MULTIPLE NAME

Damon's P.O.V

I close my eyes and consider just walking away. I immediately push that stupid idea away, I wouldn't make it three steps before coming back.

There wasn't a bone in my body that wanted anything but to make sure she was safe and okay if nothing else. She was my mate, whether or not I wanted a human or anything else, she was my fucking mate and I had to help her.

"What's your name?" I ask once I'd found control again. I fold my arms loosely as I study her, her chest rising and falling much slower now as she leaned against the bricks.

"Marina." She replies and her heart rate spikes directly after.

"Got that out of your system?" I ask flatly as I study her. "Why don't you tell me your real name now?"

"Taylor." She replies and her heart gives her away yet again, the most torturous organ for a human.

"Third times the charm." I offer, my tone more mocking than I'd intended.

"Aileen." She grinds out through clenched teeth.

So my mate was disturbingly cautious, good to know. It was a good trait to have I guess, but just annoying as hell right now.

"We can keep doing this until you tell me your real name," I say with a heavy sigh as I look down at the small dog, her ears yet to drop as it watched me angrily.

"How the fuck do you know that I'm lying?" She asks, alarms blaring through her tone as she looked in my direction.

"You just told me," I say with a smirk that I can't help. Much like the way my chest fluttered with excitement at the way she'd become comfortable enough to be snappish.

I rathered snappish than scared.

"Wilona." She says finally and I smile happily at the tiny victory. "My name is Wilona."

"Okay, Wilona." I start, already shamefully loving the way it felt on my tongue. "I'm trying to help you out here, but you can't walk and don't want to be touched. I am willing to carry you back but you don't want me to touch you. If you couldn't feel any of my skin, would it still be an issue?"

She seems to be taken off guard by the suggestion and I pray to Goddess above that she says yes. If she didn't, I'd just have to cover her mouth and toss her over my shoulder.

"I don't know." She says honestly and I take hold of the answer before she could change her mind.

"Only one way to find out." I say with clear exhaustion in my tone

Thankfully Wilona doesn't scream at my movements towards her, just tenses. I take it slow to not startle her too much and stop when I'm a fair distance from her. I put my clothed arm out and wait but she doesn't move.

"Touch my arm and see," I say shaking the limb a little.

She looks down but doesn't make a move. I frown wondering if she was a little slow on the uptake or not a fan of clothes.

"... I can't see it." She whispers too low for the normal ear to pick up on.

I frown at this, a voice in my head groaning at the incompetence of human being. No, no... calm down. It was dark in this area if I was being honest. Dark enough that I was yet to see her face clearly, so I guess for human eyes it was worse.

"Don't scream again," I growl in warning before I let my arm brush her hand.

She jumps at the motion, wincing with a small cry at the unintentional pressure she directs to her bad foot. I wish I could call Mehki in that instant to fix her leg and just teleport us home, but that was not even an option.

"Good?" I ask and she nods shakily. I doubted it was that simple, but had no time or patience to prod her for more information.

"I'm going to pick you up now, my hoodie covers everything but my fingers. I won't let them touch your skin." I promise despite the way Theo howled in pain at the prospect of having no contact.

For wolves, we lived off of scenery pleasure when it came to mates. Their scent was the most addictive thing about them, something that pleased only their other half and its effect never faded. Their touch came second and brought a new meaning to feeling. Just the feel of your mate's skin against your own was enough to soothe pains. Or at least, that's what everyone said about mates.

I yearned to touch her, to feel her skin for just a second, but she wouldn't know how great it felt and judging from her previous reaction, possibly break down again. She seemed to have something seriously against touching. I knew enough humans to know that I couldn't blame that on her species.

Wilona nods slowly as her small hand trembles with the leash for her dog still tightly bound around her fingers. She takes a step off the wall and I waste no time slipping my hands around the back of her knees and the center of her back before hoisting her up.

She yelps at the sudden movement but doesn't scream, her breathing picks up immediately as she struggles to stay still without touching me. I'd hoped she'd wrap her arms around my neck in instinct, they did that in movies, but Wilona apparently had restraint.

Her smell surrounded me in a beautiful embrace which made my eyes flutter shut without permission. I force myself not to press my nose to the nape of her neck for more and instead enjoy to feel of her in my arms, even though it was a limited level of touch, it was better than nothing.

"Will your dog follow me?" I ask looking down at the puppy that was growling and nibbling at the top of my shoe.

"Yeah." She says through a shaky breath, somehow retaking the timid persona I'd found instead of the aggressive one I'd glimpsed.

Which was she? Or was she possibly both...

With that, I begin walking back to the apartments. I didn't know where I was but I had a nose and could use it, I took the quickest route I could.

Wilona was serious about not wanting to be touched, she shook violently in my hold, her breathing laboured and her eyes filling as she bit her lip hard.

I force myself not to ask about it, force myself to keep quiet. I could tell she was forcing herself to endure this and I wouldn't make her suffer through something she clearly hated more than neccessary.

True to her word, the little dog followed in step with me but barked every few minutes as if reminding me that it was still there and watching.

The moment light flickered back into the roads, Wilona sighed audibly in my hold drawing my eyes down to her face. I stop the moment I see her fully.

....she was beautiful.

No, that wasn't the word. She was more than that, she was fucking gorgeous. But that too seemed insufficient when trying to describe just how uunnaturally stunning she was.

Her eyes were big and alluring, trapping my within them in a moment. A clear blue, like perfect water that stared up at me with wonder. Her lips were plump and cherry red, bruised by the force she'd put there but still perfect. Her cheekbones were high and pulled at her smooth skin I yearned to touch.

She was heavenly.

"Why'd you stop?" She asks nervously as she looks up at me, eyes darting around my face as her eyebrows pulled together.

"Uhhh, something flew into my eye." I say as I fall back into step, forcing my right eye to open and close furiously. Wilona's frown only deepens but she doesn't say anything else, her arms tucked against her chest as she let herself be carried.

She was so small and light, feeling as fragile as glass in my hands. A piece of me tore at the possibility of holding her too tight and breaking a bone. Humans were so damn easy to break, what if I hug her and shattered her ribcage.

I continue taking peeks at her face, being drawn into her without permission all the way to our building.

"We're here," I announce as I approached the main door. After eight, they locked the place up for security reasons and no one could get in without a key. Well no human. "I got to open the door, think you can stand while I do that."

"Yeah." She says all too eagerly, I grimace a little and struggle to hide it.

I place Wilona down and make a little show of opening the place with my key so she knew I wasn't some crazy person who followed her and lied to her.

That's exactly what you did - Theo deadpans as I pick Wilona back up after putting a foot in place of the ajar door.