ALANNA
A smile curves my lips as I make my way towards Zeron's chamber. Yesterday had felt like something out of a daydream but it had really happened. Zeron had allowed me to lull him to sleep. I really hope he doesn't lash out at me today because usually, we move two steps forward and five steps backwards. I should be sick of it all by now but, I know that I have to be more patient. Avoiding him for six days was not really my doing. The queen had insisted that I stayed away from her son because I was bad energy. I raise my fist to knock on the door but is startled by the familiar voice coming from behind me. I quickly turn to face him. "He's not here" Talon says and I frown.
"Where is he then?" I ask and he shrugs. "The garden" he responds and I nod, shooting him a grateful smile. "I never got to thank you for being so brave and freeing me. Thank you" he says and I beam. "You don't need to thank me, Talon. It's fine" I say and he smiles.
"I suppose you know how to locate the garden without getting lost?" "Uh-about that-" I state.
"Come on, I'll take you there" As we both walk down the hallway, maids and guards gives us subtle bows. "Is he in a bad mood?" I ask Talon who snorts. "When is he not in a bad mood? Thankfully, today he's not in a very bad mood"
When we finally get to the garden, Talon pats my shoulder and grins at Zeron who scowls at him.
"I brought you your favorite person" he says to Zeron who is lying on a chaise lounge, wearing a blue shirt, black pants and black boots. His unbraided hair is in a neat ponytail and he looks as gorgeous as ever.
"Leave us" Zeron says and Talon rolls his eyes and walks away.
"Sit" he orders and I lower myself onto an armchair. "How are you feeling?" I ask and he gives me a blank stare. Oops. "Tell me about yourself" he suddenly says and my eyes go wide. Is he really asking me about myself? "Go on, I'm listening" he rasps, his blood red eyes boring into my green ones. "There's really nothing interesting about me, Z. I was born in Detroit. I had an elder brother whose name was Callum"
"Had?"
"Yes, had. He died eighteen years ago in a car accident alongside my parents. I lost my family that night. It tore me apart but grandma was there for me. She taught me to be strong until she died four years ago in her sleep. I graduated from high school at the age of sixteen and I had to take up several jobs in order to be able to get through college. I have a pet, her name's Willow. She's a white dove. I also have a cat, his name's Oscar. I love strawberries. My favourite colour is red and I'm 22 years old" I tell him and he sighs, looking conflicted. "I-"
"It's okay, you don't have to say it" I say and he shakes his head. "I'm sorry about your losses" he says and I give him a sad smile. "Thanks"
"I didn't pin you as the type whose favourite colour is red" he says and I blush. "Well, now you know"
"I know I haven't exactly had the greatest personality, especially with my mood swings. I'm really sorry you have to put up with me" he says and I beam at him. "You don't have to apologise for what you have no control over" I tell him and he lowers his gaze. He suddenly sits up and coughs up blood, spitting the dark liquid to the ground. I rush to his side and he coughs again, this time harder. His face is contorted with pain and the sight makes my heart squeeze."I have to get the healers-" I start to say but he grips my hand, not too tightly though. "There's- no need to. I'm dying, Alanna. I can feel my body being torn apart from the inside. They can't help me" he croaks and tears fill my eyes. "But the blood moon is-"
"In ten days. But, I don't know if I can survive that long. The pain has become unbearable and I have a feeling that my darkness is only going to worsen and soon, your husband will be a lunatic" he rasps, grimacing at himself. "You can't loose hope so easily" I say and his eyes harden. "Hope? I have lost it all" he spits and tears roll down my cheeks. "What about me?" I ask and his expression falters. "You won't have to worry about anything, Alanna. You'll be able to get back to your world and continue living like you used to" he says and my heart sinks when I realize something. I have feelings for him. I have feelings for Zeron and it's growing everyday, despite the circumstances surrounding our marriage. I begin to cry harder and Zeron swallows hard, guilt evident in his eyes. "Stop crying" he says and I shake my head.
