Fifty-four

Two days later Mason blinks into existence inside the loft just as the full moon rises over the Morston skyline. It's the middle of the night. Perched on my little chair at my desk, I don't even bother to look at him. I'm not mad. The past few days have been frantic. I have my examination on Friday, and I'm buried in a mountain of books. Quite literally.

Shay bounds towards mine, and paws my leg to get my attention. I didn't require his assistance lately, but even if I did, I wouldn't have asked for his help. That day in Helej Norun still haunts me sometimes, and I'll avoid it for as long as I can.

His presence invades my senses, I can feel him on my skin even without him touching me. Instead, his eyes caress every inch of exposed skin just as he would do with his hands.

" I've missed you terribly," He whispers loud enough so I can hear him. You and me both. But it had to be done.

I give Shay the prerequisite scratch on the head and the praise he relies on so much that he becomes anxious if I don't say anything to him and turn my attention to the man in the room.

" I've been right here waiting all along. All you had to do was come back," I find his eyes across the room, and watch as his lips gently tug at the corners to form a smile.

He smothers it with a bite on his lip, taking a step forward into the silvery moonlight streaming through the window in the roof," Not the heartfelt welcome I was expecting," He gripes playfully, and inches closer while I remain in my seat, and watch those long legs cross the short distance between us.

Looking up at him, I search for any trace of misgiving. When I left him, he looked torn, and confused. Now, all of that seems to have disappeared. He appears to be lighter in spirit, his expressions hold no trace of doubt or internal struggle.

Rising from my seat, I wrap my arms around his waist, bury my face in the crook of his neck and inhale the sweetly spiced scent that follows him everywhere. A scent that I'm addicted to. We breathe each other in, each inhale filling my lungs with the scent that is uniquely his.

" I've missed you too," I tread my finger through his silky mane and pull away ever so slightly so I can look at him.

Smiling down at me, " Let's end this," He throws the book on the desk, shaking the bindings of the ratty desk. For a moment I'm confused as to what he means.

" I've read the damn book. Most of the daiōs in that book are so elusive that no one has ever laid eyes on them. There are a few that have a more sociable nature, but due to what happened a few millennia back, they seem to have just disappeared. I think it has to do a lot with the death of your mother. Shay has only been around for about ten years or so, Balthasar has only made an appearance around the time you were awakened from your forced sleep. To save you from your demise your mother ended your cycle prematurely. You haven't gotten that far which means she has affected the natural order, and there is a good chance that we have more time than you think you do before the cycle ends. The only people who can give answers to some of the questions are dead. So I guess, we will have to wait and find out," He gives me a non-committal shrug and presses a kiss to my brow. My brain is swimming in a soup of jumbled thoughts, too tired to even try and make any sense of it.

" We've got more answers than I'd hoped," I say, trying to chase the pace of the conversation.

He nods, " We did. Sometimes is best not to ask the questions if you know you are not going to like the answers," He tucks my head under his chin, and my mind drifts to my conversation with Ava.

" I think Ava is pregnant," I stop myself there for a moment before I ask the most troubling question. A question that might alter the course of our relationship. A question that I know I might not like the answer to, but still I need to know.

" Did you sleep with her," She is not showing just yet so she must be still in her first trimester. He leans back, his eyes finding mine, searching, assessing.

" I didn't, and I never will," He says with the outmost conviction, and I believe him. I have to.

" I can't get women pregnant just by looking at them, if I could by now we would be pregnant continuously," He smirks at that thought, while I try to come to terms with the situation.

" You've spoken to her, " He notes while I remain silent. He doesn't seem angry that I did, but I do register a mild surprise on his features.

" I did," I confirm without taking my eyes off his.

He hums pensively, "What did she say?" His hand slides to the side of my neck, and props his thumb under my chin to keep me from looking away.

" She," I clear my throat when my voice comes out a bit croaky. I can't deny that her words have had some impact on me, by confirming my fears about Mason and his proclivities.

" Lily," He urges, irritation lining his features at the delayed response. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Ava's opinions have held very little weight in the past. I don't know her that well, and she knows nothing about me.

" Uhm..Well," I'm stalling, feeling rather foolish for even allowing those dark thoughts to take root inside my head. But sometimes it can't be helped," She said many things," I decide against tainting our reunion with the ramblings of a lunatic.

" Such as?" His patience is wearing thin. I can feel it in the way his fingers dig into the soft flesh of my neck, and the painful press of his thumb against my jaw bone.

" That I'm only your new shiny toy, and eventually you'll get bored with me, and move on," He lets out a string of curses under his breath, before closing his eyes to hide his frustration.

" And?" He knows there is more, and he won't relent until I give it to him. Not the way I pictured this reunion would go, but sometimes life tends to surprise you in the most unpleasant ways.