Chapter 20: The cold shoulder approach

Dominic got off from his car and rushed at us like a mad bull. I thought he was headed straight for Stephanno, because he felt humiliated at being ordered to stay out. But he wrapped his hands around me, hugging me tight. I didn’t hug him back for obvious reasons, one of them being Stephanno, who right now was glaring murderously at him. I tentatively pushed him back and frowned. He looked all messed up, after all he did loose Tristin, Stella….and his entire goddamn sect.

He didn’t however show any reaction as I pushed him away and silently followed us in.
I held my breath as I took in the surroundings. All around the villagers were going about their daily chores, some were just opening their shops, while some kids were playing soccer. They stopped their chores as we approached, looking curiously at us, while bowing their heads to Stephanno. This was such a change of scenery compared to the fire sect, but I still didn’t feel like I belonged here.

I noticed that several men’s eyes were fixated on me. I frowned as I saw that my clothes were still wet and hung to me like a second skin. My cleavage was bulging out. I started shifting uncomfortably, clearly embarrassed by their stares. Dominic took a step in front of me, shielding from their stares, then silently removed his coat and wrapped it around me tightly, buckling the belt. I grinned at him gratefully but he still looked solemn and beaten. Stephanno raised his eyebrows at Dominic’s gesture but didn’t say anything. Stephanno was still walking around half naked. A hiss almost broke out when I saw the women openly ogling him.

Stephanno took us past the training ground where I saw kids attacking each other with ice spears. Ice? Huh, I guess it was a form of water bending. It was so cool to see the kids shoot ice daggers from their hands.

We soon reached the mansion where Stephanno resides. It didn’t have an eerie or solemn appearance as the mansion of the fire sect but it felt calm and peaceful. I let out a sigh, involuntary.
This mansion wasn’t as extravagant as Dominic’s but it was still magnificent. Pretty crystal chandeliers hung on the ceiling. And the castle’s walls were filled with paintings and other art works. Hhmm, seems like Stephanno is into classic art. We were now going up the spiraling white marble stairs and headed towards where the guest rooms are I suppose.
Stephanno stopped in front of a room and nodded to Christopher.
“ You and Justin can stay in this room.”
Justin? Hold on, did they reach yet?
“Where are they?” I asked Peter, who shook his head at me.
It was Stephanno however who answered, “ Give them some time. It’s expected that they will be the last to arrive. Justin not only has to take care of a motionless person he also has to make sure no one follows him in here.”
“The people of the blood sect already saw you battling with us. They will obviously assume that we are going to take refuge in the water sect.”
“Yes, but the entrance to the water sect is hidden……unlike the fire sect, we don’t go on challenging everyone who looks our way. We are a people who leads their own life, and won’t interfere unless it affects our own matters.”
“But they will make it , right?” I asked him hopefully.

Stephanno didn’t reply whereas Dominic quietly placed a hand on my shoulder, comforting me. I let out a sigh, as I leaned into his embrace.
Christopher quietly went inside his room, and we resumed our tour of the mansion. He stopped in front of another room, then turned to us and said, “Dominic, you can stay here”. He immediately took my hand and we both took a step forward to enter the room, but was stopped abruptly by Stephanno.
“Not you Jessica. This is dominic’s room only”
Dominic frowned at him and said icily, “She is my wife, she will stay with me!”
Huh? We have never shared a room, and I wasn’t about to start to. I hastily let go of his hand and took a step back. Dominic raised his eyebrows at my sudden withdrawal.
“Jessica is my student now. She will stay with the other guardians in training in the dorm room. No special treatment just because she is the Mistress of a sect that doesn’t exist anymore.”

I glared at Stephanno. He could have just stopped at Mistress of the Sect, why did he have to rub salt in our wounds by enunciating ‘ of a sect that doesn’t exist anymore’. The pain was still raw. Dominic lost several of his men today and the most important thing to him……his home, his people.
He had to run away like a coward leaving behind his people to fend for themselves. He is never going to live this down. I looked at him guiltily, as just a few days back I was contemplating whether to take this sect away from him. Dominic winced sharply as Stephanno’s words hit him. Guess, Stella was right. These two really hate each other to death, they don’t even have an ounce of humanity towards one another.

I looked at Dominic and realized that it isn’t quite safe to leave him alone by himself now, he was always short tempered but he also tended to go on an edge, as if he was loosing it.

“Before being the Mistress of the fire sect, I am his wife first. The destruction of the fire sect doesn’t change that fact, does it?” I replied.

Stephanno looked at me shocked, as if I had just slapped him. I almost shriveled under the glare he gave me. I wanted Stephanno to accept me and I do feel guilty about living with another man right in front of my mate. But Dominic tends to go a little crazy when he gets upset. Remember the time he dragged me into the study and forcefully claimed me against my own will when he got mad at Stephanno.

Dominic went into the room quietly, clearly exhausted. I looked at Stephanno and immediately felt guilty as I saw vulnerability and pain in his eyes.
“Steph….I…” I started.
“You will address me as Master now, Jessica. Don’t forget that you are my apprentice now.” He replied frostily, then shoved me out of the way as he retreated.

