40 In a new light

A bright, golden light flickered against Shelly's closed eyes. Before her eyes or brain had a chance to adjust to her surroundings, panic had already begun to seize her chest. Her breathing came in sharp rapid pants. She struggled up onto all fours and quickly scooted across the bed and into the padded headboard of the king-sized mattress. Just as her eyes began to adjust a dark shadow came rushing forward, blocking out the golden rays. Shelly tried to escape the shadow as hands shot out toward her. She cried out and fought against the strong hands that now clung tightly to her upper arms.

"Shelly! Shelly! Stop! Open your eyes, look at me!" Rin yelled, worry heavy in his voice as he struggled against the wild, frightened woman in his bed. "Shelly, please it's me... It's Rin!" Rin let out a heavy sigh as Shelly's body finally began to relax.

Shelly pressed her hands against the chest in front of her running her hands over his chest to verify it was not the same one that had woke her up with torture for the past several weeks. She allowed her eyes to focus on the face of the shadowed figure before her. "Rin?" Her memories of the day before came flooding back as tears started to pour down her cheeks. "Rin!" she cried out as she flung herself against him. She buried her face into his bare chest breathing in heavily. "It wasn't a dream; you really did save me!" her voice came out muffled as she pushed harder into him.

He could feel the wetness of her tears trickle from her cheeks onto his chest. He gently pushed her away from him and held her at arm's length before he replied. "Shell, I didn't save you. You saved yourself, you got free on your own. You are the bravest, most capable girl I know." He released his grip from one of her arms and wiped away the trail of tears with the free hand. "Never forget that."

Shelly's eyes filled with fresh tears of joy as she gazed up into his caring, tender eyes. She caught him off guard and off balance as she launched herself at him once again.

He landed hard against the mattress with her tiny arms still wrapped tightly around him. He arched his back to take the pressure off them. "Um... Shell?... I... Um, your arms aren't...um hurt... are they?" He glanced out over his chest but could only see the top of her head as she pressed into his body tightly. Her tiny head popped up at his question, but she didn't untangle her arms from around him. She simply shook her head 'no' in confusion. "Oh... Um... Ok then..." Rin replied he nervously patted her back as she settled back against him.

Shelly's muffled words still held a fearful edge. "Oh Rin, I was so afraid when I woke up this morning that it was all a dream and I would find myself in that horrible cage again..." Her words broke and she began to sob into his chest.

He glanced down at her trembling body on top of his, {Jeez, a cage?! What in the world has this poor girl been through in the last few weeks?!} As his mind processed all that he had seen and heard from her since he met her on the beach last night, his hands that had been nervously patting her back began to slide back and forth in long comforting strokes as she continued to cry. When she seemed to lose steam, he held her tight and carefully sat them both up. He held her tight and placed a light kiss to the top of her head. "shuuu... It's ok... It's over now." He cooed against her hair. He loosened his grip, "Come on how about I go run you some water and after you get cleaned up, we'll go grab some breakfast and I'll give you a tour of the palace... What do you say?" Timid eyes met his, as she pushed herself away from his chest and gazed up at him.

Shelly smiled sweetly up at him, "Thank you, that would be great."

He pushed her back and began to stand, "Alright then, give me just a second." He walked through some curtains and soon she could hear water begin to run. He poked his head out from the curtains and called to her, "Okay Shell, it's ready, come on." He watched as she carefully made her way off the bed and toward him. {No doubt her body must hurt from all the cuts and bruises.} Once she was in the room with him, he began walking around the room telling her where things were as he went. "And here is a towel and robe you can use. I'll go see if mom has anything you can borrow to wear for now."

His words were lost to her as she took in the splendors that were this bathroom. Her eyes automatically moved from the golden flakes of the polished marble floors to the exquisite crystal chandeliers littering the ceilings. Intricately chiseled columns surrounded the base of a raised platform in the center of the room. There was a huge tub dead center the platform, large enough to comfortably set six people. The tub was being filled from a waterfall like spout from the ceiling, cascading down into thick fragrant bubbles. One word caught her attention however, Shelly turned shocked eyes toward him. "Your... Your mom?"

Rin ran his hand through his hair nervously, "Yes, my mom... I'm sure she's around the palace somewhere. You can meet her as soon as you're ready to leave these rooms." Rin leaned against the column, robe in hand and held her gaze for a minute. He watched as different emotions fought for prevalence across her beautiful, bruised, and dirty face. He rested his head against the cool stone of the column and sighed, "Shell, don't worry, you're safe here. I promise..." He stepped out from behind the column and walked over toward her. Once he was in front of her he carefully raised the robe and placed it around her shoulders. He tugged the edges he was still holding and pulled her against him. He wrapped his arms around her trembling body and held tightly. "You are safe now, I'll protect you..." He whispered against her hair.

