THE CASTLE

The first thing I saw was marble. Everywhere. The stairs, the floor, the vases on the gold accent furniture in the entryway that held flowers, the same ones from outside. The walls were white and gold and tall. Ridiculously tall. There was a chandelier hanging above that looked to be centuries old but new at the same time. I turned my head to the left, looking into an open area which seemed to be a living space, and then to the right, where there was a wall filled with artwork I wasn't familiar with. Another thing I noticed was that there was no dirt anywhere, which was unfamiliar to me. I mean, my parents house was always filled with dirt. I felt dirty just being in this castle, as if I would taint it with my less than acceptable appearance and origin. I did not look like I belonged, that's for sure. From what I could tell from just the entryway, the place looked untouched and practically unlived in.

Ace pulled me towards the stairs. They were wide and slick, as the marble looked freshly polished. This whole place looked polished. Ace was on my left, making my whole side tingle. He led me up the stairs without speaking a word. I vowed to myself that once we where wherever we were going, I would ask him everything I needed to know. Why me? What had he meant by calling me his? What were these crazy sparks I kept feeling? Why was he being so nice to me? I mean, werewolves weren't necessarily mean to us humans, but they weren't friendly either, not like he had been. I was so confused, and I needed answers. I just hoped I wouldn't chicken out when the time came.

We continued down the marble hallway that started after we ascended the stairs. We passed two doors on our right and three on our left before we came to stand in front of the door closest to my right. The door was white with gold trim, like the others. It seemed like a very feminine color scheme. I bet a female close to the King had picked the colors out.

Ace let go of my arm and I instantly felt the loss. I felt cold without him touching me or being near me. I felt alone and awkward. I had to find out why. He opened the door and it slowly creaked open. He then stepped back next to me and allowed me to enter first. I couldn't read him. I was terrified that any moment he would be angry or huffy at me simply for being human, which most werewolves did. He had a strong aura, yet he was gentle with me whenever we interacted, maybe even a little flirty. I didn't understand and soon, I hoped I would.

I walked into the room first, cautiously, as if the floor were going to fall out from under me, which was a polished white tile. The walls were black, which normally would startle me, but it worked with the rest of the black and white theme. The bed was black. Black sheets, black duvet, black pillows. There were a few pieces of furniture around, all white, including a dresser, a bookshelf, and two nightstands on either side of the bed. The bookshelf was on the smaller side, but it was filled with books. I couldn't see which ones from where I was, but I made a mental note to look for other books during my stay here. And by stay, I mean the rest of my life.

"Where are we?", I asked Ace. I hadn't noticed when he came into the room, but I knew he was there. I could feel him. He came up behind me slowly. I could feel his body heat radiating off him. He snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me into him slowly. I could feel the outline of his body on my back and it made me hot. He was lean, from what I could see earlier and feel now. Ace held me tight to him. I could feel his breath on my neck. He definitely worked out, all sweaty. I had bet he was very strong, and muscular and had abs you would want to eat off.

Wait. This wasn't like me. Why was I thinking those things?

Before I could shake this burning feeling, Ace was giving me, he lightly kissed my neck. It sent shivers down my body. I was frozen in place, not wanting to ruin the moment. He peppered kisses down my neck, still standing behind me, while I relished in the attention. He made me feel dirty but also safe, on fire but at peace. While his mouth was on my neck, I had never felt so relaxed. My body naturally reacted to his, my head falling back to give him more access. He smirked against my skin as he gained more surface area. His arm unwrapped itself from my waist and his hands moved up my sides. I had never had a man touch me like this and it was exhilarating. My head kept telling me this was too fast, that we were moving in a direction I wasn't ready for. I didn't listen for a few minutes, letting Ace attack me with his lips. But suddenly, even though my body was betraying my mind, I remembered I needed to get to the bottom of everything, including why his kisses felt so good. Felt like home.

"Wait, stop," I rushed out, my breath uneven and ragged, slightly afraid he would get mad. I pushed myself away from him, turning my front towards him, not having the courage to look him in the eye. I was worried if I did, he would be even more upset, if he already were.

Ace walked in my direction. He cupped my face with his large hands softly, something I wasn't prepared for, and moved my gaze to meet his. His face was close to mine, so close I felt the need to hold my breath.

"What is it, little one?", he whispered. He didn't look or sound mad. He looked curious. That was a good sign.

"I need to know," I responded, still dazed from our romantic encounter.

"Know what?", Ace replied, confused, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Everything."