Ouch

I wake up with a splitting headache and a strange metallic taste in my mouth. I groan and open my eyes to see Queen Cara staring down at me with curiosity. When she sees me awake, she beams down at me and says "Nice! It worked! How are you feeling?"

I cough a few times and roll over to croak out "What the hell did you do?" She watches me struggle to my feet as she says "I've given you a little gift but you'll know what it is once you go back to your time."

I hold my head between my hands as I look at her like she's insane. "You could have warned me," I say with another groan. She shakes her finger at me and says "Nope. If I had told you, it wouldn't have worked. I had to do it without you knowing and while you were relaxed."

I glare at her and continue to hold my head. It almost feels like my brains will fall out or something if I don't hold it all together. She gives me a large smile as she says "You should head back and relax for the rest of the day. We'll practice your magic tomorrow."

I have the urge to flip her off again but being that she doesn't understand what it is, it kinda loses its satisfaction. As I drag my beaten and abused body to the door, she suddenly calls out "Oh, Kian is here to walk you back." But as she says it, she giggles.

This time I do turn around and flip her off but instead of giving me a confused look like last time, she flips me off as well!! And with a smile!!! My eye twitches as I turn around and walk out. As soon as Kian sees me, he walks over and asks "Are you okay? You look a little... ill."

I snort out a laugh but it quickly dies when the pain in my head fires off from the movement. I groan and say "I'll be better after resting. It's just a nasty headache." He doesn't look convinced but he doesn't say another word as we walk back to my room.

When we get to my room, instead of him leaving, he tells me to lay down on the couch by the large fireplace. I think about refusing but my curiosity gets the best of me. I walk over to the couch and gently lay down, careful not to shake my head any more than I already have.

The fireplace was probably really nice during the winter... Currently, it wasn't being used because the weather was so nice. When Kian comes back, he has a thin pillow and a soft blanket in hand. Instead of putting the pillow under my head, when I lift my head, he sits down and tells me to place my head on his lap.

When I go to sit up, he grabs my shoulder and lays me back as he says "Stop running away from me. I'm not going to do anything to you, I promise." I let him push me back down and I try my best to relax as he places the blanket over me.

When I look up, our eyes meet. He gives me a small smile as he asks "Can I touch your head?" Now he's asking!? I frown and say "Uh... sure? But why?" His small smile grows a little as he says "Just close your eyes and relax."

I almost get up and tell him to leave but if I had to be completely honest, I liked being around him. He put me at ease without even trying. I close my eyes as he reaches down and starts running his hands through my hair.

Okay... that feels good. He works his fingers up to my scalp and as he starts gently rubbing, he uses a bit of his magic. It was instant relief! I sigh and turn into a puddle as he starts giving me a massage on my scalp.

"Does that help?" He asks in a soft voice making my insides turn. It's unnerving when just his voice alone can affect me like this... I slowly open my eyes to see him looking down at me with content. When we lock eyes with each other I softly say "Yes, a lot. Thank you, Kian."

He gives me a heart-stopping smile as he says "I'm glad. I hate seeing you in pain." My heart skips a beat as I think about my shoulder but I quickly shove the thought away as he says "Your face reminds me of a doll. Absolutely perfect..."

My heart skips another beat as I look back into his silvery-green eyes. 'Dollface' is what he calls me in the future... When he sees the complicated emotions playing in my eyes, he stops rubbing my scalp and starts running his fingers through my long hair as he asks "I always feel like you're holding back or hiding something from me. Do you not trust me?"

I enjoy the feeling of his fingers in my hair as I say "No, I trust you... it's me that I don't trust." His hands pause as he looks down at me with confusion. When I go to get up, he quickly starts working his magical fingers again so I stay put.

I even enjoyed it when he was petting me in my shifter form. He's quiet for a while before saying "I know things are really hard right now and you're in an unfamiliar time but I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

I stare at him with conflicted emotions and before I can catch it, I slip out with "You'd even go through hell and back for me?" He doesn't even hesitate as he says "Yes. Especially if it meant you were safe."

His hands move to my face and jaw as he says "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on and it tears me up inside every day knowing that I'll never get the chance to know you more. I won't ever get to wake up next to you, hear you laugh at me, or hold you when you cry. I won't be able to wipe your tears or come to your rescue. I won't get to hold your hands as we grow older... I won't get to see your breathtaking eyes... "

His face contorts in pain and anger before he quickly looks away to collect himself. My heart fractures into a million pieces when I feel every bit of his raw emotions. I lift a hand to lightly touch his jaw as I say "I can't grant all of those but I can grant you one of them... Why don't you stay with me tonight?"