Chapter 19: Opening The Pandora’s Box

[Cole]

“It didn’t feel right,” Dove whispered, her temple against Cole’s thick biceps. She wove her arm around his and drew herself closer to him and continued, “I was nobody to Her and She saved me. So She couldn’t have been as cruel as you--.”

She straightened and checked Cole’s expression.

Cole gazed into her dark round eyes. He reached out to caress the swollen face and swallowed hard. What happened to her, he thought.

Another hand went out to comfort her other eye. Then, they slid down to cup her tear-stained cheeks. His thumbs started soothing the soft skin underneath.

Slowly, he pulled her forward and took her lips.

She shuddered slightly under his sudden touch. He started nibbling on the familiar plumpness and she relaxed. He pressed closer to take in all of her giving and then tore his lips away with a loud smack. Seeing her dreamy expression, eyes half-closed, the familiar wave of pride washed over him.

Cole pushed his hands together, compressing Dove’s soft pale cheeks with her nose, eyes and mouth. He smiled at the squashed face and then chuckled when Dove creased her brows in discomfort, completing the pufferfish look.

“Let go,” she warned in a muffled voice.

He lowered to sip her puckered rosy lips once more and she relaxed again. After another loud hearty smooch, he let go and grinned at her glaring face as she rubbed the sore out of her cheeks.

“That’ll teach you not to break your promise to me,” Cole said.

Suddenly serious, she said, “I’m really sorry.”

He stared into her eyes until an owl hooted in the near forest, breaking him out of the trance. He blinked away and cleared his throat in awkwardness.

Facing the glimmering water, he sat on the cold pebbles once more and Dove's slender arm went around his elbow again as she rested her head on his arm.

The waterfall became loud and clear as they exchanged silence as if to catch up on the times they have missed.

Then, Cole said that he would be leaving the village tomorrow; there might be a battle soon.

Dove sat up with a solemn expression and said, “I’ll be here. I’ll protect the village until you return.”

Cole smiled and patted her cheek.

She returned to snuggle against Cole, this time wearing a more confident smile.

After another brief silence, Cole asked, “So what did you find? In the cave.” He felt her stiffened and coaxed her, “Tell me.”

He wasn’t interested. Her discovery wouldn’t change anything: his parents have died and their beloved deity failed to protect them. But an Alpha needed to keep his nose in everything so he tried to be as patient as possible.

“There was gunpowder all over the place,” she stated.

Cole’s voice came out in a mechanical whisper, “There was an explosion.”

Dove shot up and faced him with a stunned expression. Smiling warmly, he reached out again to her now pink cheeks, let his fingers caress its smooth skin, and continued.

“I couldn’t remember any of it except a bright yellow light. They found me outside the village. The explosion threw me there.”

Cole paused to wipe the tears from Dove's trembling flushed cheeks.

“Was your mother in the cave?” She asked in a thin whisper.

“Yes,’ his voice strained. It was still hard to talk about his parent’s death. Cole cradled his wife’s face in his hands as if it would give him warmth and strength.

“I slept for months, I think. I wasn’t sure. But when I woke up, my parents were gone.”

“What happened to your father?”

“He died in the battle.”

Cole rotated his thumbs to feel the softness of the pale skin and added, “My mother was praying for my father, I think.”

The crashing waters sounded again as Cole paused to steady his breathing. Then he concluded, “Less than a quarter of us survived. We lost everything. We had to start all over. Megan, Jude, Owin and I - we were all raised by the surviving elders.”

Her palms went onto his cheeks and Cole winced from their coldness. He shot a deadpan look at Dove’s grinning face and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Warming my hands,” she mimicked Cole and waved her thumb to caress the tanned skin of his cheeks. He chuckled softly.

She leaned closer. Cole closed his eyes and felt the velvety touch of her lips on his own. He opened his mouth, drew her tongue in and caressed it lovingly until she whimpered and pulled away.

When Cole opened his eyes again, he was holding her face and she was holding his. They exchanged smiles while memorising each other's eye shape and color.

Her gaze turned dark and her electrifying scent exploded around him while his urge to hold her intensified.

In between shallow breaths, Cole quickly said the first thing that flickered in his mind.

"What else did you find?"

Dove blinked once and then twice. She thought for a while, shook her head and whispered, "Let’s stop, Cole. I think we have said enough for today. It's too painful for you."

"No, tell me," he gently urged.

She seemed hesitant but then gave in and told him about the candle fragment.

"And it had silver. We don’t use candles with silver in them when we pray to the Goddess, Cole.”

Cole was still. He wasn’t expecting silver.

“You sure it was silver?” His voice asked.

Dove nodded and explained, “Do you remember the redness on my fingers that day in the kitchen?”

Cole's expression fell grim at the memory.

She smiled sheepishly and then continued, “Yes, it was from the candle. I was holding it in my hands and caught a weird smell coming out of it. Then, my healing slowed down. Only silver can do all that.”

He patted her head and chuckled, "It could be exhaustion. You were nervous about the feast and worried about Megan, you didn't sleep well, remember?"

A pair of confused eyes stared back at him. Cole. They seemed to disagree with his rationale yet they were also unsure.

Suddenly, the same eyes brightened up as Dove grabbed his hand and said enthusiastically, "Let me go to the cave again, Cole! I'll confirm if it was silver."

Cole raised a brow and groaned inwardly. His instant response was no but something inside blocked his voice. He grunted at her pleading eyes and dropped his head in surrender.

"Only after you're done with your duties," he muttered.

As she shrieked with anticipation, a plan quickly formed in Cole’s mind.

He would have to speak to Connie tomorrow before he leaves. Dove must not go to the cave again.