Peaceful

Thyra:

“Sorry for being an inconvenience to you.” Holding firmly to his shirt as he climbed the black and gold carpeted staircase, turning right down a long hallway of doors and windows overlooking a massive arena surrounded by dense swamp oaks.

“Pleasure is all mine Thyra. Don’t ever think of yourself as an inconvenience, regardless of your size or past. I’m happy you found us, especially me.” Sniffling softly at his sincere smile, noticing the large mahogany door carved with a beautiful wolf and bear staring up into a stary sky as he unlocked the deadbolt, swinging open the heavy door into a blanket of shadows.

“This floor houses the unmated warriors, mostly the males, a few females who are on the opposite wing, but this is my mine.” He closed the door, draping us in darkness as he stepped further into the darkened room.

“Lights on.” He commanded smoothly as the room came to life with the recessed lighting, highlighting the walls painted in a beautiful grayish-green with crisp white trim and gorgeous hickory flooring.

The room was warm and spacious with each area decorated in accordance with usage, but the classic movie posters framed in sleek glass sparked my curiosity as he walked past the neatly made king-sized bed on a light gray upholstered frame with drawers. Down the short hallway with two massive walk-in closets, one side empty but the other neatly arranged with the same hickory wood as the flooring.

Noticing the signed artworks of Marvin the Martian, Scooby-doo, and Roger Rabbit hanging along the wall as he entered into the massive bathroom overlooking the swampy forest.

“You have a unique taste in artwork.” Laughing softly as he placed me down on the double-sink vanity with undermounted sinks and black faucets, scanning the large room with gray-washed tile flooring flowing into the massive glass enclosed shower. A large clawfoot tub positioned perfectly in the corner, looking out two massive floor-to-ceiling windows flowing seamlessly into the glass tiled wall of the shower.

“Well, I’m a unique individual, but I always liked the classics.” His warm smile only adding to the warmth of the room as he pressed the drain stopper down, filling the sink with warm water and lavender bath oil, motioning for me to enter.

“For me?” Pointing to the half-filled sink with a twitching nose, smelling the soothing aroma of lavender as he placed a hand towel along the edge.

“Yes, for you. How long has it been since you actually took a bath and relaxed Thyra? From what I understand, it’s been a while and you deserve a little R and R. We might be big and scary, but we’re also human, well, almost.” He poked my dingy white underbelly, hissing back at him playfully. Dipping my toes into the warm water, feeling the relaxing embrace as I slowly slid into the refreshing liquid.

“Better?” He chuckled at my sighing exhale, rubbing the warm liquid over my head with my paws as he filled the other sink with hot water, pulling out his shaving kit from the cabinet. Halting my paws as he pulled his shirt off, exposing his rippling ab muscles as they flexed and contorted along his rib cage, noticing a few scars against his dark tanned flesh.

“You like the view?” His smoldering smile turning me to jelly as he lathered up his chin and neck, gulping back the lump stuck in my throat as he ran the razor smoothly over his Adam’s apple, flicking it clean in the steaming water before repeating.

“Actually, yes, it’s very refreshing.” Resuming my cleaning, massaging the water into my belly as the clear liquid began to turn murky and dingy with dirt. Side glancing his light laughter as he watched me from the mirror.

“So, if my calculations are correct, you are thirty-nine, right?” His velvety voice had me seeing stars as he finished shaving along that sharp jawline, rinsing his razor off before splashing fresh water over his clean-shaven face.

“A lady never tells her actual age, but yes, you are correct in your calculations. My birthday is actually in a few weeks, Thanksgiving. I’ll be a solid forty, stuck in this tiny body for yet another year.” Slowing my wet paws as my beady black eyes stared back at my furry body, twitching whiskers and scrunched pink nose as tiny tears dripped down my cheeks.

“Oh, Thyra. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” He stopped towel drying his face, scooping me up in his palms as water splashed and dripped all over the counter.

“No, no. It’s my reality I accepted a long time ago. It just spooks me from time-to-time knowing I’ll die like this, never seeing my human form again.” Giggling sadly as he towel dried my fur, wiping away the tears that stuck to my whiskers.

“Don’t say that. JR and Max know some really powerful Witches that can help, you just need to have faith in them. Okay?” Smiling at his bright smile as he sat me down on the warming rack, nuzzling down into the warm towel as he kicked off his shoes adjusting the shower water.

“W-what are you doing?” Squeaking out in shock as he slowly unbuckled his belt, halting his hands just above the button and zipper of his slacks as his dazzling greens looked at me in amusement.

“Taking a shower. You can turn around, you know.” Scrunching up my nose at his chuckling smile as he went back to undressing, watching as his muscular fingers unbuttoned and zipped away the black material. Hiding my embarrassment in the plush cream towel, hearing the soft thud of material as the water splattered against his taut muscles.

Why am I embarrassed? I have seen naked men and women, but something about this man makes me feel like I swallowed butterflies by the dozens.

