Watercolor Girl

15

Lev

It was dark when my eyes finally opened, Evie still pressed against me but awake, I could feel her eyes on me. The stars were bright and the moonlight filled the room with a soft glow, illuminating the curves of my love in a way that made her look even more like a painting. Her hand came up to my face and guided my mouth to hers.

“You slept forever.”

“Well I suppose when you grow 5 inches in a matter of hours it takes a lot out of you.”

“We still have no clothes.”

“We need the remedy that or we’ll spend every waking second like we did this morning.”

“You’re almost 7 feet tall.”

“And you’re almost like real wolf size.” I said teasing her.

“Why doesn’t it seem to phase you.”

“What’s this? Did I actually figure something out before you? Before my brilliant mate and her equally brilliant yet also terrifying wolf?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Through every single step of this you’ve been furloughs ahead of me in grasping and understanding the affects of the fate bond. But you haven’t figured out this yet?” I could feel her eyes studying my face in the dark.

“No. It just scares me.”

“YOU’RE MINE!!” I rolled on top of her, laying my head on her chest as she worked her fingers through my disheveled mess of hair, “and I’m yours. And Nox is mammoth, and I’m a beta.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever known of this type of growth. I know that I’ve seen wolves grow when they fall into an alpha or beta position because they have to, they have to be the biggest, and fastest, and strongest with the highest senses. But I’ve never seen their mates grow, and you’ve already been a beta.” I planted kisses all over her face.

“I couldn’t do the duel convo thing before you. Who knows what came from Nox. I said it before little one, you are special. And you are also, absolutely starving.”

Evangeline

He was absolutely correct, I was starving. I feel like I hadn’t eaten in days. I growled and rolled him over, the perks of a state sized bed seemed to be endless and completed a missing link in my life I hadn’t realized until now.

“Do you have food here, or do I have to make a meal of the wildlife.” I said pressing my elongated teeth to the soft skin of his neck. He rolled me back over.

“First of all, you’re absolutely terrible you raging feral ball of s*x. Second, I wouldn’t bring you all the way up here and have nothing to feed you. BUT, it isn’t as meaty as you generally prefer. And I also hadn’t planned on spending the entire day in this bed. I had planned on going shopping at some point today, because it feels ungentlemanly to serve you lumps of barely cooked meat for a week. What else do you enjoy for sustenance, my love.”

“Going shopping. That sounds so domestic. Can you do it naked? Because we have little other options.” Lev rolled off of me and moved in his way to the bathroom.

“I have a plan for that!” He yelled out. I went downstairs and grabbed the piles of his clothes that he had decided yesterday were my best option at leaving the house without starting some type of new life of crime starting with indecent exposure. I went back upstairs to our nest as I’d decided it was and pulled everything back on, half drunk from his scent on his clothes. I was sitting on the edge of the bed pulling on socks that fit much more snug then I remember my socks ever being before and I worried that my treasured boots that had been a gift from Rea when I first started spending time in her shop wouldn’t fit anymore. A small pang of sadness moved through me.

“Oh little Evie, you can’t be sad when you have all this to yourself for the rest of your long life.” I looked up and immediately started howling, laughing so hard it hurt, making me cough, my high pitched cackle audible probably miles down the mountain. Lev had torn his pants right about the knees making them shorts but they were second skin tight and the waistband indented into his muscular hips his shirt was also unreasonably fitted and much shorter on his long torso then it should have been so when he reached up or moved his arms at all really it pulled up and exposed his belly and the dark hair that grew there, prominent on his pale skin. To complete his new look he’d thrown his hair into a little man bun on top of his head.

“F*****g hipster.” I snorted out.

“Oh I’m getting fashion criticism from Beanie Eyelash over there?!” Another eruption of laughter escaped me.

“Stop making me laugh.” He whined “I’ll bust out of this ensemble like a roll of beat biscuits.” I roared again, completely unable to control myself as he did a little squat. In his second skin clothing, wincing a little on the down.