Shelly sniffled, overtaken by the emotions his words invoked, "Rin..." She said his name with more joy and happiness than she had felt in an incredibly long time.

"I know... I know..." He placed another light kiss on top her head then released the robe. "Now go get yourself cleaned up. I'll be back in a little while with you some clothes." He smiled down at her sad face before turning away and walking out of the room without looking back. He moved quickly through the main bedroom and out into the front corridors.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he let his body crash against the wall. {Never in a million years would I have ever imagined seeing one of the strongest, most carefree people I know in such a state.} Rin let out a long sigh. {I don't know which is more frightening... the thought of what sent her running or what it will mean to have her by my side... If she knew a fraction of the things that were going through my mind last night... and earlier...} Rin let out an aggravated huff. {She would hate me... What a shame too, I've hidden my feelings so well up until now...} Rin let out an irritated huff as he pushed himself up from the wall.

"Rin? Oh dear, I thought I sensed you come in last night and with a young lady also?!" His mother walked quickly down the corridor to catch up to where he stood. "Oh son, it is so great to see you. It has been so long!" She cupped his cheek as she gazed up at her beloved son.

Rin sent her a bittersweet smile before turning out of her reach. "Yes well... I didn't come here to visit." He turned worried eyes toward the closed large door of the bedroom. "The girl with me... She's in some kind of trouble. I think it involves one of the DeMarco brothers."

His mother squished her brows together, "What do you mean?"

Rin sighed before looking back at his mother, "She needs something to wear, I'll explain what I know on our way to the laundry." He began walking down the corridor without checking to see if his mother was following. When he was far enough away from the room that he was sure Shelly would not be able to hear what he had to say he began his explanation. "So, she wasn't too pleased to find out her brother, my friend Russell, began having a... relationship... with one of their guardians, Jos..."

"Oh my! Russell Boosilis?" His mother interrupted. Her excitement built as she put the rest of the pieces together. She was nearly jumping up and down with joy as she guessed. "He has mated with Joslyn?! How amazing!!! They will make a very powerful couple indeed!"

Rin let out an irritated sigh, his mother loved gossip. "Yes mother, anyways as I was saying, she was aggravated and ended up staying with Dante DeMarco. Russ..."

"OH NO! Not Dante!" His mother covered her mouth in shock.

Rin rolled his eyes, "Yes mother, now please let me finish." He cleared his throat. "Russ, Jos, and Raven were under the impression she was just pissed off and acting out and part of that was moving in with her 'new boyfriend', but when several weeks passed without any of them actually seeing or talking to her Russ asked if I would try getting in contact with her."

"But why you?" His mom asked, her shock replaced by eager curiosity. When Rin shot her an irritated glance she quickly apologized, "Sorry, keep going, son."

Rin's gaze switched from irritation to a distracted aw. "Russ asked me because I've known them since I first moved to the United States... And he knows I... care... for her..." His cheeks took on a slight pink tent as he struggled to oversimplify his feeling for the young werewolf.

Rin's mother clamped down on his arm, pulling him to a complete stop. "Oh, Rin! You care for the girl?! How great!" She pulled him into a tight hug and squeezed tightly.

Rin began coughing as he pushed against his mom's grip, "Mom stop! Let go!" His face flamed with embarrassment. {Yep, I will definitely die of embarrassment before the day is over!} "Of course I care for her, she's my best friends sister after all... They were the first friends I made when I moved to the U.S." He let out an impatient huff, "Now would you like to hear the rest of what's going on or not?"

"Oh yes, sorry... It's just been so long since I've seen you and now all the excitement... I bet she's a beauty!" Rin's mom was nearly clapping with joy.

Rin's blush deepened, "Yes, she is very… pretty..." He shook his head, trying to dislodge the images of Shelly. "Anyways... Russ thought she was with a 'boyfriend' and asked me to contact her, a few hours after I texted her, she called me in a panic asking if I would meet her. When I showed up, she was dirty, covered in cuts and bruises and dried blood... You could tell she had been abused." He let out a long sigh. "I don't believe he was her boyfriend in any sense of the word. I believe she was more of a prisoner and his meals..." Rin ran his hands through his hair as he continued walking through the corridors.

His mom sent him a questioning glance as she tried her best to keep pace with him, "What makes you say that?"

Rin squeezed the back of his neck as he looked away from her. He could feel a headache slowly coming on and this next statement was not going to improve the situation. "...Because she's still a virgin..."

His mother's eyes lit up with this information. "Surely not!" She began to actually clap. "This is wonderful!" She grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him to a stop, "Are you going to form a contract with her?"