Peeking over the towel as the steam rolled and licked along his muscular physique. Licking my parched lips, wishing I could touch those tight glutes dripping with steamy droplets, catching his smirking gaze as he turned his head enough to peer over his shoulder.

“Naughty, naughty.” He chuckled loudly, grabbing his shampoo with an amused expression.

“I am not! I’m just…cozy.” Nuzzling further into the warm towel as he washed every inch of his glistening body. Swearing to the Gods, he was purposefully flexing and turning his body, so that I could die of a heart attack with how fast my heart hammered beneath my tiny rib cage.

“S-so, how old are you?” Squeaking out the words, silently face palming myself as he rinsed the shampoo from his short dark blonde locks.

“Forty. I was still an infant, when they removed me from my mother’s care, placing me in a children’s home until I was about ten, then I was shipped overseas. I was rogue for about three years before JR’s mother, Celia, found me wounded outside of their northern border. She was pregnant with him at the time, so she took me under her wing and raised me along with JR and Eli until her passing.” Failing at holding back the tears as he turned off the shower, wrapping himself in a towel before exiting, feeling slightly robbed but Lordy, Lordy, what a man.

What am I saying? Get it together woman.

“She sounds like a lovely lady.” Jumping into his steamy palm as he quickly wiped down the sink, tossing the dirty towel in the laundry before exiting the bathroom, grabbing a pair of sweats in passing as he turned on the TV, recognizing one of my favorite movies with Bob Hope in “Casanova’s Big Night”.

“Yeah. She had a heart of gold and fiery temper but loved her boys with every fiber in her body. I never felt out of place, but her husband, Alpha Ben, he was a whole other level of Scumbag. He had no issue with her taking me in, but he did have an issue with me.” Chuckling darkly as he placed me down on the plushy black bedspread, dropping his towel without thought as I stared back at his manly goodness.

“w-What issue?” choking on my tongue as he pulled up his sweats, snapping the waist band before grabbing a bottled water from the mini fridge and a small water bowl from the side hutch next to the door.

“That I knew about his cheating, but Celia already knew. You know, the whole stabbing pain in the heart and twisted knots in the stomach whenever a mate touches another. That woman never showed her pain, so to my surprise right after I started training to become a warrior, I caught him with one of the housekeepers in the equipment shed.” Understanding the pain of a cheating mate, feeling like my heart was being squeezed in a vise while my insides were yanked and knotted in all direction. Yep, I know that feeling all too well.

“Seriously, regardless if the mate bond is by blessing or arranged, it should still be cherished between both parties. My father may have been a lost cause, but my mother cherished the mate bond and raised me the same. He never cheated on her, but the manner in which he treated her was disgusting and disrespectful.” Scurrying across the soft pillows as he poured some fresh water into the bowl on the nightstand, pulling back the covers with his other hand as the coolness coated my trembling throat.

“Agreed. Celia was a passionate woman, and the one thing she beat into our thick skulls was to always cherish our mate. She knew we would struggle with staying pure for our mate, but she made sure to teach us that the Goddess, regardless of who you were, had a special someone out there that would complete your soul.” The way he spoke of her filled my heart with warmth and sadness, because that’s all I ever wanted for my sons and Myles took that away from me.

“Did you ever find your mate?” Asking nervously as he leaned back against the headboard, scurrying up his outstretched palm along his arm to his shoulder and pillow.

“I did, about thirty-years-ago before I was shipped away. She had the most gorgeous gray-ambered eyes that sparkled under the morning sunrise, her long wavy auburn locks swaying against the cold oceanic breeze. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes on, and it was gone in a blink of an eye.” Looking up at his relaxed face as he spoke about his mate, his head resting against the headboard with an arm draped lazily behind, while his other rested along his calm breathing chest.

“It must have been difficult growing up, wondering where she might have been, or if she was…” stopping my train of thought before I ruined this peaceful conversation between two adults.

“If she was alive. Yeah, that thought crossed my mind often, but I knew better then to think like that, because it would only make me hurt more knowing she was gone, and I was still walking this Earth. Those three years before Celia found me, were my darkest. I was reckless, rushing into dangerous situations without thinking and it almost killed me, but Celia was my saving Grace. An angel amongst monsters.” Curling into his warmth as his arm cradled me against his side.

“You know, you’re the first actual adult conversation I’ve had in a long time, besides Elicia, which by the way is a lovely girl. She managed to see the light in her darkest time, and it made me realize that no matter what, I would always fight to survive and find happiness.” Yawning out with his beastly yawn as he shifted down into a more relaxed position.

“Your welcome little lady. I’m looking forward to more conversations with you and meeting the Watchmen’s little mate. I’ve heard a lot about Elicia from Mei, JR, and Max, even the little ones seemed enchanted with her.” Laughing softly with him as we slowly fell into a relaxing sleep, enjoying his scent of Norway spruce and cranberries.

Peaceful.