15. So, am I?

Ally stood with her mouth, opening, and closing, unable to find any words. She reminded a fish- confused one at that. Michael watched her reaction in amusement. Even back in the days, Ally always managed to find the right words to spat, but this time she was as silent as never.

"Um, I mean... That is..." She tried to form a sentence, but nothing, other than a confused blabbering, didn't leave her parted lips. To make the whole situation worse, Deimos faced Ally in all his glory- shirtless. It took all willpower she had to avoid drooling over his muscular body. That man was a view to see- almost too good to be true.

"So, am I?" Deimos smirked, shamelessly eyeing Ally. He was more than just enjoying himself, seeing her in a swimsuit. For some reason, he did not like the shirtless male next to her. While his eyes enjoyed the half-naked Princess, at the same time, they sent daggers at the male.

"What I intended to say was- Michael, meet Deimos, the man who owns this land, lake and the forest including. Deimos, meet Michael, a close friend of mine," Ally switched her weight from leg to leg. She watched how both men stared at each other as if throwing a challenge. She didn't want to end up between two men who looked more than ready to jump at each other's throats. She might fight one and win, but two might be a challenge.

"Nice to meet you, Michael," Deimos started first, showing off the most fake smile Ally had ever seen. He clearly wasn't happy to meet Mich, whatever the reason for that was.

Michael just nodded his head, sliding hands into pockets. He seemed rather unbothered by the presence of another male. His eyes landed on Ally, and the bright smile appeared again. The Princess gladly returned the gesture and stepped closer to him.
"I guess we could swim another night; I don't want to bother Deimos. This place belongs to him, after all." Ally whispered, throwing a side-glance at the smirking male.

Deimos crossed arms in front of his chest and cleared his throat before speaking up: "You know, I can hear you from here. And for your information- I don't feel bothered, at least by you. Feel free to swim; I'll join you guys."

"Two is perfect; three is a crowd. I think we should go," Michael answered before Ally could open her mouth. She couldn't understand why men had this habit of talking for her. The Princess was her own person, able to make decisions for herself.

"I don't think so. The more, the merrier; besides, Ally wanted to swim enough to come down here. It would be such a shame if she went back home without getting what she came for. If you're intimidated by my presence, just say so, there's no need to hide behind stupid excuses," Deimos kept pushing the male's buttons. And he did enjoy it more than anything.

"Alright guys, can you calm the fuck down? I came here to swim not to meet tons of men. You do whatever you want to do. For as much as I care- you two can fight and wash up the blood after I'm done with my swim. Now, excuse me while I'll enjoy myself. Fucking kids." Ally snarled and walked into the water, ignoring both men growling and snarling. She let the water take away everything that felt to be too much. Her tense body finally relaxed, rushing thoughts slowed down, and she could breathe much more relaxed.

Ally didn't hear the men arguing behind her back, nor did she care. All that mattered was her body, soul, and water. She let the relaxing sensations overtake her until everything was gone. No more ex, which pops up out of nowhere, no more forced marriage or men which confuse the living Hell out of her. It was just her and the lake.
Enjoying the pure bliss, she didn't notice how one of them approached her. Strong arms wrapped around her body, pulling her into a rock-hard chest. She knew that it wasn't Michael- he was too gentle to act in such a primal way. The man who held her was Deimos. It couldn't be anyone else.

"Where's Michael?" Ally blurted out the first thought which popped in her mind. Her body leaned into his without Princess noticing how casual their closeness felt.

"He left. Something urgent came up, he asked to warn you. I decided that I might, as well, join you here since you look so damn ravishing. Can't let a lady swim alone, what if you end up in danger because of me, right?" He whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

Both of them stood in silence, wondering why both felt such longing after each other. Ally's body and mind never refused his touch, and her heart raced for the little time he had been around her. Deimos, on the other hand, couldn't stay away from her. The thought of her using a chance and taking a swim in the lake didn't leave his mind. As much as he tried to sleep it off or forget- he couldn't. He had to get there and check if Ally was around.
Seeing her with another male made him see everything in red. He wanted to rip his hands out of his torso for touching the Princess. It took all will power the male had to stay away. He did enjoy the show, though, finding out more about her past without her noticing it was rather interesting. He smiled when the thought of Ally rejecting her ex popped in his mind. The smile was quickly replaced by a frown when he remembered her reasoning for the rejection. She is about to get married in two years- after that, he wouldn't see the Princess anymore. It was now or never that Deimos would do anything to stay around her, even if just as a friend.

"Do you really have to get married? Is there any way you could get out of that bullshit?"Deimos broke the silence, startling Ally. He tightened his hold around her in an attempt to show that he was still there, protecting her if needed. She relaxed and leaned her head against his chest once again.

"How do you know about that?" Ally whispered, letting out a deep breath. Of course, sooner or later, everyone would know, but she wanted it to happen later. She wanted to be just the girl who moved and changed school. Ally didn't want to be addressed as the Princess or that girl who's getting married as soon as she graduates. The thought itself scared her, no matter how unaffected she appeared to be.