Rin frowned, "I'm not sure she would want that kind of relationship with me... I'm not sure if she wants any kind of relationship with me, to be honest... She's probably already promised to some well-bred werewolf on her island." Rin sighed as his straightened his slumped shoulders, "Right now all that is important is to help her feel safe and get back to as normal as possible after such a traumatic experience."

His mom furrowed her brows, "But Rin, you don't understand how rare it is to find an adult that's virtuous. The former master was raised to be so, not even their later generations could withstand celibacy."

Rin looked down into his mother's bright, hopeful eyes, "Mom, you have to promise me, you will not say anything to her about the genies contract or any of that stuff okay?" He took her hands in his and gave them a gentle squeeze. "I like her, okay... I know the powers that come with signing a contract... but for her, I would gladly give up all the powers in the world... I just... I want it to be her choice..." He looked away embarrassed of his own confession. "I want to be the one to explain it all to her... when the time is right."

His mother pulled her small hand lose from his grip and gently caressed his cheek. "I understand fully, son. Don't worry your secrets are safe with me..." Her smile brightened, "Now let's go dress this beauty!" With that his mother took off down the corridors ahead of him, a new determination powering each tiny stride.

***

Rin knocked softly on the large bedroom door and waited several seconds before cracking it open, "Hey Shelly, I'm back. I'm… I'm coming in… ok?" He waited a few more seconds before pushing the door the fully open and poking his head inside. A bright glare reflecting from the balcony caught his attention. Shelly was standing out on the balcony in the robe he had left for her, the towel wrapped around her wet hair. Her attention was fully captivated by something on the balcony itself. Rin's eyes shout open wide as realization hit. {Oh shit! I left it out there!} He laid the dress on the bed as he made his way quickly to the balcony doors. Her eyes didn't lift from the painting as he stepped through the doors a deep blush settling across his face.

"Did you paint this?" Shelly asked, not looking away from the canvas.

Rin ran his hand across the back of his neck, "Yeah… I… I…"

"You're a really good artist." She said matter-of-factly. She tilted her head and squinted her eyes giving it a closer examination, before asking him as she finally looked up at him, "It… it's me… Isn't it?"

Rin's face heated farther, "I… I… can… explain…"

"Is that what I look like right now? I've been too afraid to look into a mirror." She glanced back down at her likeness. She brushed her fingers across the area of her face that was bruised in the painting. She covered the turmoil seeping into her expression with a sudden laugh, "If I knew I was going to be your muse I would have worn makeup to bed." Her laughter faded away as her eyes settled on the painting again and she continued touching the many, many bruises. A single tear rain down her cheek as Rin continued to watch froze where he stood. "You should have painted something… someone prettier."

Her pained words shook Rin from his inner panic. He closed in the small space between them and pulled her against him, cupping her head against his chest. "You are pretty… you're beautiful."

"I look like a ragamuffin that was caught and beaten…" She cried against his chest.

Rin cupped her chin forcing her eyes to meet his, "You look beautiful no matter what." He ran his fingers across the many bruises and cuts along her pale, slim face. "This… this is nothing more than a temporary blemish, simply shift and it will all be gone…" Her eyes widened with the thought of shifting. He smiled down at her remembering her disdain for shifting, "Don't shift and it will still all be gone soon enough." He leaned down to kiss the cracked lips pouting back at him but thought better of it and kiss her forehead instead.

She leaned her cheek against his palm, "Then you should have painted me without them."

Rin sighed heavily, "There's beauty in the pain as well." He glanced down at her with sad eyes then turned toward the painting. "In many art classes, you have to explain your work… critique your own work sometimes…" he glanced back toward her, "It's always a hard thing to do, but to critique it to the subject…" he ran his hand through his hair, "Well I shouldn't have problems in class after this." He laughed awkwardly. "I couldn't help myself this morning when I saw you laying there beside me." He looked back at his work, "Even in the restful silence there was a loud cry of pain. In the bright light of the early morning rays, there was a breathtaking pull of darkness." He traced a finger across the painting. "… a harshness to all the soft feminine curves…"

"You… um… really put a lot of thought into it, didn't you?" Shelly blushed as she watched his long painter's fingers glide across her body on the canvas. She felt a shiver run down her own body in the places he touched.

Rin shook his head and turned back around toward her; his cheeks heated. He looked past her into the room to hide is an embarrassment. "Um… So, I left the dress for you on the bed." He stepped past her and headed toward the open door, he suddenly stopped and turned back toward her, "I'll be right outside your door if you need me." He turned back and walked hastily out the door, shutting it gently behind him.

