Reclaiming the Luna's Throne

Heavy Decisions

[Natalie]

I blinked slowly and shook my head.

“Let me get this straight.”

He was looking at me so intently, and much to my embarrassment I felt like I had to break eye contact because for some inexplicable reason I felt a tight knot growing in my abdomen.

"I wasn't born here. The earth has a twin, which I'm from. Where both you and I and 37 other orphan girls are actually werewolves. And we need to leave tomorrow."

Although my tone was dry and sarcastic, I didn't miss a beat.

"Pretty much."

His tone was flat. Dead serious, not the slightest hint of a joke.

"Will I be able to come back?"

"Probably not."

I swallowed, still feeling the intensity of his gaze on my face.

"And if I say no?"

There was a brief pause, and now it was Rowan who broke eye contact with me and looked away, clearing his throat slightly.

"You continue with your… full and satisfying life here."

A prickle at the back of my neck gave me the distinctly uncomfortable feeling that he was lying.

"How do I even know you're telling the truth? You could just be a crazy person."

He paused for a moment, thinking about it.

"Would you believe me if you saw me open a golden door in the side of a tree?"

I blinked. What ever answer I had been expecting, that was NOT it.

"Uh… I guess I would, yeah."

He shrugged and pushed the now-empty coffee mug away from him, seemingly having no further argument to make on that aspect. I had to admit he had a point. Right now, everything he said just sounded crazy, but if he could truly open a golden door in the side of a tree right in front of my eyes, well – crazy as it sounds, I wouldn't have much choice but to take it as evidence.

I sighed, drumming my fingers on the table.

"A day isn't much time to make the decision to leave FOREVER to another planet."

He looked me straight in the eyes again and blinked, causing me to take note once again of his unusually long eyelashes. If the rest of him wasn't so masculine they'd have been almost feminine, but you couldn't easily say that of someone who looked like they were ready to spring into battle at a moment's notice. His gaze flicked briefly around the small apartment, but returned to my face quickly, and he spoke softly, as if not really wanting to offend me.

"Do you really have anything to lose?"

For a second my life flashed before my eyes, like a death scene in a movie. No parents. Adopted parents dead. No boyfriend. Totally boring love life. No close friends to speak of. Dead-end job. Small, bare basics apartment.

Was there anything I'd really miss?

My cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment as I had to admit that honestly, it's not like it could get much worse.

"… I'll think about it."

I almost thought I saw the hint of a smile tug at the corner of his mouth, but in a split second, it was gone, and he merely nodded once.

It was fully light outside the window now, and my eyes started to feel heavy.

"Look, while this has been fascinating, I've been up all night what with the walk and this unexpected late-night discussion. As much as I'd love to continue this fascinating chat, I really need to get some sleep. Where are you staying?"

The question was out of my mouth by reflex before I stopped to think about it, but his blank stare caused me to grit my teeth together. That's right. He came from another world, through a golden door in a tree… or so he seemed to believe, at least.

I sighed heavily. He didn't seem like he wanted to hurt me, but for all I knew, he might rob me blind while I slept.

Then again, I didn't really have anything worth stealing.

"Fine, I guess you can stay here, and we can continue this discussion after a few hours' sleep."

I looked around the room, chewing on my lower lip. It was obvious that I only had one bed, and there was no way he would fit on my tiny sofa.

"You're too big for the sofa, obviously. I can change the bedsheets and-"

"NO!"

He practically jumped out of his chair with a yell, pushing back from the table with an almost panicked expression on his face. I was confused for a moment until I blushed. Did he think I was going to suggest that we SHARE the bed?

Strangely, I felt slightly hurt by the idea that he was so repulsed by even the idea of sharing a bed with me. It's not like I had made a move on him. Obviously, he was an exceptionally attractive guy, but was I really that hideous to him? My cheeks burned, embarrassed, and I looked at the floor.

"I can take the sofa…"

I finished the sentence that I had started anyway. My adoptive mother, in the short years we'd been together, had drilled into me the importance of being a polite host – though perhaps she hadn't considered this sort of unexpected guest. Rowan cleared his throat and sank back down in his chair, now looking exceptionally embarrassed as well.

"The floor is fine. I would never kick a lady out of her own bed."

I raised one eyebrow at him and looked at my well-worn, old hardwood floors.

"I don't have an air mattress or really extra blankets for it."

He snorted slightly.

"Please. We're indoors. I've slept outside in worse conditions."

With that, he walked over to the sofa and (rather ungraciously I thought, as a guest, but he DID seem rather barbaric) grabbed a small cushion, placing it on the floor and immediately laying down flat on his back and closing his eyes with his hands folded lightly on his stomach.

Suddenly he was almost still as stone, his breathing just barely visible as his chest rose and fell ever so slightly.

Well, I guess that conversation is over…

I thought dryly to myself, as I wondered briefly if he was faking sleep. Who falls asleep that quickly? With that, I slunk across the room to my own bed and tried to get in as quietly as possible, facing away from him, and wondering how I'd even fall asleep in this strange situation.

But the excitement of the night got the better of me, and I quickly fell into a deep sleep, surprisingly at ease despite the big, mysterious stranger suddenly taking up most of the empty floor in my small apartment.

I dreamed of the moon shining over a pale forest.