The Lunar Destiny Series

Chapter 8

We got into the white Impala and sped off into the night. When we arrived at Lio’s house, we sat in the living room in dead silence for a long time. Naremi sat next to me on the couch caressing my thigh trying to comfort me. Normally I’d be uncomfortable with such affections but my mind was clouded with too many things. She was wearing a long sundress that tied around her neck. It had a lot of fall colors like dark reds, yellows, and browns. I looked over at her and she pulled her hand back.

“It’ll be all right Astraia. The Iron Claws clan is a clan of warriors. They haven’t lost a battle in decades.”

I sighed heavily. “But they’re outnumbered Naremi…”

It was her turn to sigh.

“I know it looks bad, but trust me they’ll be fine.” She smiled at me then but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

I wasn’t just worried about their safety. If Lolita is still alive, which I had no doubts that she was, we were all in trouble. She wanted me dead; And even more than that she wanted Lio back so that she could grow her power base. I could clearly see that Lio still had feelings for her. Although I stood next to him, he couldn’t react fast enough to take her hand off of him. He wonders why I push him away when his hesitation is so visible.

Naremi tapped my thigh making me come out of my deep thoughts.

“Hey what’s on your mind? You looked so upset just now.”

I looked over at her with the same pained look on my face.

“He hesitated, Naremi. He just stood there and let her grab his d**k in front of me.”

She frowned slightly and seemed to be thinking before she spoke.

“He tore her throat out in response. Lio has been deeply wounded by her betrayal and sometimes forgets himself around her. Don’t condemn him for one moment of hesitation, Astraia.”

I wasn’t surprised by her jumping to his defense but it only made me more upset.

“Why shouldn’t I? He’s not the only one who’s had their heart broken okay?” I said caressing my arms in an attempt to keep myself calm.

“Lio believes with every fiber of his being that you are meant to be his. It really hurts him to see you openly deny him.”

She spoke as if she could feel what he did, for all I knew she could.

“He only thinks that because of what his grandmother said.”

Naremi turned towards me and her facial expression let me know she was becoming frustrated.

“She was never wrong, Astraia. Not once. Lio will stop at nothing to win your heart. He knows in his heart you two are life mates. I can’t understand why you are so reluctant, Lio is a good man. He would be the best mate to you, he is completely loyal.”

I shook my head, looking away from her.

“I need to get out of this town for a while. I need a break from all of this were-business.”

Naremi’s eyes widened with disbelief.

“So you’d just leave him? At a time like this?”

She sounded outraged that I would even have such thoughts, but she was also extremely biased.

“I’m not leaving him. We’re not even together. Not officially anyway.” I said, starting to feel somewhat nervous discussing the subject.

“When you agreed to give him a chance I thought that’s what you meant.”

I looked over at her then.

“I meant a chance to court me Naremi, that’s what I meant.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “What’s the difference?”

She genuinely asked, not understanding what my intentions were.

“We would go out on dates, spend time alone with each other, and get to know each other for a while. That’s what people do before they decide to commit to each other. Everything means something completely different to all of you…I need time away, to myself.”

I looked down at the floor no longer wanting to discuss the matter. It was pointless trying to get her to understand. I left it at that.

About an hour passed before the front door burst open. Naremi stood up from the couch.

“I smell blood, a lot of it…” She said barely above a whisper.

The werewolves came into the house, some of them in a half-wolf, half-human form. It was a little disturbing to see. They were helping their wounded inside of the living room. I got up from the couch to give them more space. Lio walked into the living room completely nude just like the rest of them and I turned my head before I could let my eyes wander to lower things. Naremi left my side and I knew she was going to him. I heard them talking in low voices to each other for a moment. Then, Lio’s voice suddenly boomed over the murmuring of the wolves.

“Astraia, come…”

I hesitated at first; I didn’t want to see him this way. Of course, it was obvious I didn’t have a choice. The others had gone quiet, possibly waiting to see what I would do.

I walked across the living room slowly, my eyes still focused on the floor. When I started to see his bare, dirt covered feet I stood still. I knew if I looked up even slightly I would see that most intimate part of him flaccid; but I made a huge effort to avert my eyes.

“It would seem that we have some things to talk about.”

I shook my head no. Suddenly, my feet left the ground. Lio put me over his shoulder and began carrying me out of the living room. I looked up to see Naremi trying to fight back a laugh as she waved ‘bye’ to us. I had a nice view of his backside at this angle and I could see that it was toned and firm like the rest of him was. That thought alone made me painfully aware that not only was he naked, he was carrying me off to the basement like a caveman.

“Let me go! Put me down damn you! No! No!”

