Shadow & Light

Chapter 8

A couple of hours of unpacking boxes and organizing my belongings made me increasingly sad. I didn't realize how few items of importance I had until I put it all in a room that was double the size of my room back in Wrelia.

I sat on my bed and finally let myself fully understand the weight of the last 24 hours, agonizing over every detail until I felt dizzy. The world started to close in around me, vision tunnelling and edges going black. It had been less than 24 hours. How baffling that so much could go wrong...or right...in so little time. It was funny how fast a person's entire world could change. Funny as in what the f**k is happening and how do I get off of this ride I definitely didn't consent to being on?!

A firm knock at the door had broken me out of my jumble of thoughts, and I called out to whomever it was to enter, but the intoxicating scent of vanilla and evergreen let me know who was there before the door opened. That scent. I could actually feel my muscles loosen just with that scent. Like every fibre of my being recognized him before I did. The door drifted open and my mate came into view, a stoic expression on his chiselled face. I had the wind knocked out of me looking at him. He was the most devastatingly handsome man I had ever seen, I doubted someone more beautiful might have existed.

Malichi walked over and stood in front of me, causing me to crane my neck to meet his piercing blue eyes. I gave myself a moment to study those eyes, to notice every aspect of the deep hypnotic pools. Malichi cleared his throat and a blush crept up my neck but I couldn't bring myself to feel too embarrassed, after all it wasn't my fault he was that beautiful.

"Have you unpacked everything in the boxes?" Malichi spoke as he looked around the bare room, most likely noticing as I had how little stuff I owned.

"Yeah, this is it."

"Hm well, we can change that." Malichi took a quick peek into my closet, at my clothes that looked tattered and old in this immaculate environment, "We will also get you some new clothes in the next few days."

"What's wrong with my old clothes?" I spoke with a furrowed brow. I knew full well what was wrong with them but still.

Malichi's eyes softened and he sat down next to me, somehow his elegance and grace never wavering, it must have been second nature to him living as royalty his whole life.

"Nothing love, but you deserve the best and I am going to give it to you."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, he sounded corny as hell, but the idea that he wanted to give me the best made my heart flutter. Stupid organ calm down and remember your place. I carefully locked her back up in her iron prison where she belonged. Nothing good came from letting her out. Finnian made sure I had learned that.

"This is non-negotiable, but that can be discussed tomorrow, it's not what I'm here to tell you."

"Oh? What is it that you need to tell me?"

"I just came to see if you were done, and since you are I wanted to know if you would like to have dinner with me. Typically I have dinner with James and..." His sentence faltered and so did my heart. My possible parents. My possible family. Possible but not probable. Get it together. Probably his family if they lived here, if he had them. I didn't know yet, but I would need to get to know him.

I sucked in a tentative breath, "My...family? Well, possible family" I amended. I wasn't yet ready to confirm them as my family. Wasn't willing to get attached to the idea of love from people who may not have any connection to me. I was assuming they would love me. I hadn't experienced much of that in my life so why was I suddenly expecting it from people who didn't know me?

Malichi nodded, gently placing his warm hand on my own cold one. I stared at that simple gesture in discomfort. Physical contact was such a foreign concept. The only people who had ever willingly made contact with me were Mrs. Tillett and her family on the days I saw them. Then there were the more unwanted hands. The ones that crept along my leg, reaching for what didn't belong to them.

These people seemed like physical contact was second nature to them, but my body went rigid with each touch, waiting for the combative strike or the defilement that should come next. Like it had before. That was when the fae in my kingdom loved to make contact, when they could pummel me into the ground. Or....do other things that I didn’t really want to unpack. Ever.

"I don't want to rush you into anything, nor should you feel any pressure to meet anyone or do anything just yet. I was thinking that if you didn't want to meet them just yet we could have dinner in my private dining room, then I could give you a tour of the castle. This is your home now too, and I want you to be able to go anywhere whenever you want."

I smiled a wobbly, tentative smile at this man who was so gentle with me and said, "I may not be prepared to meet my possible parents just yet, maybe tomorrow, but dinner does sound nice, and I would love to explore."

Malichi met my smile with a small one of his own and stood, holding his hand out to help me stand. I smiled at him and stumbled forward on my own, right into him. My eyes met his while something unfamiliar flickered in them and something equally unfamiliar in me ticked to life. The moment was brief before he turned and guided me out of the room. Hopefully, he hadn't noticed the crimson shade creeping up my neck. How did that man stay so composed when my little heart struggled to keep beating and I went tomato red every time he even glanced at me? I had known this man for 24 hours and I could feel the heat blooming in my chest that came with his warmth. It would soon burn down my fortress of ice and I wasn't ready for that yet.

