CHAPTER 11. THIS KISS

The night was clear with thousands of stars shining brightly as the crescent moon illuminated the soft glow over the sea. Zeeb and Fleur have been talking for hours none stop about their likes and dislikes, just really getting to know one another and at times when they fell silent it did not feel awkward at all, it’s a comfortable silence, the one that you only experience when you are with people who makes you feel at home. The silence was broken by the howling they can hear from a distance.

Hearing that, Fleur suddenly felt rigid, she stood up, and her eyes seemed lighter than before, almost glowing in the darkness, he swore he heard her hiss. He stood up and touched her arm as if to comfort her, she must have been scared by the sound, Zeeb knows exactly who it came from but he cannot tell. He was also on alert knowing full well that, that call is a warning from the Moon Pride Pack. After their last gathering they have been joining their night patrols as part of their training, he still somehow feels like all of this is a dream. Living a double life when you have found the love of your life is not easy. He still gets shivers whenever their elders transform into their Lycan form, he is secretly dreading his transformation, still wishing that this is just a nightmare he will soon wake up from, but if Fleur was part of this dream, he’ll swallow the truth that indeed he is a Lycan in the making.

Fleur seemed to relax under his reassuring touch, they stood there silent for a minute, as she tries to shake off the aggression she is feeling, damn her Immortal genes, she knows that those howls were from Lycans and in her bones, she feels that anytime soon, the war between their creatures will break the tranquility she has finally found here in Willow Creek. She was the first one to break the silence. “I should go…” she said to Zeeb, her voice filled with hesitation.

“Why don’t you stay here with me?” Zeeb said he knows that going home is the last thing Fleur would want to do after hearing stories of her marriage to a guy she loathes and her controlling father. He is also concerned with Fleur, what if they ran into one of the guys in their Lycan form? She seemed very much affected by the howls, she looked like she was almost ready to flee, or was it fight mode that she seemed to show? He was also puzzled, but he shook those thoughts knowing that howls coming from wolves have always been associated with werewolves and ghost stories. She must have been just afraid.

“Nobody’s looking for you anyway. Take some time off from them, and tell them you’re sleeping over with a friend. My family may seem crazy but they are nice folks, they won’t mind you staying over and having dinner with us.” He said, full of hope that she will say yes.

Fleur who seemed to have lightened her mood looked at him thoughtfully, how could she ever say no to those pleading hazel-brown eyes? She thought about how last night went when she let Ezra take her, she slightly shivers with disgust, she regrets that night but she has to play her part to protect Zeeb. Would it hurt to give in? Would it be too bad to stay by his side and wash away the awfulness of last night? Is it wrong to give her one night with the man she loves?

The confusion, pain, apprehension, and desire all registered on her face, she seemed so torn and Zeeb doesn’t like that she is like an animal in a cage who can’t run away from her captors, too afraid to give in to her instincts even if it’s telling her to say yes.

He enveloped her in a warm, comforting embrace and whispered, “Stay with me…” She immediately melts away from his touch, he is all she wants and more. He is gorgeous, kind, sweet, and caring everything she is lacking in her life, he fills. She never felt this kind of love even from her own parents. She tried to fight the urge to give in to her desires still trying to process the risk she might be putting Zeeb’s way, but the fluttering in her stomach won’t stop and the pounding of her heart is silencing all her doubts, and fears, so she gives in and hugged him back letting herself to get completely lost in his warmth.

Feeling that he is winning over her thoughts, he held her chin and moved his head closer to her barely touching her lips. She was panting, as if out of breath, her eyes closed, savoring their closeness. He said gently, “Just say yes.”

With that, all her resolve has dissolved away and the only thoughts running through her head are how badly she needs Zeeb in her life and how much she just wants to stay in his arms for all eternity. 

“Yes…” she said almost breathlessly, right after she uttered the word he wanted so badly to hear, he claimed her lips and their tongues and mouth moved in a rhythm that only they can hear. Time stopped. This is not their first kiss but it is a kiss she will always remember in all the lifetimes she has spent in this wretched world this is the moment she will always remember. It was a kiss full of love and desire, not lust that she has felt from all her lifetimes ago, this one is different, it was real, gentle, giving, caring, and full of love and respect. It almost makes her feel human.

Under the glow of the moonlight, their bodies are one, two creatures unknowing of the danger they have just put their selves into, falling completely in love and out of touch with the vicious future, full of hurdles, difficulties, and torment ahead of them.