I screamed over and over while I banged my fists against his back. Lio ignored my futile attempts as if my hits were little love taps to him. He used his other hand to close the door behind us. He didn’t say a word even as we reached the bottom of the stairs which worried me. He finally set me down and I looked up at him feeling angry and humiliated.

I swung my hand towards his face but he caught my wrist before I could make contact. Lio stared into my eyes and he seemed void of any emotion as he forced me backwards toward the bed. His hand was still holding onto my wrist firmly. I soon felt the bed against the back of my legs and he pushed me using my own weight, forcing me to sit. Finally he let go of me but then he started pacing back and forth in front of me. I’d never seen him act like this and it scared me.

“You are dangerously testing my patience, Astraia. How could you threaten to leave after I’ve saved your life? After I’ve kept you safe all of this time? Do you think Lolita and Teris wouldn’t find you wherever you go?” He said, stopping in front of me and looking me in the eyes.

It was hard to take him seriously while he stood completely naked in front of me. I was too busy thinking about how his abs would feel under my hands and what his actual length was. I brought myself back to reality at the mention of Lolita’s name.

“So, she's alive then?”

I asked even though I had a good feeling what the chances were.

“Yes, she is. She will hunt you down and kill you as long as I still intend to take you as my mate.”

I found myself picking at my nails nervously before I spoke. “Do you still have those intentions Lio?”

He sighed as he ran his fingers through his messy black curls.

“Yes. As stubborn as you are against me, yes, I still want you. I find it funny that you are the only one around here who refuses to believe that you are my true mate.”

I frowned and he almost smiled.

“Show me proof besides my eye color that I’m the woman your grandmother spoke of before she passed on.”

Lio came to me and leaned forward, his face was a breath away from mine.

“Don’t worry, I will. I need to shower so I want you to wait here until I get done. There’s plenty more to discuss. I’ll hear the basement door open even if I’m in the shower so don’t think about sneaking away.” He winked at me before he stood up again and headed for the master bathroom just off to the right side of the bed.

I felt my cheeks become red hot, I couldn’t respond even if I wanted to. I hated the effect he had on me. I looked towards the head of the bed. A huge mass of pillows spread out against the headboard, all of them were navy blue and white. The headboard was cushioned white leather; the blankets matched the colors of the pillows. Sitting in silence like this I started to imagine Lio in bed making love to all of the women I’ve seen in the pack. I shut my eyes and tried to think of something else but naturally I only thought about it more.

Twenty minutes went by and Lio came out of the bathroom with an orange towel wrapped around his waist. He sat next to me, looking into my eyes. He smelled so fresh and yummy. The scent of his body wash teased my senses horribly. I wasn’t sure what kind he used but it was strong and it came off of him in waves like expensive cologne. This was the first time we had been alone together for more than a few minutes.

“I know this is difficult for you, Astraia. I’m sorry that you’ve been in danger from the moment that we met. I hope you still want to give me the chance to show you that I’m worth it.”

I didn’t have anything to say to that so I just let the apology hang in the air.

“You’re always mad at me it seems, but I don’t blame you at all. I’ll be honest; Lolita is the only woman I ever truly allowed into my heart. That’s why it’s so hard to be around her. Despite what she’s done, a part of me still cares for her just as much as the parts that hate her.”

He said this with such a look of pain in his eyes I couldn’t help but look away; Hearing him admit his feelings for her cut deep. I don’t know why I cared. He wasn’t mine, so why did I feel this way? Was I…Jealous? No, no way.

“I’m only telling you this because you deserve to know the truth. I never want to keep anything from you if I can help it. I hope that you would do the same for me.”

I looked back up at him to find a sullen expression on his face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that look on his face.

“What?” I asked just short of whispering.

“Can I ask who it was that broke your heart and your trust of others?”

The way he worded the question sounded odd and very formal but I answered him anyway. He talked about who tore his heart out so it’s only fair.

“His name was Julian…We were in a serious relationship for about three years.”

Lio scooted back on the bed a little before leaning back to sit up on his elbows.

“What happened?” He asked.

“…I came home from work one night and found him in our bed with three women; one of them was my cousin. I was so angry that I started to cry, but I stopped myself. They left that day and I never spoke to him or my cousin again…”

The memory was still painful to me when I talked about it. My eyes started stinging and I felt the tears coming. I covered my eyes with my hands to hide them. Lio’s hands pulled mine away from my now tear streaked face. I looked into his silver eyes and they held so much compassion. There was something else too, a yearning for me.

“No tears, not anymore. If you let me, I can make you forget him.” He said, still holding my hands in his.

