25. Only in Fantasies

Laura - On the way to Paul’s villa
The dusk sky brews with thick clouds over the bustling traffic and the tall buildings. Paul is focused on driving and hasn’t said a word since we left Beatrice’s apartment. The weight of his silence presses heavily over my chest.
When I glance at him, he doesn't meet my eyes. Instead, he looks straight ahead, though I bet he knows I'm peeking at him. I fiddle with my fingers in my lap for a while. But no more. What’s enough is enough.
“You don’t believe me.”
"What you've told me about your mind-reading abilities is difficult to swallow. Allow me some time to think about it."
His eyes are still on the road, and he doesn’t look at me at all. When I get accustomed to the heavy silence once again, Paul continues, "There will be rules you must follow. Don’t leave the premises of my estate unescorted."
“So I am your prisoner.”
"I'd say a very important guest who requires a security detail for her own safety."
Humphing, I cross my arms over my chest. “For how long?”
"Until everyone is convinced that our bond is strong and not just a charade. Then no one will dare to mess with you anymore. They will treat you with the same respect and fear as they treat me."
“Except for humans who try to shoot you in a dark alley or poison you at a party.”
Paul’s grip over the wheel tightens and his cheek pulsates under the weight of his gritted teeth. He glances at me for the first time since we got inside the car, and his eyes get impossible dark. He pulls over in a bus station alcove and turns his full attention towards me. The last rays of the sun glitter in his eyes.
“Bogdan tried to poison me at the RBO party?”
“Yes, I read his thoughts.” Under his pinning gaze, I decide to confess everything. “To look convincing, I faked tripping so I could spill your glass.”
"This is just great!" Paul restarts the engine and realigns himself within the traffic. "Now I owe you my life not once, but twice."
I should have known he would react this way. This man pisses me off. I don’t even know why I bother trying to get along with him. But somehow, I feel like I have something to prove.
"If I get closer to Bogdan again, I may read his thoughts some more. Maybe I can even find out why he wants to kill you and put a stop to his attempts."
"We'll talk about that later." Paul lets out a sigh and shakes his head. After a bit, he resumes. "I haven't finished laying out the ground rules for you yet. In front of the pack, we'll be mates, but in front of the rest of the world, we'll be boss and personal assistant. I'm sure you'll perform well since you're so good at faking things. Tomorrow night is the pack's meeting, and I'll announce our bonding."
I merely sigh and keep silent, completely exhausted. Clearly, this isn't going to work. He's constantly focused on things that don't matter to me. I've never been concerned about how other people see me.
Paul goes left between two rows of exquisite houses, and as he rounds the final curve, the long road with precisely matched trees on either side, accentuating his white villa, comes into view. As we approach the estate's gates, the car slows down.
Once inside, Paul looks at me for the first time after that awkward conversation. “Your room is on the second floor, the third door on the right. Go and rest. Tomorrow you don’t have to come to work. Prepare yourself for the gathering. It will be a tough one.”
He bosses me about like I'm a kid. I'm too exhausted to battle any longer. I let out a long breath for dramatic effect, accompanied by a tired, mocking grin. After all that happened today, I am an emotional wreck, so I happily comply with all his requests.
Even though the villa is huge, I have no difficulty finding the room assigned to me. Without bothering to explore my cage, I crawl into the bed and hug the pillow. At least the mattress is soft as if it were made of feathers. Maybe it is, considering his wealth. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has hunted the poor birds himself. But I bet he’s paid off someone else to pluck off the feathers and stuff them inside the bedding.
As I close my eyes, Paul is all I see: Paul washing me under the waterfall, Paul defending me in front of Ion Corvin, Paul comforting me at the cemetery. Usually, I don’t need sleep, but I let myself fall into a sweet dream that will never come to pass.
Kisses on my skin, his warm body next to mine, no clothing between us. As he takes me, he leans in to kiss me. His muscles clump under my palms, clenching with each movement he makes.
Time flows differently in a dream, and even though I realize this is not real, I let the rush in my body flow freely. As long as these fantasies are kept inside my head, no one can hurt or judge me for them. His passion washes over me, and I’m his for the taking.
I gasp as he breaks free from my embrace and goes lower, kissing everything in his path and leaving a wet trail behind. After a pause, with no warning, no preamble, his mouth lands on my most sensitive of all places. Fisting the fine sheet beneath me, I glance down to see him there, his face between my thighs, his fingers gripping my hips.
Yelling and an awful amount of curses seep into my dream. I let out a moan in disappointment as Paul’s naked figure disappeared into a thin wave of smoke. Even though it’s an illusion, I want it to stay with me some more. Why does reality have to barge in and shatter everything that feels good?
The ruckus continues as I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling. My breathing is erratic as if all of that was real and not just my imagination. The voice coming from outside is familiar. It can’t be! Alisa?