The Lunar Destiny Series

Chapter 5

When I came to, I was laying in a bed that I was sure wasn’t mine. I felt a gentle breeze from a window blowing against my face. Someone was sitting behind me. I felt the soft bristles of a brush going through my hair. It should have felt comforting, and it would have had I not witnessed what I did last night. I started to scramble out of bed and the mysterious person grabbed my shoulder, stopping me. I turned around to see who it was. A woman in her mid-thirties, violet eyes, and reddish orange hair sat smiling at me. She wasn't wearing any clothes at all, which made me look away quickly.

“Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanted to detangle that pretty hair of yours."

She said, still smiling.

I turned my back to her and she started brushing my hair again; she obviously did not care if I wanted her to or not. She used long, slow strokes and always ran her fingers through it after the brush reached the ends.

"My mother used to brush my hair to relax me. I thought you could use some comforting as well." She said in a very motherly voice. The nudist thing was bugging me; I had to ask what was up with it.

"Why are you guys always naked? Or half naked?"

"Our body temperatures are naturally over one hundred degrees. On the night of the full moon, it can get as high as one hundred nine. So you see, clothes can be very uncomfortable. Of course we get dressed when we go outside, but other than that we prefer little or no clothing." She explained like she'd given the same explanation a thousand times.

I looked over at the window and could see that it was morning by the way the sun shined softly through the blinds.

"What's your name?" I asked.

I felt it was awkward enough having her brushing my hair nude. I could at least ask what her name was.

"Naremi, it’s nice to meet you Astraia." She replied in a cheery tone.

"Does everyone around here know my name?"

"Yes, we all know your name." She said.

I sighed, but I wasn't tired anymore. At least not in that sense. Naremi came and sat next to me, I only looked over enough to see that her reddish orange hair came down to her pale shoulders in thick waves.

"What's wrong?" She asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"I need to go home, my house is in shambles. I have to go make a police report and call a repairman." I said.

Just the thought of how much money I was going to spend getting lord knows how much damage fixed summoned a headache of infinite proportions.

"Already done." She said.

I looked her square in the eyes and I guess the surprise on my face amused her because she smiled.

"What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously.

"Vasilios called a couple of his friends to fix your doors. They should be working on the damages right now." She said very matter-of-factly.

I wasn't as thrilled. I stood up and walked over to the window, starting to pace back and forth.

"What kind of game is he playing? What gives him the right?" I said frustrated.

Naremi hiked one of her eyebrows. "So, you're angry that he's getting your house fixed?"

She asked, sounding confused.

It was silly, but I was actually upset about other things.

"No I...Ugh! I just don't get it. I've never felt so lost." I said, putting my fingers into my freshly brushed hair and gripping my scalp. I closed my eyes, trying to calm down.

"Why are you so upset, little one?" She asked.

"Tell me something, Naremi, why does a man surrounded by beautiful women who find him irresistible want someone like me?"

I asked her.

I let my hands fall to my sides and opened my eyes to look at her. She was looking around the room appearing to be thinking really hard about the question.

"Well, you are young, human, and beautiful too. There is also a certain degree of innocence about you that he admires. There are many reasons why he wants you. Some of those reasons are unknown to me." She said.

I shook my head laughing, and it sounded bitter.

"You can't be serious. I'm nothing compared to the women in your pack. To say otherwise would just be cruel" I said.

Naremi frowned then. She stood up and walked over to me, tilting her head slightly to one side.

"What makes you think so little of yourself? I meant every word I've said. Do you doubt him? Is that why you are so insecure?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

It was like she was offended because I wasn't accepting her words to be true. Oh well, I can't please everyone.

"I'd be a fool not to doubt him, Naremi. He isn't completely human, there are different customs and rules that he probably has. I'm sorry if I'm not okay with him sleeping with all of the women here. I'm also highly uncomfortable with Lisette's hatred towards me when I haven't even touched him. This is a lot to take in, you wouldn't understand..." I said, sighing.

Our little chit chat was interrupted by a knock on the door. Naremi went to answer, and she opened the door just enough to peek her head out. She was speaking low but I could make out some of what was said. I knew they were talking about me, because Naremi looked back at me the moment she finished talking with whoever was in the hallway.

"Astraia, I need you to come with me."

Maybe I was just being paranoid but I was instantly suspicious. "What? Where?" I said.

Naremi sighed, walking up to me and grabbing my hand. "Just come on." She said, pulling me out of the room.

