A Griffin's Voice: Finding Her Path

Chapter 7

A Date with Dean

Fawn’s P.o.V.

Last night, the princes’ left after the movie was over. The movie was cute and honestly really good. My brother and I had then talked for awhile about the princes, their parents, and our parents. Finally, around 11pm we both crashed for the night and slept peacefully.

This morning, Fox had to wake me up and that activated bear mode in me. It also gave the princes something to laugh about. After I calmed down and after Fox got us breakfast again, we finished the shopping that we began yesterday, had our breakfast, and we even let our griffins out for a flight.

Our griffins aren’t the traditional griffins that are brown and white. Mystery in a foggy morning griffin, which means she is a dark gray-blue color with white neck feathers and a black head. Meanwhile, Maximus is a quail griffin, which means he is a gray-blue color that is paler than Mystery with light gray cheeks and under his beak, but his feathers are tipped in brown. His tail is tipped in brown as well.

My brother and I talked more about the princes while we ate lunch. The good thing is that Mystery and I are starting to get used to the princes and we are both looking forward to tonight. We are even starting to fall in love with these princes. It has been slow going with them though. I mean, Avalon and Dean have at least shown me that they aren’t as bad as I originally thought they were.

Finally, it is 1pm, I stand up and bid my brother a good rest of his evening with the other princes. I know that they are just going to game, but still Fox will love every moment of it. I make my way slowly to Dean’s room.

His room is going to be the first one that I get to see, I am excited to see what these princes like in their rooms. I am standing outside of his room after knocking and wait for him to open the door. Within a few moments, he opens the door with a big, bright smile and excited eyes. “Hello, Beautiful. Are you ready to get ready for our date?”

“Of course, Dean,” I shyly answer as I look down with a slight blush. I walk into his room as he steps aside. I raise my head and look around his room. I am completely stunned by his room as I turn in a circle with a grin. “Dean……this is amazing.”

The walls of his room are a dark blue, but still a bright color. The floor is dark brown laminated wood. He has an espresso brown bed frame with a black comforter on the bed. The bed frame has four spindles that spiral up to hold a canopy over it. There is a large espresso wood desk in a corner. On the desk is a gaming computer. On a different wall there is a fireplace with a TV mounted over it. Across from the fireplace is a small leather sectional couch and to the right of the fireplace is a built-in shelving unit that has an Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch on it. I have absolutely no words.

Suddenly, a hand turns me around so that I am facing Dean. He pulled me into him. That hand drops to my waist and holds me against him. “Hello, My Beautiful Mate. What do you think about my room?”

“We aren’t mates yet, Dean.”

“I know, but that doesn’t matter to me at all. You are still beautiful, and you will be my beautiful mate soon enough. So, what do you think about my room?”

I smile up at him. “I think that it is……just……completely you. The color. The gaming systems. All of it. It is just……you.” I look down blushing again. I am getting so flustered from being so close to him, but neither Mystery nor I are complaining. Neither of us want to move away from him. He gently pushes my chin up so that I am staring into his warm golden-brown eyes. His eyes are sparkling with something that is completely unknown to me. “Dean?”

“Yes, Beautiful?”

“What are we doing tonight?”

“That is a surprise, Beautiful. But one thing before we get to the date. We will be mates soon enough. Very soon. We intend to prove ourselves. So, you better get used to the looks and being called our mate. Now, I do believe that there are a few presents for you up on my bed. I would love it if you would go over there and open them.”

I smile softly at him as I am now feeling special. I turn and look at his bed. Sitting on the bed are three boxes wrapped in beautiful silver paper. They are all different sizes as well. A super small one. One that is bigger, but not super big either. The third one is the largest one.

I spin around and hug Dean before going over to his bed. I get up on it and sit down. Goddess, he has a high bed! I practically had to jump to get on! I grab the smallest box and open it to reveal a diamond necklace and earrings. They are absolutely stunning. “Dean……this is too much.”

“Nonsense, Beautiful. This is nowhere near good enough for my beautiful mate. Now, do me a favor and open the next one.”

I giggle and grab the next biggest one. I open it to reveal a box of chocolates. It is even a couple boxes of chocolates. Assorted chocolates. It is at that moment that I realize just how much effort he has put into this date and these gifts. “Dean, this is amazing, and I am so grateful.”

“Nonsense, Beautiful. One more present to open. Please open it.”

