The Latent Sentinel

FATEFUL ENCOUNTER 6

Ella POV:

Before I could say anything, he hauled me up and put me onto his lap. He kissed my neck and head before inhaling my scent as if his life depended on it. My body was on fire being near him. I had this energy buzzing in every vein of my body. I held his naked shoulders and traced every ripple of his muscular back before breathing in his scent. I was panting, eager for something more, but he held my hands back after kissing me breathlessly. After that, we just hugged each other, finding comfort in our moment. After what felt like an eternity, he put me down and held me close.

Once we both were comfortable and our emotions stabilized, he kissed me again, and we just stood there in silence, watching the fire. I don't know how much time had passed since he started explaining everything about his pack and himself, but I was lost in his hypnotic voice. His gruff baritone voice does something to my inside. I feel warm and tingly all over when he whispers something closer to my ears.

He is a doctor and psychologist. He is thirty-five and lives alone in a small cottage with blue shutters. He doesn’t have any family. It felt like he wanted to say a lot but couldn’t, so I didn’t push. He will open up when the time is right. It’s not like I have been honest and open with him. I haven’t told him anything about me yet. But he seems patient with me. He moved away to his usual spot after our initial conversation. He is still giving me space. I don’t know what to say or do, so an uncomfortable silence is lingering between us.

He is sitting with his notebook doing something without a word. I see his hands moving, but I don’t think he is writing anything. I want to know what he is doing. I am transfixed with his gentle movements. I can’t take the suspense anymore, so I ask.

“What are you drawing in that notebook?” He seemed shocked that I noticed but smiled at me.

“Here, why don’t you take a look?”

He held the book towards me without hesitation this time. I slowly inched towards him, taking one step at a time. I am still jumpy around him, and he gives me the space I need. He holds my hand and kisses my palm before keeping the notebook in my hand. His small gesture makes me blush.

“You take a look. I will get some wood for us.”

I am afraid. The thought of him going alone terrifies me. But I couldn’t stop him. What will I say? Why don’t I want him to go out alone?

He realizes my inner turmoil without any words and holds my hand gently. He gives it a light squeeze and smiles, “I am not weak Ella. They blew some white powder on my face which paralyzed me and injected me with the Lillie extract. I don’t even know how they knew to use that exact thing. I can hold my own in a fight, I am a doctor, but I train regularly. Training and self-defense classes are mandatory in my pack.” Again, he understood my internal struggles without a word. When I don’t move, he sighs and sits down.

“I won’t go alone happy. We would go together and get everything we need in the evening.” I smiled and nodded at him.

Bringing my attention to the small leather-covered book. It seems worn out as if someone uses it regularly. The leather cover is old, and the color has faded. It has a crest impression on top, it looks like two branches of olives with a flame in the middle inside a vortex of water. I am staring at the logo, trying to understand what it means. He looks at me waiting for a reply.

“I made it. It symbolizes protection, strength, and safety. It represents my pack.”

He plays with his nails, downplaying his talents. He looked adorable, covered in a blush. I slowly opened the book. The first page itself captivates me. It’s a very realistic image made in charcoal of a dark forest and a shadow with wings. Nyx is suddenly very interested in the sketch. I can’t understand my lioness lately. She has been acting strangely. Not that she was normal, to begin with. But her current behavior is weirder than usual. She just rolls her eyes at me and goes back to observing the image. She is analyzing every tiny detail from the sketch. Ethan’s voice breaks my reverie.

“It’s a dream, I keep having. It’s never clear, but I see someone with wings rescuing a pup from some dark figures. Sorry, I am very vague. I don’t understand the dream myself, so I drew it to make some sense of it. I have had this dream every day for the past year.”

“It’s captivating. You are an artist. I have never seen anything this mesmerizing. It feels as if the lines will come alive any second.” He beams with pride at my compliments. A bright pink blush taints his chicks, and his eyes are brighter than the sun. I never knew my words could affect someone so much. It’s as if I got him a golden egg or something.

I looked through his notebook. There are more sketches of flowers, forests, lakes, wolves, Fae, etc. But suddenly, I stop at the sketch of a girl on the forest path. Her body and hair look like mine. I look at him, but he is looking everywhere else but me. The next sketch makes me hold my breath, it’s me sleeping, and the next is me looking at the fire, me yawning, me doing simple chores. I had tears in my eyes looking at myself from his eyes. They were beautiful, I felt beautiful. He makes me feel beautiful. After a while, he wiped my tears with his palm and kissed my head.

“I didn’t want to make you cry, Ella. I couldn’t control myself. You looked so beautiful. You are very special to me. I wanted to capture your beauty. I wanted to hold you and keep you safe in my heart.” He says, holding my chin and kissing my nose. He is so gentle with me; his touch makes me feel alive.

“These are beautiful. I don’t have the right words to express how they make me feel. I couldn’t control those tears. It’s been ages since anyone called me or made me feel special. You made me feel a lot of feelings, I had forgotten about them.” I gestured towards his drawings. I gently kissed his lips and hugged him. He was frozen in place but then relaxed in my embrace. He kissed me back with equal fervor.

“I love you, Ella. You are not alone. I will always be next to you. Just trust me. I would never let anyone hurt you or anything bad happen to you. You don’t have to say it back for now. I will wait for you.” He said everything in one breath, holding me close. I don’t understand my feelings, but I know I care for him.

We stayed like that for what felt like forever. I was lost in his warmth until my stomach grumbled. He chuckled at that and got up carrying me with him. I squealed when he lifted me up, but it only made him laugh harder. He gently made me sit on the small cot, but not before kissing me again. He got us the meat he grilled. We ate in a comfortable silence. His presence is comforting and calming like the deep blue ocean.