“Can I make you forget about Lolita? Is it possible?”

He slightly smiled before he started leaning his face towards mine. We weren’t that far apart so our lips melded together with the slightest move forward. The kiss started slow and sensual, very gentle. I closed my eyes and I felt him lick my bottom lip. I invited him into my mouth, as I parted my lips I let his tongue explore me. We began slipping our tongues in and out of each other’s mouth, the minty taste of his toothpaste still lingered on his tongue. I placed my hands on his lap and I felt something firm under my hands. I pulled back from him and opened my eyes. Lio stared into my eyes with a lazy smile. I smiled back at him, probably just the same.

“That’s better.” He said before kissing my cheek where the salty tears had been.

“You didn’t answer my question Lio. Can I make you forget about Lolita?” I asked for the second time.

Lio brought his hands up to my cheeks and held my face in his hands. His hands were slightly rough against the soft flesh of my cheeks but not to the point of discomfort.

“With you as my Teman Sejiwa, I would never think of another woman again. I wish to call you mine someday Astraia.” He said, nuzzling my cheek softly with his nose.

I blushed but this time I made no effort to shy away from him. I figured it would be silly at this point seeing as we just kissed.

“What is a Teman Sejiwa?” I asked.

Lio let go of my face and sat up very straight.

“Teman Sejiwa means ‘soul mate’ in Malay. Our clan has Malaysian origins but much of the culture has faded as we’ve come into this day and age. However, the language will always remain a part of us. It’s unique to our clan specifically.”

I smiled as I listened to his explanation.

“Astraia, you may want to stay the night. Just to be safe. I can protect you in our territory much better than I can at your house.”

I gave him a suspicious stare and he frowned at me.

“What have I done now?”

I bit my lower lip before I spoke. “What are you up to?”

His eyes widened at my accusatory tone.

“I’m being practical, you’re being cynical. It makes sense to stay here tonight considering what happened.”

I thought about it and of course he was right. I just really wanted space right now but it didn’t look like I’d be getting that for a while.

“You have a point. I’m sorry.” Lio just shook his head and smiled at me.

“However, we do have a rare opportunity here.”

I looked at him curiously.

“If you did agree to share my bed tonight, what would your terms be? Theoretically.” He quickly added.

I gave him a half smile, still holding a bit of suspicion in my eyes.

“My terms would be no s*x of any kind, not even touching. It’s as simple as that, theoretically of course.”

He laughed and it was deeply masculine, it gave me goosebumps.

“Can I ask why? I’ve been abstaining from s*x for you since the day we met. What’s your reason?”

That was easy.

“Because I’ve only known you for a week, Lio. We haven’t really spent time together to get to know each other.”

I know Lio is genuinely trying to get closer to me and he doesn’t only want s*x. However, I wasn’t sure I was ready to accept everything else that would come along with him.

Lio’s smile faded and he nodded. He reached over my leg and started caressing my hand.

“Would you agree to sharing my bed tonight? I won’t try anything, I promise. I want to enjoy this time alone with you. I’m happy just talking all night if that’s what you want.”

His eyes were stone serious as he spoke. I was silent for a moment before I nodded.

“Since you promised, I guess it couldn’t hurt. Hey, what about your wolves? Don’t they need you?” He smiled then.

“I think it’s sweet of you to be concerned, thank you. Our healing capabilities will shock you. Besides we have a couple of licensed doctors in our pack who are very good at what they do.” Lio gave me a kiss on the forehead before he got up and took his towel off.

I sighed heavily, closing my eyes. Why did he have to make this so hard!? I opened my eyes again but I didn’t look at him directly. In my peripheral vision I could see him slightly hard and thick. When I’ve heard the words ‘well endowed’ I’d never seen a man that I could describe that way, until now. I almost laughed at myself when I thought of how crucial I was being of him moments ago; Funny that I was now lusting after the very man I set limitations on.

“Are you all right?”

His question brought me back to my senses.

“I’m okay. Just out of curiosity, are you going to be naked all night?”

The words just flew out of my mouth and it was too late for me to reel them back in, even if it were possible.

“Astraia, if you’re going to be around us you have to get used to our nudity. And yes, I sleep naked.” He said as he walked over to the back of the couch and laid his towel out to dry on it.

When he came back to me, he got on the bed from the right side and sat up against the headboard. Some of the decorative throw pillows were lost underneath him. I couldn’t change my mind about all of this and go home now, could I?

I took my thonged sandals off and crawled up to the spot next to Lio, leaving a small distance between us. I looked over at him and he slowly turned his head to look at me.

“Talk to me, let’s get to know each other.” He said with a smile.