"You can't die, Z! You can't! Not when- not when I'm starting to develop feelings for you!" I cry and his eyes go wide, jaw slackening.
"W-what?" He stutters for the first time since I've known him.
"I care about you, Z. How can you not see that?" I ask and his face goes blank. "Whatever you feel for me is nothing but an infatuation. You can't have feelings for a monster" he drones and my eyes widen. "It's not an infatuation, Z-"
"Then, tell me. How did that happen? Was it when I nearly strangled you to death in my chamber? Was it when I yelled at you? Normal people 'don't have feelings' for people like me"
"I told you, I'm not afraid of you! I just want you to understand that. Stop pushing me away!"
He rises to his feet, gazing darkly at me.
"I feel nothing for you" he spits and I freeze. But then, I look into his eyes and I just can tell that he's lying to me. My husband is having a conflict with himself again. He thinks he can protect me from himself. So, I take a deep breath and take hold of his hand. "Let's test that right now, shouldn't we?" I whisper and he frowns, confused. Without warning, I lean forward and our lips meet in a searing kiss. At first, he doesn't respond and I start to get really angry and while this emotion intensifies, it reflects even through the kiss. Eventually, he begins to kiss me back, just as ferociously. Despite the taste of blood in his mouth, he still tastes sweet like a mixture of chocolate and vanilla. A contented moan slips out of my lips and surprisingly, I don't feel embarrassed. This feels so right. His hands settle around my waist with my hands around his neck. I could set a forest aflame at this point because I'm on fire. Who would've known that Zeron would be such a great kisser. But then, I remember why we'd gotten to this point. So, I pull away and storm off, still feeling all hot and bothered. I bet he feels the same.
....
ZERON
What the hell was that? Why did she have to do that? She's going to be the death of me. I pace back and forth in my chamber, unable to calm down. She practically left me aching for more. If I'm a demon, she's a she-devil. How did I let things escalate to this point? I rake my fingers through my unbound hair roughly. A groan slips out of my lips when I recall how she'd moaned during our intense make out session. I want her; it's the bloody truth. I have feelings for her and it all started on the day of our wedding when we'd had a brief conversation with each other. I've been trying to fight this feeling but she keeps doing things that would make it harder to fight. I have no idea what she's doing to me. I'm not supposed to be able to feel anything for her, yet here I am. She's quickly breaking down the walls I've built around myself but I'm still afraid. I don't want to hurt her. I could kill her without wanting to. That's just how messed up this is. I growl when I notice the bulge in my crotch area. Yup, thank you very much, Alanna. The door opens without warning and I groan. Why is everyone catching me off guard today? Talon walks in and his eyes goes wide, a smirk curving his lips."Now that's some impressive bulge you've got there. Are you planning to impale your wife? I doubt that she's going to survive it" he says and I scowl at him."Shut up" I hiss and drop down onto a chair with a scowl lingering on my face."What's wrong? You can talk to me, you know?" Talon says and I sigh."This is about Alanna, isn't it?" He asks and I rub my temples, deeply perturbed. "I'm not supposed to feel anything for her. I'm going to hurt her" I say and he moves closer to me. "Are you really that monstrous?" He asks and I narrow my eyes at him."The answer is yes. But, I also know that you would never hurt her if you were in your right mind. She knows that too. But, she still wants you. Give her a chance, brother. She might be your salvation after all"
"I don't know-"
"Fine, let's do this the only way Zeron the demon would understand" he says and I narrow my eyes. "Zeron, do you find your wife hot and sexy?" He asks and I don't say anything. "You don't? Well, I do. I really want her so bad and since you don't want her, I can't wait to kiss her" he says and I growl at him, my eyes burning a fiery red.
"Yes, I also can't wait to....um... what do the humans call it? Fuck her" In a flash, I appear in front of him and drive him to the wall with my hands wrapped around his throat. "See? Do you get the hint now?" He chokes out and I growl.
"She's mine. Only mine"
"That's right. Now stop being a wuss" he breathes. I release my hold on him and take a deep breath. I really do have feelings for Alanna.