"People talk." Deimos shrugged his shoulders, hiding the way he found it all out. Ally wouldn't talk to him ever again if she found out that he's been there for the whole time. If it weren't for the Michael guy, Deimos would have approached her as soon as her feet touched the water.

"I do, you probably know why then. Things happen; even the Royals have to live by certain laws. There isn't much I can do other than accepting my fate as it is," Ally closed her eyes, doing her best to forget her father's proud facial expression when he announced the engagement. She couldn't betray him like that; she couldn't turn her back to her loved ones.

"I know the feeling, though. Trust me or not- I do," Deimos sounded sincere, same as Ally lost in his thoughts.

"What do you mean by that?" She raised an eyebrow, turning her body around to face Deimos. Ally knew that letting him hold her was the worst thing to do. She gave him false hope, make him believe that there might be something between them.

"I mean that I'm in the same situation but under different terms. So is your friend Arex and one of my distant relatives. Around here, it's pretty common for parents to chose your life partner. I was supposed to get married a year ago, but she decided to postpone the wedding to enjoy her life as a free woman. I have no idea where that woman is, and is she even coming back here. In all honesty, I don't really care. I've found someone I'm extremely interested in, but she's getting married the same as I will sooner or later. Life sucks, doesn't it?" Deimos chuckled, trying to find anything amusing in the situation. Just when he finally came in terms with his future came Ally. Like a storm, unexpected, taking his breath away since the moment he saw her.

"Wow, I had no idea. Listen, we're too close right now. Let's keep some distance. You're engaged, so am I, this isn't nearly as friendly position as you might think. We can be friends, right?" Ally tried to wiggle out of his hold, but the male only tightened it. He looked down at her with the most mischievous smirk she had ever seen. There was something about him, something utterly irresistible about his behavior and the way he looked at Ally.

"What if I don't want to keep the distance as much as you do? What if I don't want to keep it at all? Truthfully, the only thing which keeps me away from kissing you right now is your age. I know that you're sixteen, and I'd do that in a heartbeat if you'd be eighteen. That's really the only thing which is holding me back. And trust me, you have no idea how much I want to do that. So fucking bad. But even though Lycanthropes usually mate around your age, I still can't." Deimos pulled her in, her chest tightly pressed against his torso. He tried his best to void looking down, one glance of her breasts pressed against his body would send him into overdrive. He didn't want to do anything that might have consequences bigger than both of them could take.

Ally stared into his eyes; she bit onto her lower lip, the same as Deimos trying to resist the temptation. His lips looked like they were made for kissing- the type of lips which she would kiss forever. If only he would taste better than he sounds, both of them would go down. She couldn't take the risk- as much as she wanted, she couldn't.

"Oh my God, don't do this to me, please!" Deimos growled, his eyes darting between hers and her lips.

"Do what? I'm not doing anything. Actually, I'm trying to get out of your hold so we wouldn't do anything stupid. Both of us are half-naked, hidden in the woods. This scenario doesn't sound as innocent as it should be. Seriously, let go of me." Ally regained her senses, finally acting like a somewhat responsible young adult.

"I will let go of you if you answer my question. It's been a while, and you still kept avoiding it. So, what's the answer?" He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. Ally understood that the mysterious question was more as an excuse for him to hold her longer. She tried to remember what the question was, but none crossed her mind. Did he really ask her anything? She wasn't the forgetful type of person.

"What question, Deimos? I honestly don't remember that you asked anything. What did I miss?" She broke their eye contact, looking back at the shore. Ally would rather go back, wrap herself into the towel, and speak on their way home.

"Oh, but Princess- technically, I didn't ask for it. I was the one who joined it, eager to find out your thoughts. That ex of yours asked a little something about me as you two spoke. Rings any bell now?" Of course, he had to bring that up. Ally's cheeks burned bright red; she couldn't avoid the answer even if she wanted to. Telling him the truth would be her way out- she wasn't a good liar. Never was.

"You mean the question which was asked as to are you or are not hot? It's pretty childish; you're better than that." The Princess still tried her best to avoid it. Maybe bringing up his behavior might get her out of talking any more. She knew that the more pressure would be put on her- the faster she'd break.

"So, am I?" Deimos chuckled, enjoying her flushed appearance. The same girl who got into the fight, the same smart mouth was ashamed because of an innocent question.

"You are, now let go of me, I need to go home," Ally rushed to break free of his hold. Her honest answer most likely was her downfall.

Deimos didn't let go of her. He growled out a low: "Fuck it!" grabbed her chin and lifted it for her to face him. Before Ally could react, his lips were pressed against hers. The hold around her waist weakened, she threw her hands around his shoulders and pulled him closer. They kissed as if there was no tomorrow. As if there was no hope for both of them, and Deimos enjoyed every second of it. If nothing more- at least he got to kiss her before losing the Princess once and for all.