After walking down the hall we had a couple of hours ago we arrived back at the grand staircase, heading straight ahead and down some more twists and turns. As we walked, Malichi began telling me about the history of the castle, the history of his ancestors, and telling me which rooms we were passing. There were two hallways far off that led to other family wings of the castle, specifically one for the former king and queen and one for the royal advisors. He told me that the floor below this held guest rooms, a large meeting hall, and smaller meeting rooms for important meetings. We passed a parlour and kept walking until we arrived at the private dining room.

A fancy-looking man in a suit, with sparse gray hair over his head like a thin layer of dust and crinkled eyes rushed to open the massive dark wood doors engraved in beautiful swirls when he saw us walking over. I smiled and thanked him as we passed, and as we entered my smile grew seeing the beautiful dining room and setup in front of me. Malichi had told me during our tour that there were three dining rooms in the castle. One private room for Malichi on this floor, one for the royal family and the royal advisor's family on the floor below us, then one massive dining room for important events and guests on the main floor. The main floor dining room also doubled as a ballroom. This one, despite being the smallest of the three, was so simple and beautiful. With tall ceilings, beams of deep mahogany stretching across its expanse, cream colored walls covered in delicate gold filigree, and dark oak floors, this dining room would be a perfect escape for someone who needed alone time after a long day of royal duties. The candles lining little tables under windows cast a warm glow throughout the room, creating an air of home and warmth.

The large dark table in the middle of the room was decorated with a few candles and simple china that still looked more expensive than everything I owned, though that could be said for anything in this castle.

With a hand on my back, Malichi led me to a seat and pulled out a chair for me, tucking me in once I was seated. My stomach growled embarrassingly loud like a cry for attention at the sight and smell of the soup in front of me, reminding me that I hadn't eaten in who knew how many hours. I looked at Malichi, praying he hadn't heard that. The man already thought I was poor, I didn't need him to think I never had any food. His chuckle, though, signalled that he had heard, and I felt my cheeks and the tips of my ears warm, and I was sure I looked more red than our meal.

"Please enjoy my dear you have had a long day I'm sure."

~~

I cleared all of the dishes placed in front of me with embarrassing speed and fervor. In my defence I had never eaten such a delectable meal in my entire existence. Not to mention I had lived in solitude my whole life, I never really thought much about how I ate until I watched the Greek god across from me eat with grace and elegance that should not have been possible. The chef that made my pre-made meals that got delivered to my cottage back home wasn't bad per say, but this was truly incredible and those meals paled in comparison. I could cook and even enjoyed it but I was nowhere near this skilled.

When we finally finished something that Malichi called "creme brulee" but I just called heavenly, he looked at me, piercing through me with his eyes. A soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "So my dear, would you like to see the rest of the castle or-" His sentence cut off as a yawn ripped through me. "Why don't we get you to bed instead, love? It's been a long day and you could use the rest."

I wanted to argue, wanted to see the rest of the beautiful castle and more so wanted to stay with Malichi. I felt calm when I was near him. The panic and the worry didn't set in when I was with him. New panic set in though, the gut wrenching fear that came from this man getting too close too fast. Way too fast. I knew that it was the mate bond, knew that I was on a timer. All the literature specified that fighting a mate bond was utterly fruitless. Then don't fight. My feeble little heart screamed from deep in its confines.

I needed a shower and I needed to bury myself in the thick comforter of the king sized bed in my room. So I quickly nodded, taking my chance to escape, and we both stood. Walking around the table.

Once we reached my door we stopped and stared at each other for a long moment. Then, he leaned it and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead, while I stood there absolutely stunned. "Goodnight Alina. Please don't hesitate to come find me if you need anything." I nodded in response, still dumbfounded by that soft gesture.

I headed into my room and straight into the exquisite bathroom, staring at the shower with more knobs than one shower should need. I ended up spending an unnecessary amount of time in that shower enjoying every setting from jets to mists to rainfall. Finally done and wrapped in my fluffy towel I took stock of the bathroom and noticed that it was fully stocked with anything I might need. Malichi must have had the bathroom stocked while we were at dinner. I did everything needed to do, put on my ratty shirt from home, and leaped into the most comfortable cloud of a bed I had ever felt. So this is what heaven was. Before my brain had time to start overthinking, or thinking at all, I was out like a light.