“That’s tight right there… No worries little one, my ability to have pups has just been entirely rescinded.” The tightness of his jeans left absolutely nothing to the imagination and I lifted an eyebrow inspecting him.

“Ohhhh no. Nope. The next time these bad larries come off we’re either gonna have to cut them, or they’re legit gonna split, because as of right now, they’re one with my body.” I couldn’t stop laughing. I had never laughed so hard in my entire life. It actually hurt and it just kept coming. He came over and reached for me. “It’s not as late as it feels. It’s just dark. We have time, we can run up now.

“Can you even sit down in those? Are you physically able to drive?”

“I really do not know. But I’m sure gonna try.” He waddled down stairs and started rooting through a drawer pulling out a small notebook and a flat pencil before grabbing his keys and wallet that he instinctively tried to put them in his back pocket before looking up at me with a weird face.

“They don’t fit.” Again I couldn’t control the laughter, and he pulled me to him, planting a kiss on the top of my head. “I love you so much my little Evie.”

“What’s the notebook for?”

“There is a seriously real possibility that these pants split when I sit down, so if I need to write down sizes for you I can do that.”

“But we can link.”

“I’m a visual learner.” And again I laughed. He could be so witty and sarcastic. His sense of humor fitting mine so perfectly. “I hate to ask, but could you please go upstairs and grab my phone in the bathroom up there. I don’t wanna go up the stairs, because these pants hurt.” I laughed skipping to the stairs and up to grab his phone. He had a massive amount of missed calls and text messages. I pushed my block out before he could feel the emotions that came with the name on his phone. I moved quickly back down the stairs to him and handed him his phone, forcing a laugh when he tried to put it in his back pocket and again, failing, but not looking at it at all.

“Alright my little one, ready?”

“Yep!”

“I promise I will feed you but I can’t eat right now or this outfit will be just ruined.” I can’t help a laugh. As we walk down the slope to the truck. I laugh at him trying to adjust himself to sit somewhat comfortably in his truck, his seat was too far forward now so he was squished between the seat and wheel struggling to lean over to push the seat back while not busting out of his shorts. When he finally got himself situated he had to lean the back of the seat back fairly far, a little roll of skin exposed between his waistband and shirt that had ridden up, and as ridiculous as he looked I still found him incredibly sexy.

“What’s wrong Eves?”

“Nothing, why?”

“You shut down. I can’t feel you at all. And you’re eyeballing me and I can’t tell why.”

“I love you, Lev. I just love you.” He reached over grabbing my thigh gently.

“Ahhh there you are.” He sat fairly quietly and I sat watching the trees as we cut up higher into the mountain trying my best to feel blank without any type of guard up. It didn’t take long for us to get where we were going. It was a small strip mall type situation with a few stores chained together. “Clothes first otherwise I am going to seriously perish in this.” He gathered his wallet and keys, leaving his phone in the cup holder before rolling out of the truck. He came around to my side, taking my hand and walking towards the entrance. When we walked in the scent of chemical hit me and I had to struggle a bit to suck in air.

“You ok, little one?”

“Yeah the smell just got me at first, I’m fine.” There were little crops of people patched throughout the store and I watched them stare at my giant, locking their eyes on his tall muscular body. My hand in his as we walked through aisles of clothing. He took me to the women’s section first.

“You want to look around here I’ll go see if I can find anything in here that won’t choke me to death.” I looked up and nodded at him he leaned down awkwardly and planted his mouth on mine before stopping for a second and grinning at me.

“Hang on one second here just gotta…” his arm flexed and the sleeve split all the way up to his shoulder “… match my love so people know you’re mine.” I let out an uncontrollable growl, immediately flushing and covering my mouth. He leaned to my ear “I can smell you little Eavie.” Before turning and gliding away, unable to take my eyes off of him.” I turned quickly and two maybe early twenties women were watching him, their lips clenched in their teeth, having obviously witnessed the display of his muscular arms. But I smiled because he was mine and nobody else’s.

