22

She squinted her eyes and realized it was morning already, the rays of the sun were already squeezing themselves through the holes of the cave. The aroma of food wafted through her nose and when she fully opened her eyes, looked over to the kitchen, she got the most fascinating sight ever; Lorcán was cooking for them. He had his eyes fully focused on what he was dicing and didn’t realized she was up, and she took that as an excuse to stare at him to her fill.

She didn’t want to remember all that they spoke about yesterday, that was sad, and when she stared at the forest through the biggest hole of the cave, she didn’t think it will be a sad day today. So, she would smile today, laugh with him and have the best moment they didn't get to share in Elara. Slowly, she tiptoed to the kitchen without him noticing and when she was behind him, Aranya hugged him from behind.

Lorcán sighed, he wanted her in all ways possible. Spiritually, and intimately would only be an added bonus. “Good morning, Aranya.” He spoke gently and fondled her hands that were wrapped around his waist.

He turned to stare at her and she gave him the brightest smile she could ever muster, “Good morning, Lorcán. You know how to cook?” She asked and when he brought her forward to stare at her, she had this pleased look on her face that Lorcán found so amusing and he wondered what he had been doing his whole life not to have lived with this goddess.

“I know how to cook, and even if I don’t, I’ll have to make sure that you don’t starve to death.” She flashed him a cheeky grin and he fondled her cheeks playfully. He stared at her chest and softly touched her wound, “Does it still hurt?” He asked, and she could feel the softness of the tip of his fingers, and he didn’t have to say, the tenderness he used to portray his emotions, she felt everything.

She placed her hand on top of his and smile, “You know what? I actually deserve this, stop feeling guilty, okay?” She looked into his eyes and today, that mahogany color of his eyes didn't scare her, she stared longer than she had ever stared into his eyes and when she realized what she was doing, she quickly averted her eyes from him, trying so hard to hide her blush away from him.

“You’re going to burn down the cave if you keep on staring at me that way!” He didn’t realize she had already ran out of the kitchen until she spoke from the bed and when he looked over at her, she was folding the quilt the slept with and making the bed.

“You shouldn’t have run!” He called out from the kitchen and she turned, grinning at him.

“What would have happened if I didn't? Your soup!” He was about to walk out of the kitchen when she reminded him of what he was doing and he smiled, shook his head before he got back to his cooking.

Through the opening, he watched as she worked easily in the cave as though this had been her home for so long. She moved the things she wanted and placed back the ones she wanted. He watched as she sealed the whole cave and protected it more than she did even though she knew Betla could effortlessly broke through her magic, but it was safer to have a seal than none, right?

When the meal was done, Lorcán carried everything out to the suite and placed them on the stone and they sat down opposite each other. She smiled at him and then took her eyes back to the food that was staring back at her, “This looks promising, I’ve been starving for so long. Can I start?” Her smile was genuine, he released. She had eased off, no longer the conservative Aranya she used to be with him in Elara. Was it because she had shown a part of herself to him? Or rather, he had known a bit of her secret?

When she looked up from her plate, Aranya realized he wasn't eating, just staring at her. “Why aren’t you eating? Aren’t you hungry?”

He shook his head and took the spoon, “I’m just thinking how you live here, alone with just your mother.” She was about to reply when he quickly chirped in, “That reminds me, won't she look for you? It’s been three days now, and she hasn’t seen you.”

She placed down the spoon and wrapped her hands over her chest, “She knows where I am,” she chuckled when she lifted her feet and he saw an anklet, wasn’t it the one she left for him in Elara and he gave it to Desdemona? Desdemona, the moment her name slipped through his mind Lorcán wondered if she knew what was going on. Whether or not he had taken his revenge. If he had even gotten to Zinambra or Zartan had ended his life.

“She uses this anklet to know where I am, and now she knows I'm in Zinambra. Sometimes I come here and spend a few days when I'm lonely, and it’s not like I live with anyone here. Just a change of environment.” She smiled sadly and dived more into her food, she knew there were lots of questions in his mind and when she gulped down the juice he made for them, she took his wrist and guided them to the bed.

“I know you have a lot of questions to ask me, go on.” She released his hand and stared at him, he could see her sincerity through her eyes and Aranya wondered if she could really trust him. What if he was acting this way just because he wanted to know all her secrets and bring her end with them?

“What’s your name?” He figured that he should better start from the beginning. And even though she lived longer in his heart than she had lived in his mind, he figured he only knew her as a woman, nothing more.

