaled a ragged breath as the bitter pain inched up her throat and consumed her."I've been looking everywhere for you, you little shit," said Haldir as he walked out onto the balcony with a small wooden crate and sat down beside her. "I brought you a plate."Gretchen looked back over her shoulder and when Haldir saw her face, he scrunched up his and rubbed her back. "Everything's going to be alright, Gretch."
"Good morning, Gretchen, it's Hazel. Do you mind if I come in?""Yeah.I'm awake. Come on in." Gretchen sat up in bed and stretched out her arms as Hazel came through the door then shut it behind her.Hazel laid a stack of clothing on the chair by the bed, then sat down on the mattress and stretched out across it with her chin resting on her hand. She looked at Hazel then raised her brow. "So, what did you and Uncle Damien get into once Rhett and I left last night? I want every gory detail"Gretchen looked at her questioningly then last nights events slowly came back to her. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Oh, shit. Did that all actually happen? I take so much medicine at night to keep me from having nightmares that I completely forgot." Then, she slapped her hand on her forehead. "I'm such a goddamn idiot. I can't believe I did that. He must think I'm such an ass.""You and Damie
As Damien and Daniel looked over the smoldering bodies of the goblins and trolls, Damien’s mind wondered back to last night. He spent nearly the entire night awake in bed cursing himself for pushing Gretchen away and not kissing her back.“Why didn’t you just kiss her back?” asked Daniel, snapping Damien from his thoughts.Damien smirked and looked to his father. ”She was drunk and upset. I’m not going to take advantage of her.”Daniel shook his head. “She thinks she did something wrong now, Damien. She won't make the same mistake twice. You need to fix that."Damien crossed his arms and sighed. “I’ll go talk to her when we get back. I wanted to take it back the moment I did it, honestly.”"When the woman you love is kind enough to offer you her affection, you take it." Daniel patted Damien’s shou
Damien laid in his bed and thought about the first night he and his wife were together. He snuck into her room and crawled in bed with her like he did with Gretchen tonight.He knew the risks, but he didn't care. Nothing could have kept him away from her. From the instant their eyes met in the Great Hall, his whole being belonged to her. They disappeared together every chance they could to every secret place he knew of. Damien smiled to himself as he remembered her beautiful face and how her round, pregnant belly felt under his fingers. He traced the mark on his neck with his fingertips and the pain of their loss surged through his veins then washed through his body.The last time he saw her, she was asleep next to their son. She had been up all night with him, and he didn't want to wake her. He kissed her cheek gently then the top of his son's head and quietly left the room.As tears rolled down his ch
"Oh, honey, come here."Tessa held the door open for the golden brown wolf, then shut it behind her. She waited with a blanet and as soon as Gretchen shifted back, Tessa wrapped it around her and rubbed her hands up and down Gretchen's arms.Gretchen shivered as her fear and anger overwhelmed her. Her teeth chattered and Tessa pulled her in close to her chest. "Tessa, I saw it, I saw everything they did to me. Tessa, I know who it was, I saw him."Tessa put her hand on the back of Gretchen's head and whispered in her ear. "It's ok, honey. That world is behind us. All that is over. You're safe here, Gretchen."Gretchen pulled away and looked in Tessa's face. "My parents found me, Tess. Mommy and Daddy found me laying there like that."As her eyes filled with tears and she tried to swallow them down, Tessa blinked away. "Oh, Jesus. Teddy. Oh, that poor man."
Gretchen stood before the full length mirror in her room and looked herself over. Tessa's long white silk gown and matching robe were a bit tight, but Gretchen was hoping to not be in them for long. She shook out her hair then scrunched it in her hands. Taking a deep breath and smoothing out her hair one last time, she said, "Ok. Here I come."As she left her room, Damien was already waiting in his doorway. He stood there bare chested with only his pants on. He took Gretchen's hand and pulled her inside his room, then shut the door."Do you always know what I'm thinking?"Damien nodded. "Most of the time. Like right now, I know you came to collect on my promise."Gretchen's lips pulled up into a sultry side grin as she stepped closer and put her hands on his chest. "True. I'm afraid I'm a slave to my hormones for the next week or so. I hope you don't mind. I can be kind of n
Walking down the hallway, Gretchen looked over the murals of the Great War and looked into the faces of the kings and soldiers as they fought off their enemy. She followed the sound of the man the guarded the library speaking the old language and eventually came to the rounded wooden door. It opened slowly in front of her and as she stepped through it, her foot landed on the cobblestone road outside the castle. Gretchen turned back briefly and watched as the doors shut behind her, then continued to follow the voice.The Sentry didn't even acknowledge Gretchen as she walked past him and out the gates. While she walked the dirt path into the forest, Gretchen pulled her sweater snuggly across her body. She wasn't sure of the date anymore because time moves differently in the realm, but she figured it was some time in late fall by the smell of the leaves. The night air was chilly, even for a hot blooded Lycan like her. Not a time to be wandering through the darkness
"So, you're shacking up with Damien now?" asked Haldir as Gretchen sat down beside him.Gretchen's eyes widened and she curled her lips under as Jason looked up to her and smirked before returning to his food.Haldir laughed and straightened his beard. "Relax, I'm just messing with you, Gretch. Not like you to be so uptight."Gretchen bit her lip and pushed her food around on her plate. "You don't approve of it? Weren't you the one who dragged me here so we could make up?"Haldir took a drink from his cup then said, "Don't be silly. Damien's a good man. I'm happy for you both, Gretch. About time something good came along for you." Then he looked across the hall to Eason and shook his head. He should probably tell him that Gretchen's off the market permanently before he gets smashed under Damien's boot heel."Gretchen Mason! Just the fucking wolf we wanted to see," Rhett sai