Everything was dark, and it looked like she was the only one who was wide awake. Her dad told her not to be afraid of the dark, it was her companion. When everything was uncertain, all she needed was to be calm and always believe in her own capability.
She slowly crept down the stairs, she avoided the creaky steps. Everyone in her family had super sharp hearing so the best way to outsmart them was to memorize the source of the sound. She reached the landing without any mishap and did a happy dance. But something was wrong.
Everything was too quiet.
Like everything had suddenly stopped breathing. There were no nocturnal insects, and the foxes that were usually noisy were also absent. Even the trees! She could usually hear the rustling of the leaves this time of the night, but now, there were none.
Her foot landed on something sticky when she reached her dad's office. It was too dark to see what she stepped on, but it felt yucky. She was at the doorway when the moon stopped hiding behind the clouds.
A scream escaped her twelve-year-old mouth. The foxes suddenly started yipping, and the wolves and big cats around their home also began to make noises. It was as if they were waiting for her to see what happened inside the office.
NO! It can't be! She thought. She must have stepped on something when she was walking backward because she landed with a splat on the sticky floor. The moon was still out in the open and she released another ear-piercing scream when she saw her hands.
Blood.
"DAAAADDD! DADDD!!! DAADDD- "
〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜
"Baby, wake up!"
Her hand grabbed Pyr's throat and it tightened, cutting the flow of oxygen in his body. Scales appeared to protect his windpipe from being crushed, and he also grabbed the hand that held him. It was a standoff between two beings. One was half asleep, while the other was fully awake.
Her mind was fuzzy from her dream and her body reacted to Pyr suddenly waking her. Little by little her consciousness returned and she felt something rough rubbing her wrist. A soft rubble filled the room. She blinked several times, clearing the cobwebs in her mind. When she came to be, her eyes widened.
Golden scales surrounded Pyr's throat. They were shimmering and at the same time, it looked like they were moving as well. It was even warm to the touch. When she started to unclench her hand, it slowly receded. She looked at the male before her.
His bicolor eyes glowed in the dimly lit room. He was too close to her, and she could see the stubble of beard covering his jaw.
Pyr was a male she was not expecting. He was huge and there was this rawness about him that made her want to lean on his wide shoulders. At the same time, she wanted to see how far she could push his buttons.
When they were talking in the hallway earlier that day, she could not help but feel tiny. Her head could only reach his chest and he could actually cover her whole body with his. To think she was on the plus size too. His dark brown hair looked soft, that she had to stop herself from actually touching the damn thing. What made it more appealing was the way it shone when sunlight hits it. His stupid hair shone like each strand was covered in gold.
She suddenly became irritated with herself. The way her body reacted when he was near was confusing her. A small part of her wanted to rub and mark this male, while the other wanted to throw him into the nearest building to see if he could survive.
"Whatever you are thinking inside that lovely head of yours please stop," he said. He should be laughing at her, yet there was weariness in his voice that made her wonder why. "You need a queue number to toss me somewhere. There is a long list of people that wanted to see me floating in some body of water."
"How did you know?" she asked.
"I have seen the look in your eyes more often than not," he replied with a sigh. His thumb was still stroking her wrist. She should tell him to let her go. But the lingering effects of the dark memory her mind had shown her were still fresh, and he was the only being she could cling to.
"I'm okay now…"
"Are you?" he countered.
She was silent for a while before she answered the question. "No, I'm not okay. But I have to be. I cannot show Kayla that there is something wrong with me. Her mother just died, Pyr. In her eyes, I'm her new mother."
They heard a whimper from the child sleeping beside her. A faint, "Mama…" followed by tears broke her heart.
She felt her wrists being let go and watched as he tenderly cradled the child in his arms. His actions solidify her belief that he was not a bad person. She was about to check on Kayla's brother but Pyr held her again.
"You don't have to sleep on the couch…"
"I need to check on the baby," she saw him nod and let her do as she pleased. It was a good thing that the baby was in the room with them.
To anyone who will look inside, they looked like a normal family. Yet, the kids who were sleeping soundly were not theirs.
The little guy looked peaceful, unaware of the turmoil that was happening around him. His sister, on the other hand, had witnessed things that a child her age should not be seen yet. If what she dreamt of was a part of her life, she would not wish for that to happen to these two kids.
She kissed his forehead, when she looked at Pyr again, her body began to respond to the way he looked at her. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I won't be drowning you, Pyr. I would be gouging your eyes out, so you can stop looking at me like I'm your next dinner."
He let out a soft chuckle full of happiness. "For someone who lost her memory, you are full of courage, woman." The heat in his eyes dimmed a little, though when she stole a glance at his lower body he was still aroused. "You should probably stop checking on my body though."
"I'm sure that you are used to women looking at you," she replied. A sharp stab of jealousy ran through her. She hardly even knew the man, yet the thought of another woman looking at him, made her want to draw blood.
"Oh, they have. But no one got me this hard when they threatened to gouge my eyes out. You can shed that claw of yours, little cat." He sounded so smug. She flicked his nose in annoyance when she reached his side. "Hey!"
"Be thankful that you are holding Kayla, I would have pushed you off the bed." Pyr may be bigger than her, but it doesn't mean that she will be bullied by him.
"Do that and I will be making that ass of yours red by my hand," he grinned at her as he grabbed her once more. "Don't worry though, both of us will benefit from that spanking." He then licked and kissed the palm of her hand. He made sure that Kayla was sleeping soundly, before tucking the cover against the small child.
He waited for her to climb the bed and sat on the floor near her side. Pyr must have sensed that she was still not okay. Not after that nightmare.
Her hand landed on top of his head. She felt him stiffen, anticipating that she would be pulling his hair any second. He let out a sigh of contentment when she played with it languidly. A couple of minutes passed before she asked, "Tell me about you and the kids' father."
And so he did.