Now I was really suspicious. She wouldn't even tell me what was going on. Naremi didn't say a word as she pulled me along down the hall and downstairs. It wasn't until we got to the basement stairs that I figured out where she was taking me. I stared down into the dark abyss of the basement, there were no lights on. Just a pale glimmer of sunlight from a window somewhere down there. I shook my head no continuously.

"Oh no, I'm not going down there. I don't want to see him." I said.

Naremi gave me a full force glare, and it was kind of scary. Knowing what she really was and what she could possibly do to me if I pissed her off bad enough, that look was terrifying.

"You are going down there and you are going to see him. You're as stubborn as a mule, you know that?"

I did know that, but I would never admit that out loud.

The steps were carpeted with lush, royal blue carpet. I was sure the rest of the basement was the same way.

"Go on, he asked for you. Don't think I won't put you over my shoulder and carry you down there." She said growing impatient.

The idea of hanging over her shoulder and being forced to see her bare ass wasn't on my agenda for the day. I locked up my pride and started walking downstairs. I had one hand on the railing, slowly making my way down each step. I really didn't want a confrontation first thing in the morning, but they were leaving me no choice. I heard Naremi coming down behind me, no chance of running back upstairs. I wasn't surprised to see the basement fully furnished. There was a bar with five stools to the right with a kitchen set up behind it. Farther to the left, was a gray sectional couch and a sixty inch flat screen TV nestled inside a mega entertainment stand. I could see the bathroom door open right across from where the bed was. Lastly, a king sized bed sitting up on a black platform frame.

Vasilios sat up in the bed looking me square in the eyes. I was expecting to see him in bed nude with several women, but he was alone. He sat there wearing nothing but a pair of black basketball shorts that came down past his knees. Naremi gave me a little shove towards the bed before she walked over to the bed and crawled onto it. The way she moved was very animalistic yet graceful; nothing like a human. She laid on her stomach on the other side of the bed, staring up at Vasilios. He reached over and rubbed her shoulder.

"Thank you, Naremi." He said to her in a comforting tone.

I tried my best to ignore how comfortable the two of them were together with the rub on the shoulder and her being naked in his bed and all. I mean I was trying really hard.

"Are you going to stand over there the entire time we talk?" He asked, raising one of his thick, black eyebrows.

"Maybe I'm hoping for a short conversation." I said. I didn't try to hide my agitation.

"Don't be that way Astraia. I carried you upstairs last night and put you to bed. I was going to stay with you until you regained consciousness but..."

He looked away from me with a pause in his words. After a couple breaths he continued.

"I was sure after what you had seen you wouldn't want me anywhere near you."

I had to give him some brownie points for making that wise decision.

"Lio I don't get you. All of the things you told me last night hurt me more than you could ever know. Mostly scared me but the rest hurt. This is all just insane, don't you realize that? There's no way I can be with you. I could never trust you..."

I couldn't meet his eyes when I said that last. I don't know why but it was disappointing hearing it out loud. Deep down I knew that I was attracted to him, but trusting him felt like too much.

I heard him sigh, then movement from the bed. I looked up to see him getting off of the bed. I guess if he saw that I wasn't coming to him, he was coming to me. He stood close in front of me, forcing me to look up at him.

"You're giving up before we could even give it a try. What do you want me to do to convince you that I'm sincere?" He asked.

The whole time he had been talking, all I could think about was who he might’ve slept with last. I had no doubts Naremi was one of his lovers. I bet they were laughing behind my back, what a joke. How could he stand here still trying to convince me that he was serious?

"There's nothing you can say, I'm sorry. It doesn't make any sense, why would you want a human?" I asked.

Vasilios closed the last inch of space between us, putting his arm around my waist so I couldn't back away. The line of our bodies fit like a glove, even with me being as short as I am.

"Before my grandmother died. She told me who my true mate would be. She said, ' There will be a love so divine, her eyes will match yours.' Then you came to us. I don't believe it was by coincidence Astraia. Your eyes are almost the exact silver hue of gray as mine, which is a rare eye color; human or not. You could have ran towards the highway, or anywhere else. The odds of you finding us were slim to none. Tell me you don't want me Astraia, even a little..." He said lowering his head to my eye level.

Being this close to him made it hard to think clearly. His strong fingers were kneading at my hip and his chest rubbed against my breasts every time he exhaled. I could feel the warmth of his breath caressing my face each time, I was intoxicated with his presence alone.

