198 My godforsaken mate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leilani. O\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the longest time, I simply sat there, frozen and literally cold, staring at him without uttering a single word because come to think of it, what could I say to him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Do I say \u2018hi\u2019?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Or\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Hey, thank you for the roses you\u2019ve been sending to me for months now?\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, no! That sounded\u2026 weird. Stupid even.\u00a0<\/p>\n
my\u00a0<\/p>\n
So pushing these thoughts off, I gripped tightly on my wine glass and held\u00a0<\/p>\n
breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My body trembled slightly as his domineering presence loomed over me, but what rattled me even more than his size was the way his eyes never left my face even for a\u00a0<\/p>\n
second.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the way his intense purple eyes roved along my entire body as if taking me in slowly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a second, he looked at me like I was a threat, but slowly\u2026 very slowly, his gaze began to soften and a small sure smile found its way on his lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another second passed.. then two\u2026 still nothing. It looked like there was something he was searching for on my face- probably my fear; But deciding that I wouldn\u2019t give him that satisfaction, I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest, whilst staring back at him as he glared openly at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
-And it wasn\u2019t until that moment that I realized how a few people around us were bowing their heads, exposing their necks in a gesture of submission.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What the-?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The frown pulling at my face deepened when a few people\u2019s knees began to hit the floor, their faces contorted into a look of pure agony. I turned back to this strange man and my breath hitched when I noticed that his eyes- purple, shiny and weird- were now gleaming with a strange electric light that seemed eerily mesmerising.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He whispered under his breath; \u201cYou\u2019re unaffected.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaws dropped. \u201cHuh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at them and look at you,\u201d he continued again, ignoring the stupefied look on my\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:42\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
198 My godforsaken mate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
face, \u201c\u2026 you\u2019re unaffected.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It took me a moment to understand what he theant by those words, but when it finally dawned on me that he was probably using one of those strange auras I\u2019ve heard about (perhaps his Alpha aura) to force them to their knees, I froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Is he\u2026 is he an Alpha?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Or is he just something way more formidable\u00a0<\/p>\n
My swollen tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth as our gazes met and held. And at that moment, I almost began to wonder if I\u2019d made a mistake by coming here alone\u2026 if this was even a good idea in the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I contemplated leaving, not until he slowly sat down on the chair beside mine, took my drink from my deft fingers and smiled again a kind of smile that sent tremors running down my spine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hissed; \u201cIt\u2019s not poison. We don\u2019t sell poisoned items here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Again, I was stunned because for some reason, he\u2019d just easily voiced out my thoughts; And even though I naturally should be relieved now that I knew that the drink was safe, I wasn\u2019t. If anything, I became even more anxious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He took a sip of the wine, as if to further calm my nerves, but I didn\u2019t feel any better; So I blurted the first thing I could think of.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I asked; \u201cAre you Darius?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew that he possessed the few bits of features I knew \u2018Darius\u2019 possessed. But looking at him now, I couldn\u2019t help but be confused. The young man stopped to look at me, his electric eyes not leaving my face even as he downed the entire contents of the glass in one gulp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched him quietly, gulping down my saliva when he wiped the corners of his lips slowly with his finger- goddess, he did it so slowly, one would think he was advertising for some thirst-trap magazine- and then, he muttered; \u201cThat depends on who\u2019s asking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His response, vague just like everything else about him, made me immediately annoyed because truth be told, I didn\u2019t come all the way here for some stupid riddles. I felt the tips of my ears heat up with annoyance and I frowned. \u201cI am Leilani\u2026 and I am asking.\u201d I said in annoyance, hoping that at least my name held some sort of significance enough for him to be straightforward with my questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:42\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
198 My godforsaken mate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because the next thing he said was; \u201cThat doesn\u2019t ring a bell.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And goddess, I didn\u2019t know how I felt when I heard that. I didn\u2019t know whether to give him a piece of my mind, or leave, abandoning everything I had come here for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As if reading through my thoughts, he suddenly stopped and smiled at me, whilst waving his hand dismissively- and I realized to my absolute surprise that everyone around us rose then, as if finally snapping out of their trance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something about that action made me instantly realize that he wasn\u2019t someone I could easily mess with, so I sighed, choosing my eyes to rid myself of the anger surging through my veins and rasped through gritted teeth; D\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI came here to meet with Darius\u2026 and if you\u2019re not him, then you should probably\u00a0<\/p>\n