She chuckled, “Aranya, that’s my real name. I know you think why I change my name a lot, I'm Verena to Jaromir, Avyannah to you and Dûsan, Ùlfa to some...lots of names. I do that to conceal my identity.”

He sighed, he thought that the day she was going to answer his questions he would have tons of them pouring out of his heart but now that he had the chance, everything was stuck. It felt as though he didn't want to know anything about her, as if what he knew was enough for him. “Are you a wolf?”

That, she hesitated before she nodded her head. “For all I know is, I'm a wolf, and you could tell from our land. Isn’t Zinambra the home of wolves before it was raided? So, Aranya is a wolf, should I show you myself as one?” She stood up and before Lorcán could answer her, she had already transformed herself into the most beautiful wolf he had ever seen in his life.

She wagged her tail at him and he smiled before he took her up, he placed her on his laps and fondled her head, “You’re so beautiful, Aranya, even as a wolf.” He had never known that there was a pure white wolf with splashes of red, until her. He wished she would always stay as a wolf, because on god, it was the most exquisite he had ever seen her look.

She transformed herself back and chuckled at the way he was fondling her, realizing she was on his laps, she wanted to pull back to the bed but he firmly held her. “Where do you think you’re going?” He asked, and she squirmed to get out of his hold but he firmly held her.

“I thought we were having a serious conversation?” Feeling the way his hand was moving slowly around her waist, she squirmed, “I’m sure we can’t have this conversation this way, Lorcán.” He smiled, that sun and mischievous smile had always flashed at her and it felt as though they were in Elara, with the Lorcán she hated and found amusing as well.

“Why not? That conversation can always come back later...” She was about to argue with him when he sealed their lips and Aranya sighed, she had been waiting for this for so long. Making herself comfortable on his laps, she wrapped her hands around his neck and smiled when she felt him tickle her stomach. The kiss started off as soft, tender as they emoted their feelings slowly. But when it got intense, she felt the way he roughly began to kiss her, trying to fill his soul for all the times he had missed her and she kissed him back with the same intensity. She felt as he brought her closer to him, and she tightened her hold on his neck.

She was aware of his hands on her waist and how he was slowly moving them upwards, no man had ever crossed the limit of just kissing her, and she knew deep down that if Lorcán wanted to have more than just a kiss out of her, she would gladly let him have it. He broke their lips to have a breather and she stared into his eyes that had already got swarmed with desire.

“I'm sleepy...” She teased, and instead of an answer, Lorcán planted a wet and hot kiss on her bare neck, forcing out a moan out of her lips and she didn't know when they fell on the bed, hungrily holding onto each other.

He was roughly kissing her neck, her jawline and all over her face while all she did was brought him closer and whenever he kissed a certain area that forced a moan out of her, he would increase his pace. Unbeknownst to them, Betla was in front of the cave and she stood, not wanting to break the seal Aranya had created.

“Aranya!” She called out from outside and it went unheard by them. “I'll have to break the seal then.” She knew how the cave meant to Aranya and that was why she tried to respect her privacy knowing so well that the seal was meant to protect her from entering even though she knew that breaking it was the easiest task for Betla. But more of a protection, it was more of a ‘I know you can break through this, Betla, but respect my privacy before you do.’

Betla broke the seal and when she came to the door of the cave, she realized Aranya made it in such a way only her breath could unlock the door, and she smiled. If she randomly found out that Aranya had made a door lock that could only be unlocked by her breath, she would have been furious. But now, she was proud of her for thinking the way she did.

She knocked on the door, “Aranya, I know you’re inside. Unlock the door or I'll have to destroy your flimsy locking mechanism.” That was when Aranya heard her, and Lorcán did too. They immediately stood up from the bed with the sleeves of her gown nearly taken off and when she stared at him, she realized she had no other way to hide him away from Betla.

“I’m sorry.” She mouthed, and with one magical swift, Lorcán had disappeared and was hidden under her gown, right on her stomach. She knew Betla would notice anything in the room and she could see through her magic powers, but she might hardly notice her stomach.

She unlocked the door with another swift move of her fingers and when Betla appeared into the room, she was all sweaty and the sleeves of her gown were back to how they used to be. But her hair was dishelved and even though she had sealed the wound on her chest so Betla wouldn't notice, she knew she would. She even knew of the wound already, Aranya knew.

Instead of a word or greeting, the first thing Betla said was, “Aranya, are you pregnant?” Her eyes were fixed firmly on her stomach and Aranya didn't know when she immediately sat down.