I leafed through racks of clothing, checking sizes. I had worn size small/medium or 4 in pants. I found a few pairs of black jeans in size 8, figuring one size up wouldn’t be enough if I couldn’t even get my 4s up over my thighs. I found a few of my favorite, old trusty black razorback tanks. I reached out touching different fabrics.

“Little one.” I jumped and yelped, animal like and it drew stares, Lev laughed.

“Why are you so quiet?!”

“Because you are and I’m a part of you.” He kissed my cheek. “Find something?”

“I think so.” He took the articles of clothing out of arms.

“That it? You have nothing that fits you right now.”

“I’ll ask Rea. I’m weird about the way things feel. I don’t know where she gets them from but they’re all so soft. Did you find anything?”

“Coming in as a surprise to absolutely no one, not really. But I did find shorts that won’t cut off my circulation or resemble ranger panties, and I did find a few bro shirts with enough give to get me through for now. What about your boots?”

“They’re fine for now.”

“Didn’t you want something else for your paws though, just for around the house?” I nodded. “What size, my love?” My boots are 8s. “9ish.” He sauntered to a wall of flip flops and grabbed the first black 9s he saw.

“Why are you so good to me?”

“Because you deserve it, and because I love you, with every fiber of my being, my fierce little feral warrior.” He smiled at me, his white canines flashing, and my heart melted just a little more. “K let’s get out of here so I can get out of these tiny pants.”

I followed him to the checkout, the woman working there stared up at him, and I found it strange that I had to look down to make eye contact with her. I stood 5 inches taller, nearing 6 feet now when I had always been so short. It was strange. Lev was polite in the conversation she struck up with him while he paid. When the exchange had been completed. He reached over to my face, pulling my lips to his.

“Home my love?” He grabbed the few bags and offered his elbow to me. Smiling as he pulled me along, swooning.

“Food next. But I have to get out of these horrible clothes. He left the lot and drove a little ways down the road before pulling over, rummaging through the bags and pulling out black shorts and a black ribbed tank top type thing. “Be right back little one. He took off into the woods. Emerging back in a flash looking much more comfortable, his toned muscular arms entirely visible, tearing tags of the shirt still.

“So much better.” He said adjusting his seat again now that he didn’t have lay down in the seat.

“Lev, do you have any idea how attractive you are? Any idea at all.” He looked at me with his beautiful green eyes.

“I’m attractive to you and I believe that.”

“Do you not notice the people who stare at you with that dreamy look on their face? You know it’s because you’re stunning. Right?” He looked away clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.

“No Evie, I’m just a tall kind of awkward guy who isn’t quite comfortable in this world. I stand out. That’s all it is.”

“No, my love. You’re absolutely beautiful. You aren’t just panty drop sexy either, which you are, but you have this gravity that just just draws people in. It’s hard not to look at you and want to hold you there. You’re just f*****g beautiful. I just wanted you to know that.” I stroked his cheek. He leaned forward and kissed me.

“You’re all I want, ever. Just you. For the rest of this life and every life after, I’ll find you no matter how well you hide. Just like I did in this one. You’ll always be the second half of myself, the void in my heart and soul when I’m not with you and no matter how far apart we start, I’ll find you. I swear it to you right now, as I’ve sworn it to you in lives before this one. I don’t exist without you Evie.” I nuzzled his face, giving him a soft kiss before he leaned back into his seat and threw it in drive. “Food Evie. You wanna hit a bar? I have pizza and salad and chicken at home. So you have a higher chance of the meats you so crave.”

“Bar.”

“Do you have an ID?” I searched the pockets of the shorts, producing an ID and holding it up to him proudly.

“Yes!! And it’s real!! Rea helped me get it.”

“You didn’t have one before you moved outside?”