leave me alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes flashed then, not with anger but with admiration; And then he nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFeisty!.. I love that\u2014\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I didn\u2019t like or love his teasing. I didn\u2019t at all!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHave a nice day-\u201d I began to say in annoyance whilst rising to my feet. But as soon as my butt left the chair and I was about to walk out, he whispered in a voice that was so low and electric, it sent shivers running down my spine. He said;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am Darius.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those words so lightly spoken, made my world nearly tilt in its axis. My feet halted their own accord and I spun around slowly, my breath hitching in my chest when my eyes met his again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Casting a dark look at me, he added; \u201cI am the one you\u2019re looking for, Leilani Blackthorne. I am the stranger who has been sending you bouquets of flowers and vague notes. So tell me, what do you want from me?\u201d He said, and suddenly, it felt like I couldn\u2019t find my voice anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt as though I could no longer bring myself to move or speak as my body seemed too heavy to do any of that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he rose to his feet to stand in front of me, his looming figure towering over me, I nearly toppled over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smiled. \u201cCat got your tongue?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it didn\u2019t.\u201d I answered coldly. \u201cI\u2019m just looking for a way to tell you that I want everything. That I want to know why you\u2019ve single-handedly fished me out amongst\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:42\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
198 My godforsaken mate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
my siblings, why you\u2019ve been sending me notes and roses- mind you, I also want to know the meanings behind those letters; And I also want to know why you look like\u00a0<\/p>\n
me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that, he threw his head back and began to laugh hysterically, the corners of his beautiful eyes crinkling when he did so.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another smile touched his lips and I had to restrain myself from smacking his forehead \u2013 even though it\u2019ll be the last thing I would do before he kills me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My annoyance bloomed in my chest, and for a moment, I feared that I would combust from it. I hissed; \u201cIs that funny?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until I asked him that that he stopped laughing. And then all of a sudden, the smile on his lips was wiped off, replaced instead with a frown so deep, I wondered how his face wasn\u2019t cracked open at the moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t look like me or I, you,\u201d he seethed, his voice low and gruff; And with a dismissive shrug, he added; \u201cHowever, we do share some distinct features.\u201d (1\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPotato patata.\u201d I hissed before I could stop myself, and an embarrassed flush colored my cheeks when he turned to raise an eyebrow at me, a bemused smile on his lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Again, the smile disappeared just as fast as it came, and I let out a sigh of relief when he took a step back, suddenly giving me enough space to breathe without his smell clogging my nose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said; \u201cWhile all your questions can be easily answered by me, I do not wish to\u00a0<\/p>\n
answer them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned. \u201cWhy?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d He repeated sarcastically. \u201cWhy\u2026? Probably because you didn\u2019t stick to your own end of our agreement.\u201d He said, causing me to roll my eyes in confusion. But he continued; \u201cI asked you to come alone-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd who did I come with?\u201d I bit back sarcastically, \u201cmy shadow? My thoughts? Does that count as my \u2018plus one\u2019?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Darius seemed to ponder over that for a moment before he rolled his eyes at me and sat back down, his voice as cold as ice as he spat;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And as if to further prove his point, two burly men walked over to us and\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:42\u00a0<\/p>\n
4\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
< 198 My godforsaken mate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
unceremoniously dumped an unconscious Zevran right in front of me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stilled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
-And goddess, at this moment, I wanted to smack the living daylights out of Zevran\u2019s face. I wanted to wake him up and send him right back into a coma\u2026 and I hated him to the moon and back for ruining things for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2026not like I was surprised.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Healing Slowly But Surely By R. Joseph 198 198 My godforsaken mate.\u00a0 Leilani. O\u00a0 For the longest time, I simply […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chosen-by-none-feared-by-all"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23401\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}