"I don't want you Lio. You have too many women around you..." I said, staring at his chest. I looked back up into those silver eyes to see him smiling.

"Like I told you last night, I haven't been with another woman since the day I met you. I can smell your lie very strongly, Astraia. Standing this close to you, touching you, your need is so strong it makes me dizzy." He said.

I started to blush, it was impossible not to this time. If he could 'smell' a lie, I was in deep trouble.

"What do you want from me, Lio? You're relentless no matter what I do to push you away." I said, frowning.

"All I want is a chance, that's all. I understand your discomfort with the werewolf part. We can focus on that later. Just try. If I'm wrong about you being my true mate you'll never have to see me again." He said letting me go, his hands lingering as he pulled away.

I thought really hard about what answer to give him, though I wasn't sure myself. I wasn't sure that I was ready for this. Whatever 'this' was. There was one thing I needed to know, one question I needed an answer to.

"Do you...Love Lisette?"

The question seemed to catch him off guard because he stepped back from me.

"In my own way I suppose." He said.

It wasn't a great answer but it looked to be the only one I was going to get.

"Then why me? Why not her?"

He looked down at the floor then looked back up at me slowly.

"Because she isn't you. I feel drawn to you in ways I have never been to her." He said very bluntly.

What the hell was so special about me? To him, there was a lot. It was me that was lost. I shook my head as if I could shake the confusion away.

”All right, I'll give you your chance." I said.

I felt defeated in so many ways, but at the same time I was flattered to have a man of his caliber be interested in me. Vasilios reached out as he stepped up to me again, taking my left hand in his. He bent his six foot two frame forward to give the slightest brush of his lips onto the back of my hand. A sigh came from me just from that small kiss.

Naremi was sitting up on the bed watching us now, a small smile on her face.

"Thank you Astraia." She said.

Vasilios let go of my hand and stood up straight again. We both looked over at her.

"For what?"

"For giving him a chance of course." she said, smiling wider.

I didn't know what to say so I just smiled back at her.

"Lio, I wanted to thank you for taking care of the repairs at my house. You didn't have to do that."

He turned back to me and flashed me one of his full-on smiles, in turn making me smile.

"It's no problem. I'm an architect so I have a few friends that have useful skills. Those same friends built our houses here in the woods."

He said as he walked back over to the bed and sat down at the foot of it.

"I wanted to talk to you about something else. You need protection until we can settle things with the wereleopards. I'll be to see that you are well, but I will make sure someone is home with you at all times. The wereleopards have been looking for an excuse to start a war for years. They've finally found one." He said with a sigh.

“Why do they want to fight you all so badly?" I asked.

"They want our land, but we are not an opponent who will fall easily. The Clan of Iron Claws has never been defeated."

There was a strong confidence and sense of pride in his voice. When he spoke about his pack. If this whole forest area belonged to them, they must have kicked a lot of ass back in the day.

"So, are you hungry at all?" Lio asked with a small smile.

"Yeah, starving." I said embarrassed, He nodded.

"I'd better get started on breakfast then." He winked at me and then got up from the bed.

Naremi, Vasilios, and I went upstairs into the kitchen. I instantly noticed a theme; wilderness. There was a large island in the middle of the kitchen complete with an electric stove and black granite countertops. There were olive green placemats at a table that could fit six people. The table was custom made by the looks of it. A very large tree stump had been hollowed out to support the smoothly sanded wood table top. The chairs were the same dark wood as the table. There were phases of the moon on the backs of the chairs, complete with leather covered cushions.

The counters formed a semi circle around the kitchen going from the patio door to the archway leading to the hallway. The counter tops matched the black granite on the island. A wall clock with a collage of porcelain wolves and trees hung above the sink. A line of potted herbs sat on the window sill near the middle of the counter. A six slice toaster, a blender, and a toaster oven sat lined up on the counters. I also noticed one of those indoor, plug-in waterfalls on the counter as well but it was turned off.

I sat down at the table but turned my chair towards the island to watch Lio cook. Naremi started taking pans out of the cabinets while Vasilios rummaged through the refrigerator.

"What are you hungry for?" He asked me as he continued looking around in the refrigerator.

I thought about it and so many things came to mind, all delicious. I couldn't decide.

"What can you cook?"

"I can cook anything. Name it and it's done." He said.

