A Lover and A Liar

Wizard Lover

Just as she had thought, Alina found him working on the same dagger he had been working a few days ago, concentrated in trying to engrave the gems in its handle. From afar, it looked already perfect, however, Julian threw it away in his working table in frustration, his other hand running through his beautiful blond hair.

For some reason he looked stressed, and she had an overwhelming urge to go and calm him down. Soothe him into talking to her until he had his infectious smile in his face again.

Was it a mate's thing? Either way, she couldn't stand to watch him so frustrated.

"Are you going to keep staying over there and looking at me?" he asked her in a deep baritone voice, his eyes never once raising to look at her.

Alina felt guilty and she didn't even know why. What had she done? Of course, except casting a spell on her mate, lying to him and deceiving him? 

Had he found out? Her hands trembled just at the thought of it.

She was going to lose him one day, Alina was more than aware of it. But not now. Please, not so soon, she prayed, feeling her heart ache. When had she even grown so attached to him?

She wasn't supposed to. Yet she had, and there was no going back now.

"Are you going to keep pretending I'm not here?" she said as she approached him, trying to put on a brave face.

"Is that what you want me to do, Alina?" Finally his gaze fell on her, and there was no warmth in his eyes. Instead, there were traces of anger and hurt and... possessiveness? "Or do you want to make me your fool? What are your intentions?"

Her heart slammed against her ribs' cage so hard, she was afraid he might have heard it.

Her mate knew something. He did. But what, Alina couldn't figure it out from the cold expression in his face.

"What are you talking about?" she said, her voice trembling just slightly, but she was aware that he heard it anyways.

"What am I talking about?" Julian demanded all of the sudden, walking around the table so he could stand in front of her. And closer he walked, she made a few steps back. "I am talking about your intentions, Alina. Do they have to do with just messing around with a King? Did I just happen to be that one King? Is this only for your own entertainment?"

By now Alina was at a loss of words. Not only she had absolutely no idea what her mate was talking about, but his wolf seemed to get more into the surface the darker his gorgeous green eyes became.

He was inches away from her now, much taller, towering over her small frame and somehow, no matter how confusing he was being, her back almost arched so she could close any distance between them.

"Julian, what- what's wrong with you?" She held his gaze as long as she could, forcing herself not to look down at his lips. "I just came to ask how things went with your brother and Cedric."

"Why? What would you gain from this?" he asked, but it was his eyes that slipped to her lips once or twice.

She gulped. "Why did I have to gain anything from it?" Alina was even more lost now.

"I don't know. You tell me." It was not a suggestion, it was an order. "Why do you do anything? Why do you act like you care?"

She wasn't sure what he wanted to hear, but she said the only thing that she knew was true, "I don't act like I care, I do care." Alina prayed that he could read it in her eyes, that care wasn't the only thing she felt about him. "I care about you."

"What are you really doing here, Alina?" He made the last step to fully close the distance between them. "Why are you here?"

Her throat was suddenly dry, and now she wasn't capable of staring back at him anymore. "I'm here to protect you," Alina whispered the words she knew she wasn't supposed to say so soon, without having any proof for them.

"To protect me?" Did he find it funny? Amusing? Did he think she was lying? "Protect me from who? My people?! My brother? My family? My mate?"

Her eyes looked anywhere but not at him. If only she could tell him. She would finally be free of it.

"What you're claiming is ridiculous. I wouldn't put a witch's words who I barely know over my own family's."

A witch he barely knew? This was all she meant to him? Something inside her chest cracked, but she was more than aware that she deserved it.

"One day I will explain everything to you," she promised, still not looking at him. "And that day you'll believe me."

Right now though, it didn't seem like he did. "What is he? A wizard? Does he know you're here?" Julian's eyes darkened a shade more.

Alina was left even more confused. "He... who?" she questioned, furrowing her brows.

A bitter chuckle escaped his pretty lips she couldn't seem to stop looking at. "You're really good at lying, little witch. You could almost fool me."

"What are you talking abo..." Her words died on her lips as soon as his fingers were on her chin and his thumb on her bottom lip.

"Does he know this is how you react to my every touch?" His lips brushed over hers just frustratingly slow, not kissing no matter how close Alina was to beginning for it. "If you're faking this too, you're really good at it, lovely." The hoarse voice on her ear was the only indication that Julian was just as affected by this as she was.

Alina wanted to say so much. Wanted to ask him why he even wondered she was faking anything when her knees were about to give her up, or ask her mate again about him, whoever he was.

Yet all she could do was close her eyes and lean even closer to him.

"Why don't you kiss me when you crave it this much?"

With a newfound courage she didn't know she could ever have, Alina got on her tiptoes, placed on hand on the back of his head and crashed her lips on his waiting ones, sparks erupting all over her body as she moved her lips against his.

Only that he didn't kiss her back, despite how much she tried to deepen the kiss.

"This was what you wanted?" he whispered once she made a step back. "And after this? Will you run back to your wizard lover?"

She blinked a few times in confusion, still almost breathless. "My lover?!"

"Yes," he said, the one word looking like it pained him. "You had told Cedric you were... in love."

"Oh."

"So I didn't even get to know despite the fact I told you me whole family's story?" he demanded. "You told me you didn't have a mate. Was this a lie too?"

There was this lump on her throat that didn't allow her to speak when all she wanted was to scream the truth at his face.

Wasn't it obvious? Wasn't it written in her eyes? Why couldn't he just understand? Why couldn't things be simpler for them, just for once?

Alina barely held the tears that threatened to spill out of her eyes. "You don't understand." She looked down at her hands, biting on her trembling bottom lip. "It's just... complicated."

Rather than seeing him, she felt his hand run on his hand once more. "I don't understand what?" he demanded, the tone of his voice rising. "Tell me it's a lie and I will never ask again! Just look me in the eye and tell me there doesn't exist a man you love."

She met his eyes, and opened her mouth to say yet another lie, but nothing came out of it.

He chuckled bitterly, almost desperately. "Didn't think so."

Alina lowered her eyes in pain and shame. "This is one of the things I will explain to you one day. Just not yet."

"It will not be necessary, my Lady." He made a few steps back. "Your personal life is nothing of my concern. I have a beautiful mate waiting for me, and all I will ever want is her."

Her eyes closed so he didn't get to witness the pain his words caused. "Of course." How her voice came out steady when all she wanted was to hide herself and cry until she was tired of it, Alina wasn't sure. 

Sure she had caused all of this. She had compelled her mate to believe he had a bond to another woman that was too sacred to ever break. But was it so strong to keep it from his very own fated mate?

Was this a twisted game Alina was a loser of since the very beginning?

"But be careful of her father. Can you at least trust me at this?" she almost begged him with her eyes only.

He studied her for two long heartbeats. "I don't know what you're implying, or what your intentions are, but Vincent has been a father to me when I needed one the most. What I have now, it's because of him. So stop trying to mess around with relationships in this palace, Alina. It's not going to work."

"You're blind!" she shouted at him.

"Maybe!" His tone met hers. "But what I know for sure is that you're dangerous. You know how to mess with my head perfectly, and I won't allow you to. I won't allow myself to ever want you, Alina."

"Maybe," she said bravely, "if it was in your hands. But it isn't. Just as it isn't in mines to ever stop wanting you."