The Latent Sentinel

FATEFUL ENCOUNTER 3

Ella POV:

I slowly got up wincing and took my place next to the fire. He sat back down at a distance, waiting patiently for me to say something. He looks happy and full of life. When I glanced at him, he gave me the most charming smile.

“Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself yesterday. I am Ethan Raynott. I work as a doctor at a pack nearby. We are called ‘The Omnes Superno Pack’. It’s a mixed community, made up of different shifters and supernaturals. If you would like, you can find a residence there. You seem like you need help.” I just stared at him. Why is he telling me all this? He is putting his people at risk by telling me about them. What if I was a bad person? Before I could stop myself, I asked him.

“Why?”

“Why? You mean why help you? Or why am I telling you all this?” I simply nodded at both questions.

“Well, there was a time I needed help, and someone helped me. I promised him that I would help anyone who needed help. Hence, I became a doctor. I owe my life to him. And as to why I am telling you all this, our pack is called a survivors pack. Anyone who needs help or protection is welcomed by us. We protect those who can’t defend themselves and train them to become stronger. We help them become self-reliant. All the residents have a story that is just like yours. One of suffering and survival. You are not alone.” After he is done talking, he stares into the distance as if remembering something. Then he gave me his most charming smile again. It makes my heart skip a beat. There is something in his eyes that I don't understand. Even though he smiles at me, there is sadness and pain hidden underneath his cheerful persona. How is it that I am so affected by his words and actions?

I am lost in my head thinking and questioning myself about him. Should I trust him or not? When he gets up and walks towards the study table in the corner, I stare at him looking for an explanation. Nyx is oddly and unusually comfortable with him. She is usually more cautious; she is never comfortable around strangers. Some people make her downright bloodthirsty, and they are the ones I am running from. Every time I meet someone suspicious, her emotions tell me clearly whether I should trust them or not. And till today she has never wanted to trust anyone. She doesn’t trust anyone, she is always ready to fight. But here she is sleeping peacefully without a care in the world. I haven’t felt her this laid back and relaxed from the day she came to me. She is always alert and ready to pounce. She doesn’t sleep when I am sleeping at night. She just catches a brief sleep when I am working. She was never this relaxed, even when I was alone. I don’t understand her right now. Why trust him?

“I am asleep 'cause we are safe, and you need to relax too. We are safe now.” She mumbles sleepily as if she heard my thoughts. She goes back to her slumber instantly without waiting for a reply. I saw Ethan moving from the corner of my eye. He gets me a jacket. But he doesn’t intrude on my personal space. He stands in the distance and holds the jacket towards me.

“Here, wear this. It’s cold. The rain has been pouring nonstop. You had a fever earlier. I was worried about you. But you seem to have recovered from it. Can I take your temperature, if that's OK? Just to be sure.” I just shake my head; he sighs but doesn’t push further. He gets me the medicine and goes back to his corner. He looks defeated by my rejection. I almost reconsider but I am terrified. Terrified to trust him, terrified that my trust would be betrayed.

He looks like he wants to say something, but he is weighing his options. I am not sure whether I want to know what he wants to say. He has a small book with him, which I just noticed. He puts his head down and opens the book. He looks lost in his thoughts even if the book is opened, his eyes haven’t moved. After a while, he starts reading and I see his eyes move a little. I can see him stealing glances at me when I am not looking. He looks pained and worried. I have seen him trying to say something a few times, but he stops every time. I can’t take his indecisiveness anymore.

“Just tell me, what do you want to say?” I said out loud. My words seem harsh even to my own ears and when he jumps I am sure he feels the same.

He is startled, but it doesn’t seem like he would say anything. I sigh, I hate talking to people as I have no people skills. I have been alone for so long that I don’t know how to interact with someone politely. Most of the time I end up offending people. It didn’t bother me before, as I usually ran away before anyone could get close to me. If I offended someone, then it was my reason for leaving the place.

“What is it? I can’t take your restlessness anymore. It is making me anxious.” That does it. He looks up and stares at me as if I am some kind of mystery.

“May I know your name?”

Seriously, he has been debating about asking my name. It doesn’t feel completely truthful, but it doesn’t feel like he is completely lying, so one of his questions must be my name. I am not sure whether I should tell him my name, but lying to him feels wrong too. He is the first person who has been so polite, kind, caring, and helpful to me. I don’t know his reason, but it doesn't seem like he wants to harm me. It would be sadistic if he helped heal my injuries only to kill me, but he doesn’t seem like a sadistic person. I am lost in my debate of pros and cons when Nyx takes over.

“Ellasandra Larue, but you can call me Ella.” Nyx growled at him with her full might. I don't know what to do. Nyx, she just told him our true name. I haven’t said this name out loud in ages. I never give my true name to anyone when I am working casual jobs. I always lie or make up some story.

He smiles at me as if he had won some lottery. And goes back to his book. He is doing something, that’s for sure. I have no clue what he is writing, but he has been working on it for some time. I haven’t seen him move a page yet, so he must be doing something that requires attention. I don’t want to intrude, but it’s making me curious. I know curiosity killed the cat, but I still can’t control myself, so I just prob.

“What are you doing?”

He is startled again, as if I caught him stealing something, but smiles, nonetheless. I like how his smile is so relaxed and carefree.

“Nothing. Yeah, I am doing …Un….N… not doing anything.” He stammers for some time before looking back at me. He closes his little book and keeps it aside. I am too invested in knowing what it was he was doing. But I don’t want to ask something if I am not willing to answer if he asks me something.

We sat there in silence after that. He looks lost in his thoughts. I want to say something when I hear a loud crushing sound in the distance. He is on his feet walking out of the cave in seconds. But he stops at the mouth of the cave.

“Ella, promise me you won’t come out. Please you haven’t recovered. I will be back soon.” With that, he turned away even before I could reply.