“No, my dad wouldn’t let me.”

“Seriously? Why the heck not?”

“Um, he just, he didn’t really like me having much freedom like that. We trained a lot, because he was a warrior like all the first born Nightclaws as far back as the name existed. He didn’t want a she wolf, but I guess he made the best of it. I’ve been a disappointment since birth.”

“That’s not true. You’re, pretty fierce little one. You’d make an excellent warrior. I know warriors in our ranks that don’t hold a candle to your speed, your strength, or your ability to perceive and predict the movements of your opponent. In addition to all of that, you’re a natural born tracker, and you can move so silently that you could be any type of warrior. Not just an infantryman.”

“Yeah, well, she wolves can only train. They can’t hold any official title. So. He actually, sold the bloodline.” Lev pulled into a parking lot, slammed the truck in park and turned to me.

“When?”

“It doesn’t matter, Lev. I can’t have pups.”

“No it matters Evie. When?”

“Please don’t do this right now.”

“Do you know what that is?! Are you aware of what it means to sell a bloodline, Evie?”

“Yes.”

“And you know that it’s forbidden within our pack laws and orders. You can’t sell bloodlines from Solstice.”

“I know.”

“WHEN EVIE?!”

“Please stop. You know when.” He took my hands in his and he kissed each one of my fingers one by one. His lips lingering on each one before moving to the next.

“Little one, I am not angry at you. I’m not. But this is very important to me.”

“Can we eat first. Please.”

“Yes”. He said rolling out of the truck. He walked to my door and stood there, I rummaged through bags, pulled a shirt, cut the tag with my teeth and threw it on the dash. I dug out a pair of jeans, running my claws across them over the thigh and calves. I kicked off my boots shimmying out of his shorts and pulling on the pants. Putting my feet on the dash to lift myself to pull them up. They were snug moving over my thighs but fit well over my hips and waist. Right before pulling the hoodie over my head to put on a shirt I see him looking at his phone, he looks down at it for a minute, opens something and starts scrolling. I pull the hoodie off, and pull on the tank. No bra. I shove my feet back into my boots. Replace the items in the shorts pockets into the back pocket of my jeans, and roll out. I pull the tie out of my hair, bend over, and redo my loose messy bun on the top of my head. I moved to walk towards the door and he grabbed my hand spinning me to him, his hands ran from my waist to my hips over my butt and back to my waist.

Lev

I couldn’t take my eyes off her curves, her long legs, she bent down to fix her hair and I stood behind her trying my hardest not to pounce on her right there. When she stood up and turned to walk in I grabbed her needing to put my hands on her curves. Oh I wanted her.

“You do terrible things to me, you know that?” She kissed me, but said nothing back. Sliding out of my hands and pulling me to the door. The smell of fried food hit my nose and I realized just how hungry I was. I imagine she was just as hungry. I grab her hand and pull her to one of the booths in the back. Every single thing in here was male. Everyone, and all of their eyes moved to Evie and her perfect body. Waves of jealousy rolled over and crashed into me. “She is mine.” Til grumbled in my head obviously feeling a similar insecurity to whAt I was feeling. Evie moved along with me obviously having planned to sit at the bar, but I held her hand and walked to the back. She scooted into the booth and I scooted in beside her. Mine. The waitress, the only other female in the place, walked up and tossed down menus for us, she gave me one of those smiles and looked at me through her eyelashes.

“Hi. Can I get a double of Jack please, no ice, big girl straw?? Please?”

“Oh sure, haha, and what can I get you?” She stared me down again smiling.

“Same, please.”

“You got an ID doll?” I pulled out my wallet and gave her my ID, knowing full well she wasn’t asking for it to look at my age, but everything else.

“Lev Riley Lyons, if that isn’t an Irish name.” She giggled handing it back, brushing my hand, which stung, very little she was doing was cute. “Alrighty, No problem, if you need anything at all I’m Jenna just give me a hollar.” I nodded. Evie was already perusing the menu, I looked it over. A burger actually sounded phenomenal.