Shelly stood on the balcony starring after Rin's departing form. {What in the world…} She glanced back at the painting and blushed. There was sexuality about it that she had never seen in herself. She ran her fingers across her bottom lips. {Is it really that full? Is this how he sees me… as… as sexy?} She walked into the large bedroom and toward the bed. A dazzling pile of silks lay across the bed. She lifted the delicate fabric, running her fingertips across the elaborate beading and embroidery of the edges of the fabric. {It's absolutely beautiful, I can't believe this is what he picked for me to wear. A tee shirt and jeans would have been fine with me… I would have never guessed he thought of me as anything but Russ's annoying sister…} Shelly glanced from the dress to the closed door. With her mind made up, she squeezed the dress to her chest tightly and walked toward the door. She cracked it open and stuck her head out. It didn't take long for her to find him. He was leaned against a window on the other side of the gigantic corridor. "Um… Rin?" Her face heated as he looked over his shoulder toward her with a questioning arch of the brows. "Um… I'm not sure how to put these on. I've never worn anything like it…"

Rin's brows lifted in surprise, "Oh… I didn't think of that when I picked it out… Sorry…" He ran his hand through his hair as he looked down the corridor, "I may be able to find you something else… maybe…" He pushed off from against the wall and began walking away.

Shelly cleared her throat, "Um… N…o… I mean it's ok, I mean it's beautiful… I was just wondering if you would help me…" She could feel her cheeks heat, "help me… put it on…" She looked down at her feet unable to look at him.

Rin took a sharp inhale of air and pushed it out, trying to calm his nerves before he turned back around toward her. {Oh gods… She doesn't realize what she's asking! There's no way I can say yes, it would be too tempting…} "Yeah… sure… I can help you." {Fuck! Why did I just say yes?}

"Thank you." She whispered as she turned back into the bedroom.

He gulped loudly as he followed her inside. {Who in the world am I going to make it through this with all these bottled up feelings…} He watched as she stopped in front of the bed then turned around to face him. He cleared his throat as he walked up to her and took the top from her hands. He set it down and took the dress bottom from the bed. He bent to one knee in front of her as he held it open for her to step into. He couldn't keep his eyes from trailing up her body as she stepped into the dress and patiently waited as she pulled it up, brushing her thighs with his fingers as the silk glided softly across her skin. He rose to his feet as he worked the dress up. He cleared his throat as his hands brushed the bottom of the robe. His blush deepened as he let go of the dress and turned away. "Turn around and I'll latch it for you." He waited until she was facing away from him before he looked back at her, but to his surprise, she had already untied the robe and began to slide it down her shoulders. His eyes bulged as the robe hit the floor. His eyes trailed over her slender shoulders and down her lean torso, noting even more hideous bruises, gashes, and puncture marks. Before he could stop himself, he found his hand trailing carefully over a long gash going from right between her shoulder blades to her left hip.

Shelly glanced back over her shoulder at him. When she saw his face, she covered herself with one hand and turned to cup his face with the other. "Don't cry its ok. They… They barely hurt." A tear trailed down her own cheek as the memory of how she came by those gashes came back to her. She fought for a calm she didn't feel as she looked up into the man standing in front of her.

Rin cupped the tiny hand against his jaw, "Shelly, please, you have to shift. I can't handle seeing you in this much pain."

Her hand fell away from his face as another tear slid down her cheek, "The pain will still be there whether the cuts and bruises are gone or not… besides, I'm not as strong as my brother. I haven't learned how to shift without the full moon yet." She let her head drop to the floor, ashamed to admit her own shortcomings. Strong hands clamped down on her shoulders and pulled her against the now familiar hard chest. His build was scientifically smaller than most men she knew but there was still a comforting strength to him that pulled her in as a woman. She let her free hand slid up his abdomen to rest against the center of his chest.

He held her for what felt like an eternity before he finally bent and placed a light kiss on the top of her head and gently pushed her away from him. "Here let's get you dressed. You're bound to be starving by now." As if on cue her stomach let out a small growl. He smiled as her cheeks reddened. {She can stand in front of me and carry on a full conversation… even let me embrace her… topless, but her stomach growls and she blushes.} He couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped. He leaned down and retrieved the top from the bed. "Here turn around and I'll help you with the buttons." He took a step closer to her before lowering the outstretched garment in front of her. Rin looked away as she released her hold on her breasts and slid her arms through the sleeves, giving him a clear view. When the tension on the fabric released, he quickly worked the numerous buttons into place. He cleared his throat before saying, "Ok, all done." He leaned down once again and gathered the final items. He made quick works of the top layer of fabric and even bent back to his knees to help her slide the small slippers on.

"Oh wow, they fit perfectly." Shelly wiggled her toes as she gazed down at the beautifully embroidered and dyed slippers.

Rin looked away, "Yeah, it was a lucky guess." He ran his hand across the back of his neck before finally meeting her gaze. "Are you ready? I have to warn you; my mother is a little… um… excitable." He shook his head as he rolled his eyes. "But my dad is pretty cool." He shrugged and held his hand out to her, an endearing smile warming his features.