My heart felt the raw anguish as I realized that I had just hurt my mate. I sighed and went inside the room .
“You can take the bed. I will take the sofa” Dominic said as soon as I came .
“I am going to take a walk. I need to clear my head.” He continued.
“The villagers won’t be too thrilled to see a fire bender roaming around in their town.” I replied softly.
“ I will stay out of their way. I need to be alone right now” he replied wistfully then left, closing the door behind him.

I let out a sigh. I need a bath, I was still sticky and wet. I dropped my clothes on the floor and went inside.
I soon started humming, while massaging my head with the conditioner I found in the cabinet. I dropped the moisturizer bottle I found in the cabinet when I heard the door to our room open and close, spilling the cream all over the floor. I quickly wrapped myself in a towel, which was way too short to cover my lady parts, then peeked my head out expecting to see Dominic.

But my eyes met with pitch black eyes instead of baby blue eyes. I immediately shrieked, taken aback, then slipped on the moisturizer on the bathroom floor and fell down hard. I groaned, I am such a clumsy brat.
Stephanno immediately entered the bathroom, hearing my shriek, which of course made me shriek more, panicked.

He knelt down beside me, where I was laying, then tilted his head , looking concerned and asked, “ Are you okay?”
“ Of course, I am not bloody okay. I am laying in a bathroom floor naked.” I snapped at him.

I swore when I found his eyes roaming around my body and gulped hard. I probably shouldn’t have drawn his attention to that part. I saw his eyes darken with desire, while I desperately tried to cover myself with that damn towel.

He coughed and stood up, then cleared his throat and offered his hand. I tentatively took it and he pulled me up, a little too strongly. I slipped again on the moisturizer then fell straight on Stephanno, who lost his grip and fell down hard, with me landing on top of his body.

“ I…uhmm” I stuttered, while my heart was threatening to explode. His arms were wrapped around me, my body pressed against his. I looked at the pitch black eyes I loved and moaned loudly.
“Hhmm” someone cleared his throat.

Wait ? someone else was here? I immediately panicked thinking it was Dominic back from his walk. I let out a sigh of relief when I found that it was just Peter.

Peter was doing a much worse job than Stephanno at hiding his attraction to me. His eyes almost bulged out as they raked in my body. I heard a hiss escape from Stephanno, directed at Peter. But the poor idiot wasn’t paying much attention to the person I am laying on top off. He didn’t stop ogling me at all and Stephanno cracked, losing it. He got up, pulling me up with him, then stood in front of me, his huge body covering me entirely as he fixed Peter with a menacing glare. I almost felt sorry for poor Peter and mouthed to him behind Stephanno's back , “Run!”
He rapidly blinked his eyes, then looked from me to Stephanno bewildered.
“ Sire, she is a married woman. This is immoral”
I sighed. He really should learn to keep his trap shut.

“She is my goddamn mate. So unless you want to spend the rest of your life blind, I suggest you take those eyes of her…NOW” he roared.
I gently nudged Stephanno with my hands and whispered softly, pointing to the cloths in Peter’s hands, “ He was just bringing us fresh cloths and towels.”

Stephanno turned to look at me and I immediately motioned behind Stephanno’s back to Peter to get the fuck off. He caught up quickly and then bolted like a scared rabbit.
“You! How can you…..” he started.
“Steph , what are you doing here?” I asked him, arching my shoulders.
He groaned at my motion then replied dryly, “ I came to tell you that your training starts from tomorrow morning at eight sharp. Also stop calling me Steph”

“Steph…..Steph…Steph” I said, teasing him.
He groaned and then looked at me seriously, “ What if it was Dominic just now instead of me?”
“What about Dominic?” I asked, bewildered.
“What if it was Dominic who walked in on you naked?”

I grinned. He was jealous. Ha !
“I would have felt more comfortable if it was Dominic here. After all, he is my husband….he is allowed to see me naked” I said, slyly.
The pitch black eyes immediately went rogue as he replied, “ No one is allowed to see what’s mine”

He called me his….i wanted to do a chandler styled dance again but didn’t fearing I would slip again.
“Oh I am yours? But you told me there is isn’t anything between us…..that you are just me teacher, right MASTER?” I smirked as I replied sarcastically.

He swore, then threw the cloths Peter had just brought in to my face, then left with a bang.
I dried myself with my towel and put on the cute sky blue dress that Peter had just brought in, all the while grinning to myself. Ha…Stephanno….I had like to see how long you last. Starting from tomorrow , I am not going to make excuses to meet with you or be around you….No…I have enough experience with boys to know what exactly makes them tick. I am the goddamn devil, lets see how long you escape from clutches. Tomorrow onwards, I am going to be a new me…I will be compeletly focused on y training and won’t give an ounce of a thought about Stephanno. Tomorrow its gonna be me who gives him the cold shoulder. I am going to use reverse psychology. I am going to ignore his existence completely and act as if he doesn’t affect me at all......A piece of cake, right?