Fated | The Heir of the She-Wolf

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

|ELEANOR|

Some time later, I opened the door to my small apartment on the nineteenth floor and was greeted by Pebble who was now bored out of his mind and wanted to play.

Oh s**t, I forgot his presents upstairs, I realized and turned around heading for the elevator. Too tired to climb the stairs, I rested my head on the black wall and once the doors opened, I took a few steps through the hallway leading to Valerio’s office. I knocked and waited.

What a long, exhausting night. Earlier, after completing the truth spell, I went back in the dining room and sat on the dinner table, quickly gulping on the rest of the wine I had in my glass. Then, a bit tipsy, I left without saying a word to Valerio, who was quietly studying me the whole time. What a creep.

He opened the door to his office and looked at me.

“Came to apologize?”

“What?”, I asked confused and startled.

“For trying to kill me when I obviously had nothing to do with your parents’ disappearance?”, he clarified in a sarcastic voice.

“No. I just came to pick up Pebble’s things. I forgot them by the dinner table.”

“Right.”, he said while turning around and opening the hidden door in his office which led to his private suite.

I waited patiently by the entrance of the office for him to bring Pebble’s food and accessories, not sure if I should go in and follow him.

“Here you go. Is there anything else you need?”, he asked me and I was silent without a response.

For the first time in ten years I was looking at him, the King of Clans, without hatred and despise. I could now see how handsome and intimidating he was. The memory of his blood was imprinted in my mind. That sweet, fresh, devouring scent, combining all of my favorite elements together, swirling in a sensational warmness that was his blood. Something was drawing me towards him without really knowing what it was.

Valerio chuckled at the sight of my blank expression.

“Looks like you don’t have a witty response for me this time, huh. Come in, you didn’t eat anything earlier. I will let you have the dining room all for yourself as it seems you lose your appetite around me.”

“Thank you.”, was all the response I could give at this moment.

“I sincerely hope you will not try any other attempts on my life now that you have my truth. It would be a shame to have to kill you.”

Valerio turned his back on me and I followed him to his suite while trying to comprehend what he just said.

“About that…”, I trailed off. “Why didn’t you just let me die yesterday? Why did you risk giving me your blood?”

“What do you mean risk?”, he asked while pacing in front of me. We had reached the dining room and he turned around to face me.

“I mean, you didn’t know if I was a Triad or not. If I was a Magus, your blood would have killed me. But instead, you risked giving it to me to save me.”

“I knew you were a Triad. I didn’t know that you didn’t know.”, he answered.

“Oh, alright. But that still doesn’t answer my question.”, I kept pushing the topic.

“Which was?”, he said in a soft velvet voice while taking a step towards me.

“Why did you want to save me?”

He looked into my eyes and searched in them before smirking and giving me the one reply that could end the conversation and leave me even more frustrated.

“I had my reasons. Now, eat.”

With that, he turned around and went to the right corner of the room where he opened another door, which I assumed led to his bedroom. He disappeared and closed the door behind him, leaving me alone.

I went straight to the dinner table but this time carefully sitting with my back turned to the window, the view from which was still causing me to shiver. I put my hair in a ponytail and poured another glass of wine. Taking a look around the table I was drooling from the sight of food. I was indeed starving, I couldn’t remember the last time I had a meal, was it yesterday morning or the day before that?

With my mouth full with creamy mashed potatoes, mushroom sauce and steak, I had time to focus on my surroundings. The living room was huge. Like literally the biggest room I had ever been in – I could probably fit my entire condo twice in this space.

The door to Valerio’s office which I used to come in from was in the very end across from me, and to my right was the door to his bedroom.

The walls were painted in a soft white color in contrast with the dark wood floor. A soft fluffy carpet was placed in the middle of the room behind a large leather couch looking at an enormous flat-screen TV. In the opposite end of the room, by the office door, was a large bookshelf that probably contained more books than were sold in small bookstores.

A fireplace was on my left, still not lit as it was just end of September. I imagined the warm golden glow it would give to the room, which was extremely cozy and unlike anything I ever imagined when I spent nights wondering where the King lived in.

I finished my food and picked up my glass of wine. Valerio didn’t set any boundaries about me using his balcony so I went out to have a cigarette. The height was still terrifying me and turning my stomach into a knot. But Valerio holding me steady during the spell helped me battle the panic, at least at that moment.

I stepped into the cold late September air and took in a deep breath. My hands started shaking and my legs felt like total jelly, but I had to overcome this fear. I just had to.

Leaning on the wall behind me, I took in the entire view of the city. It was almost midnight, and the ocean was just a dark spot in the distance at this time of night. I spent a few minutes just staring into the nothingness in front of me while trying to control my breath.

In and out. In and out. Nothing to be scared of, Eleanor, I told myself while reaching in my back pocket for the pack of cigarettes with one hand, and holding my wine with the other. I lit the cigarette and inhaled the deep taste of tobacco.

I was not a heavy smoker by any means. I would spend months without lighting a cigarette, and in other moments I could devour a pack in a day if I was feeling nervous or stressed.

And tonight, I was both nervous and stressed. And confused. And exhausted. And excited. And filled with questions. And a ton other emotions which I didn’t have the energy to even touch at the back of my head.

“Can I have one?”, Valerio’s voice shook me out of my thoughts. Startled, I looked to my left and saw him standing by the balcony door. He took a step outside and shut the door behind him.

“When you smoke here, please close the door so it doesn’t smell like cigarettes inside.”, he said while taking a cigarette from me.

“That sounded like you assume I will be smoking here often.”, I said in a soft voice.

“Maybe.”, he said after giving me back my lighter. “Give me your glass and hold my cigarette for a second.”

Not believing to the sight of the King of Clans casually smoking a cigarette on his balcony, I took his cigarette and he went back to the living room for a few seconds before returning with the bottle of wine.

“What, you think just because I am the Kind I act like one twenty-four hours a day?”, he asked while pouring my glass of wine full and taking back his cigarette.

“I didn’t say anything.”, I replied while wondering if one of his special powers was mind reading.

“Your face said enough, Eleanor.”

The sound of my name on his lips ringed in my ears. We spent the next few minutes in silence, smoking and taking sips of our wine. I was now feeling more than tipsy but still clear minded.

“Well, um…”, I broke the silence not really knowing what I wanted to say.

“Mh?”, Valerio turned to face me and for a second I got lost in his eyes.

“I better go, Pebble is waiting for me.”, I said and moved past him. He caught me by my hand and I could feel the warmth of his skin crawling under my fingers. He looked like he wanted to say something as well, but couldn’t find the words.

“Good night.”, he finally said and let go of my hand.

With my heart pounding in my chest, I went in the living room, picked up Pebble’s gift package and returned to my apartment with shaking legs and a new feeling burning in my chest.