“You starving, babe?”

“Ravenous.”

“What are you thinking.”

“Burger, maybe 2.”

“You want an appetizer?”

“Sure. I’m not picky. Whatever you want.” The waitress came over with our drinks. Setting them in front of me. I slid Evie’s to her.”

“Did you figure out what you wanna try sweetheart?” I half smiled in a disgusted sort of way.

“Love?” I said looking at Evie

“You order first I need one more second.” She was totally oblivious. I ordered the most expensive appetizer on the menu that was supposedly enormous, but we’ll see, there were two starving wolves at this table and then I ordered a burger, the waitress never taking her eyes from me and smiling in a fake annoying sort of way.

“Anything else?”

“Babe?”

“Can I get the double bacon burger, as rare as you can cook it, please, and can I also get an egg on that.”

“Sure.” Evie handed me her menu and I handed them both to the waitress, she grabbed my hand over the menus, the contact burned, not in the way it burned when Evie touched me, I pulled my hand back, Evie reacted not at all. “Sorry about the sweetheart.” She said winking at me and turning to walk away.

Another couple had come in, yay, someone else for these people to ogle at. My phone vibrated against Evie’s leg, startling her. I grabbed it pulled it out to look at it and immediately wished I hadn’t. Ravyn’s stupid face took up the entire screen. Evie didn’t react at all. She sucked down the entire contents of her whiskey, eyes scanning for our waitress.

In typical bar fashion, the music was loud. The song changed, a loud Irishy pub song came on, Evie sang right along

“I’m a sailor of pain! And I lost my leg!!” It was adorable and I watched her sing to herself. Enamored by the little things about her I wouldn’t have expected. I finished my drink and immediately the waitress appeared.

“Need another one sweetie?”

“2 more.”

Our appetizer came out less then a minute later, a glorious smorgasbord of fried things. Cheese, mushrooms, chicken, and some type of potato.

Evie went straight for the cheese, I went for the potato because apparently the theme of the night was Irish. Evie ate like a perfect lady. Her teeth stayed humanesque with no growling, I was mildly disappointed. She put down another 2 doubles and patiently waited for her food and refill. She hadn’t said much all night, just sat between me and the wall, singing the songs that came on and occasionally tapping on the table quietly to the music. A song came on and she lit up.

“I love this song!!” She sort of hummed along until she was singing,

“The dinner table’s full and there’s no room for me to sit

Is there anybody out there looking out for me?

Just say you want me. just say you need me.

Is there anybody out there looking out for me?

Does anybody need me?

Is every last soul just f*****g me over?

With tears on their shoes and ice on their shoulders,

Is there anybody out there looking out for me?”

I think I understood Evie a little bit better by the music she preferred, she wasn’t shy about it and she would close her eyes just kind of rock out. She tapped my arm and told me she had to pee, I let her out and watched her walk to the bathroom, all other eyes in the room followed her as well. I pulled my phone out, scanning over the new messages that Rayvn was firing at me. I wasn’t paying any attention to the music, reading through endless messages that seemed manic in nature. They moved from needing to get together again, to being the worst lay of her life, to sorry I shouldn’t have said that, to why did you cry, to did your mate notice I had been there, to why are you ignoring me, back to being the worst lay of her life, to what did I tell Alpha, to we were meant to be together, to insulting Evie. I fired one back.

The worst mistake of my life was ever meeting you. The second worst mistake of my life was trusting you. And the third greatest mistake of life was letting you take advantage of me when I needed a friend to simply be there. I’m done. Lose the number, and linking is strictly for pack business, which you can address to the lowest level. Mine or my mate’s name, has no place in your mouth.

I tossed my phone down on the table and jumped nearly out of the booth. Evie was sitting across from me. Staring at me and just like that, a massive tidal wave of hurt poured over me.