I giggle and blush. I grab the last box and start to open it to reveal a really cute outfit. Black skinny jeans. A red crop top. And red retro sneakers. It looks absolutely gorgeous and perfect for a laidback date. I look up at him with a small smile on my face. I fling myself at him and give him another big hug. Thankfully, he catches me and holds me tightly to his chest.

“You like your gifts, Beautiful?

“I love everything. It is all completely perfect. Thank you so much, Dean.”

“You’re welcome, My Beautiful Mate. I hope that you will wear that outfit for our date today. Diamonds included. I think it will look absolutely gorgeous on you, and it will be perfect for our date tonight. Now, how about you go get ready and I will change into something more date worthy. I have to look my best to even be able to be seen with someone as beautiful as you.

“The bathroom is right through the door that is on the right side of the bed. Go shower and get dressed. Take all the time you need. We have to be leaving in about an hour, but if you need longer take it. Just put your hair up in a ponytail or braid.

“I have all of the products that you are going to need in the bathroom. Bodywash. Shampoo. Conditioner. Lotion. Perfume. All of it is Bath and Body Works, too. Seth helped us all pick out scents. I chose Into the Night. I really liked it, and I hope that you do as well.”

I look into the eyes of this wonderful and thoughtful male. I smile at him. I am truly excited and falling for him, especially knowing that I have this treatment coming four more times. Seth is so amazing. “Did Seth encourage you all to get presents too?”

“He did,” Dean chuckles softly.

I smile and giggle. “I am sure that I will love the scent that you picked out. Give me like forty-five minutes. That way I can look perfect for you and this date.” I step back from him and start going into the bathroom. I turn and look back. “Thank you for everything. You made me even more excited knowing I get this treatment another four times. I really need to thank Seth when I see him next time.”

“He will absolutely love that, Beautiful. Now, go get ready.” I giggle and go into the bathroom. Just as I am closing the door, I hear him murmur softly. “But you are already perfect, Beautiful.”

Dean’s P.o.V.

She had stepped into my room at 1pm. She had stepped into the bathroom at 1:15pm. It is now 1:55pm and she is stepping out of the bathroom now. It only took her forty minutes to look like a goddess, but here she is. Absolutely perfect and gorgeous. She is drop dead gorgeous in the outfit that I bought for her. The diamonds look amazing on her. And she put her hair in a high ponytail.

I take out my phone and quickly take a photo of her. Then, I walk over to my sweet mate and look down at her with a smile. I bring my hand up to her cheek slowly and gently touch her cheek with my thumb. “You look absolutely perfect and delicious. I could just about eat you for dinner instead of taking you out for dinner, but sadly I think that you would much more prefer for me to take you out to eat and for this date. Thank you for this opportunity, Beautiful.”

She giggles at me as she looks up with shining two toned eyes. “So, what’s for dinner tonight, Dean?”

“I am going to take you to Shifting Gardens. It is a famous Italian restaurant that has a location near the castle. They specialize in pastas, especially.” She squeals and throws her arms around me with even brighter eyes. I hug her tightly to me, not wanting to let this moment go without taking this chance. I don’t want to miss the chance with this perfect girl. I offer her my hand after a few moments. “I promise to never make you want to leave me or my friends. Now, are you ready to be blown away with my date?”

Fawn smiles then she takes my arm with a blush. “Yes, I am ready, Dean.”

I smile as I lead her out of my room and down the stairs. I take her out the front door and towards my black and blue Bugatti Divo. All of us princes have expensive fast cars. I look down at my sweet mate, I notice a look of wonder on her face and within her eyes. I pull her closer to my side and smirk as she leans into me. “The car is beautiful, Dean. What is it?”

“It’s a Bugatti Divo.” I open the door for her and help her get in. I let her get settled in my car before I shut the door softly. I quickly walk around the car and get into the drivers seat. I start the car and pull out of the driveway. I make my way slowly out of the castle grounds wanting to savor my time with her. “We all like fast cars, but I really want to savor this time with you, Beautiful. No rush, right?”

“Right. Where are we going first?”

“Well, we have dinner reservations at 6:30. Until then I have massage appointments for us at A Dragon’s Claws and Massage. I am hoping that you will enjoy the experience.”

“I am completely certain that I will love it, Dean. I have never experienced a massage before. I am looking forward to it.”

“I figured that you wouldn’t have experienced it before.” I pull up to A Dragon’s Claw and massage and get out. I quickly go around the car and open up her door. I offer the young princess my hand to help her get out. I am happy when she takes my hand and I give her a smirk as I help her get out.

I walk inside with her close to my side. I bring her to the front desk. “Check in for Willis party of two.”