I thought of something that took skill and short cooking time. Then I thought about something that would be very filling instead. Quick stuff never keeps you full long enough.

"How about an omelette? Can you make that?" I said in a taunting tone.

He stepped back from the refrigerator door and looked at me with his right eyebrow raised. "Oh yeah, I make the best omelettes in the house." He said proudly.

Lio and Naremi cooked while I watched eagerly. He spared me a smile every now and then and I kept wanting to ask what he was thinking about. After fifteen minutes he turned the burner off and scooped a nice sized, fluffy omelet out of the pan and onto a beige stone plate. He opened a drawer and took out a fork that looked like it was made of glass. I'd never seen anything like it. He looked over at me then.

"Prepare yourself; it's going to be amazing."

He teased as he brought the steaming omelet over to me, placing it on the table in front of me.

I turned my chair around to look down at it. He pulled up a chair next to mine and sat down facing me. I was trying to figure out all of his ingredients. I could see small potato cubes, bacon pieces, green bell peppers, and orange & yellow bell peppers, with cheese oozing out of it. My mouth was watering so bad I thought I would drool, but I didn't. Pride and all. Vasilios picked up the fork and cut a piece of the stuffed omelette, then held it up to my lips. I opened my mouth and took the first bite. I chewed with my eyes closed, I could feel myself smiling. If joy had a flavor, this would be it.

I opened my eyes after swallowing and both Vasilios and Naremi were grinning.

"Good isn't it?" Naremi asked as she flipped a piece of French toast in the pan.

"Yes, it's delicious. Thank you Lio." I said.

He just smiled and sat back in his chair, happy that his cooking pleased my palette.

"I smell food and I'm hungry, what's for breakfast?"

Baltasar said, walking into the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. I assumed that he’d just gotten out of the shower. His pale blonde hair was still damp and clung to the sides of his face. Another man came in behind him who stood about five foot eleven with the form of a professional boxer. This man was African American with a low haircut that showed off his waves. He was wearing cut off sweatpants that could have been a nice pair of sweatpants once upon a time. He wasn’t wearing a shirt or shoes, of course.

When he came into the kitchen, he looked down at me curiously before he took a seat at the table across from Vasilios and me.

"Morning everyone." The man said with a slight smile.

"Astraia, this is Githinji. He is my second in command, Baltasar is my first.” He explained briefly.

"Nice to meet you." I said.

Someone's cell phone started ringing, and Baltasar answered his.

"Hello? Oh yeah, she's right here." He walked over to me and handed me his cell phone. Who the hell could be calling me from his phone?

"...Hello?" I answered hesitantly.

"Astraia! Thank god you're alright! I saw your house on the news, something about a violent break in. What happened?" Celeste asked in a state of panic.

"Nothing too serious. I wasn't home when it happened." I hated to lie to her but I had no choice.

"When the hell did you get Baltasar’s number?" I asked, sounding deeply suspicious.

I heard her snickering on the other end of the phone.

"Yesterday at the Gardner's market, what did you think I was doing while you were talking to Lio?" I just shook my head, typical Celeste.

"You little slut, how dare you try to hook up when I'm in the middle of a cat fight."

I said laughing.

Celeste and I usually spoke to each other like that. People would give us the strangest looks in public when hearing our little insulting exchanges.

"If I knew that's what was going on I'd have stepped in, you know me." She said proudly.

"Yeah, I know you all too well. Don't worry about me Celeste; I'll be back home later. We'll talk." I said trying to keep things as vague as possible. I wasn't giving her anything, she wouldn't break me.

"You bet your ass you will. I'm assuming you're with Lio right now.”

"That is none of your business. Like I said, we'll talk later. Bye Celeste."

By this point I’m sure she could just about hear me grinning over the phone.

"Bye." She said, sounding as if she were trying not to laugh.

We hung up and I handed Baltasar his cell phone with a glare, he just grinned at me.

"I hope your little chat with Celeste excludes the part where you mention our little secret." He said.

"I'm not an i***t Baltasar; I know I'm not supposed to tell anyone about you guys. Common sense and all." I said, crossing my arms and frowning. All of them let out a bubbling laugh.

"Are you always this catty in the morning?"

Baltasar asked.

Vasilios butted in before I could respond.

"I like this side of you, can't wait to see what other surprises you have for me."

He said in that deep, rich voice that was all seduction and promised naughty things.

I stopped frowning, shook my head, and then started eating my omelette. It was too good to let it get cold.