“Of course! Right this way, Prince Dean.” The receptionist leads us to the back where they have private rooms. He opens the door for us. “Just put on the robes that are in the cabinet and then lay down. They will be in in just a few minutes.”

I nod as she shuts the door, but I don’t look up from my beautiful mate. “So, My Beautiful, Little Mate, how about we get changed? That way we can get this train on the tracks.”

She giggles at my word choice and let’s me help her change into the other robe. I quickly change after I get her laid down. After that we spend the next two hours we enjoy a relaxing massage.

We are walking back to the car with her leaning in on me. “Okay, Beautiful. We have dinner reservations at 6:30 at Shifting Gardens. It is currently 2:30. So, we have two hours to spare. What would you like to do, Beautiful?”

“Ummmmm……” I notice her linking and figure that she is talking to Mystery. “Well……Mystery and I would love to meet Thorn. Could we find somewhere private to shift and just hang out?”

“We definitely can.” I help her get back in the car. I drive us to a private garden within the castle grounds. I help her out and immediately watch her shift into a gorgeous dark blue griffin. “Wow! Mystery is absolutely gorgeous.” I shift into Thorn, and they spend the next hour and a half cuddling and flying together.

After that we head straight to the restaurant. I wrap my arm securely around her waist as we head into Shifting Gardens. I walk her up to the hostess. “Private party for Willis. I requested a booth.”

The hostess immediately walks us back to the private booth. I desperately want alone time with my future mate. I want to make sure no one else is around us. I want to make sure that no one interrupts us.

I help my young princess into the booth and then sit across from her with a smile at her. I figure that she is going to prefer for me to be across from her, but personally I would rather be sitting right next to her. I give her a smirk and she offers me a smile with a blush back. Then we both look down at the menu. “So, Dean……What would you recommend that I get? I would love to know what you like.”

“I would highly recommend the pesto alla trapanese. It is something that Shifting Gardens is well known for.”

“Hmmmmmm……Maybe I will take your advice and get that. I was looking at the tortellini in brood. It a very traditional dish, but it is one of my favorite Italian dishes. I would love to try something new though. Especially something that you recommend.”

I look at her for a moment before I break out into a dazzling smile. “How about I make you a deal? We get one of each and share both of them. That way we can both try something new and get something we like. How does this idea sound?”

My beautiful mate smiles brightly at me and nods her head enthusiastically at me. I order for us and also get two cokes. I then stare at her intently until she finally speaks. “How about we play twenty questions? That way we can get to know each other better.”

“I would absolutely love to do that. It sounds like the best idea ever. Ladies first?”

She giggles at me. “What is your favorite color?”

“This is going to sound so cliché, just like this date, but it will be honest. I would have to say that my favorite color is some sort of blue. Really any blue, but probably a darker blue is going to be my favorite. Your blue-gray eye though is quickly becoming my new favorite color of blue though. So, what is your favorite color?”

“Probably a teal blue. What is your favorite food?”

“Easily steak. Cuddles or no cuddles?”

“I haven’t ever experienced any sort of cuddling, unless you count with Fox and I don’t count that. But I am easily and quickly falling for you annoyingly handsome princes. With that in mind, I think I would absolutely love to be cuddled by you princes.”

“Annoyingly handsome?” I roll my eyes. “That is perfect to know, though. I am going to cuddle you so much at our last stop after dinner.”

“I would love that, Dean. So, what is your favorite movie genre and movie?”

“Any type of horror movie. Probably a movie from the Conjuring universe, though. So, like the Annabelle trilogy or the Nun movies or a Conjuring movie or La Llorona. Do you prefer diamonds or some other type of gem?”

“I would have to say diamonds, but not a traditional diamond. I prefer ones that are different whether natural or lab grown. I really like black and pink diamonds, but really any color. What is your favorite game?”

“That is going to be a hard one to answer, but if I have to answer it would be a video game I am going to warn you. I have to say Ark. Sometimes the guys and I play together. Maybe we can show you sometime. Do you prefer gold or silver?”

“Gold but lie the diamonds I am very picky on the type of gold. I prefer rose gold mostly.”

“You are a very interesting female, Princess Fawn. A very interesting royal. I love it.” Our food shows up at this moment and both dishes look absolutely delicious. They taste even better.

Our conversation casually continues while we eat. I learn so much about my little royal. After dinner, we walk hand and hand down the block to the movie theater. I had made sure to buy out the entire movie screen for tonight. The largest screen with reclining, double chairs. I buy a teal blue blanket at the shop next to the theater. “For you, Beautiful. I don’t want you to get cold while we watch the movie. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I am actually really enjoying this new side to you, Dean.” I smirk and wrap an arm around her shoulders. We head to the counter and I buy us popcorn, Icees, and some skittles and m&ms. Afterwards, I lead her into the theater and up to the back row.

I sit down with her beside me and show her how to recline her seat. I drape the blanket over her and cuddle into her with my arm wrapped around her as I spoon with my beautiful girl. “I really want to cuddle with you. I really want to hold you close to me. Is this all right with you? If it isn’t, that is fine. I will never push you for anything that you aren’t ready for.”

Fawn looks up at me with glazed eyes, but I can see so much happiness in them. “This is perfect, Dean, but……”

“Yes, Beautiful?”

I can tell that she is about to respond as the movie starts which draws her attention to it for a moment. I chuckle as I watch her and I notice the moment that she realizes that it is a horror movie and she moves closer to me. I pull her as close as possible in an effort to comfort her as much as possible.

I look down at her as I long to kiss her so badly. I really want to be her first kiss. I want her to want me. I want her to want me before I kiss her. I gasp in surprise as she leans up and kisses me lightly on the lips. I look down at her when she pulls away. “What was that for?” She looks down and I can tell that she is uncertain and nervous. I push her chin up so that she is looking up at me again. “Beautiful, I absolutely loved that kiss. I really want to kiss you again. You just surprised me that’s all. I didn’t think that you would want to kiss me yet. I figured it would take time.”

“I honestly had no intention of kissing you yet until I saw how truly you care about me. The amount of work you put into this date really shows me how much you love me. You made me really fall in love with you tonight. At this moment, I want to move forward with you all, but I do have four more dates to verify that you five deserve me as your mate and queen.”

I chuckle softly at her and shake my head slowly as I stare down at her with a soft gaze. I lean down and capture her lips in a gentle, dominating kiss. I pull away after a few moments. “I am happy to hear that you are willing to accept us, Beautiful. We still want to do these dates for you. We still want to win you over. We want to take you on these dates, because you deserve to be shown how truly special and important you are to us. We want to show you our kingdoms with a date in each. We want to take you and Fox camping. We want you to be completely certain about us before we mate and mark each other.”

I am smiling ear to ear as we watch the movie while we cuddle. I now get to rub it in Seth’s face tonight that I got the first kiss from her. I am thrilled that she willingly kissed me. Thorn is contently laying in the back of my mind with a happy, content smile. I withdraw from my thoughts when I feel her snuggle into me more. I look down at her and I see an expression that is extremely confusing to me. She almost seems afraid of whatever she is thinking, but happy at the same time. Pulling her closer, I whisper into her ear, “What is on your mind, Beautiful?”

“I was just thinking……What if I want to do more than kiss you five before then?”

I cuddle her silently for a few moments, stunned and unable to breathe. “Ummmmmm……I mean we will let you take the lead in whatever you want, Beautiful. But please do me a favor and kill Seth with these thoughts and what not first. Make him die of embarrassment when you ask him about this. Not me or the others. Just Seth. Please.”

Great Goddess! This girl might kill me on this date with these questions if she keeps asking questions. I mean, does she realize exactly what it does to me? Does she want to kill me? Ugh! Females!

She chuckles softly and snuggles into me even more. I breathe a sigh of relief when she doesn’t continue to question me. “I guess not tonight. Maybe on a different date……or with Seth……or the group date. Who knows.” And now I am all flustered and wanting to die again. Great Goddess, this female! Kill me now please! Please! I can feel myself getting turned on at the thoughts that she is causing me to have. I grumble as I shift slightly, so as to not embarrass her. I really don’t want her to think that I only want her for that…… “Relax, Dean. I can’t blame you for getting flustered and turned on. You are a male after all.”

I groan at her words and we watch the rest of the movie quietly. By the end of the movie, she is pretty much asleep on my chest. We better get her home. You also better shove this date in the faces of the others tonight. Especially Seth!

I am sure that all four of them will be waiting in my room to ambush me the moment I get back. So, yes, I will shove it in their faces. Especially Seth’s face since he was being so cocky yesterday. Granted when is Seth not cocky? It is a panthera thing after all. I link with Thorn as I carry Fawn out to the car. I drive her back to the castle and smile as I see her awake by the time we get back. I walk her up to her room and say good night to her. I then head back to my own room for the night.