Her King

Thirteen

"You're safe with me." He whisper.

I shake my head as I pull my hands out of his to reply. 'You k...' I have to take a deep breath. 'You killed him.'

Claudius lightly grasps my chin and guides my face up to look at him. "He'd hurt you, he'd been hurting you all these years. It is by law that he received punishment. That slime back got the easy way out, but he also got what was coming to him." He explains. "No, please don't cry." He gasps and both hands raise so that his thumbs can collect the falling tears I hadn't realised I was shedding.

I lean into his touch, momentarily allowing myself to be comforted by him. 'Does hurting people come so easily to you?' I force myself to ask as I pull out of his embrace.

"I would never hurt you, Rose. I will only hurt those who hurt you." He tells me in a firm voice.

I shake my head at him. 'You'll hurt me.' I tell him as I avert my gaze from him.

"I will do nothing of the sort!" He growls. "Rose," his voice is much softer now. "I will spend everyday proving to you that you are safe and that I will never harm you. I am here to make you happy, to protect you, and one day when you let me I'll tell you how much I love you."

Human. The word pops into my head from something Claudius had said earlier. "...or I suppose in human terms..." If we weren't already talking in human terms before that then what were we talking in?

Not human terms being used.

Animalistic noises. 

Constantly and abnormally warm.

Can move quickly and without making a sound.

Finds me in the forest, once might have been a coincidence but the second time when I needed someone... that's not a coincidence.

'What are you?' I ask before I realise what I'm doing. I must be absolutely crazy for asking this.

A memory decides then to surface, of the other day at the library.

"I'm looking for Lycanthrope Elders, can you tell me where I can find it?" She asks.

I give a small nod and start typing away on the computer, that book was strangely popular.

That wasn't the only book that was strangely popular, there was also Lycan medicine, Lycanthrope history, Lycan patriarchy. Lycan Lycan Lycan Lycan. It was all Lycan. That library held so many Lycan books that they insisted we stack in the nonfiction section rather than the fiction section.

No. It cannot be. Werewolves are fiction, they are made up. It's not real. This isn't happening.

"I am a Lycan." Claudius says softly.

No. I shake my head firmly. No. This isn't happening. My chest began rising and falling quicker and quicker until the air began to taste cold. This isn't real, Lycan's are not real.

"Rose!" Claudius' panicked voice springs me from my panicking thoughts. "Rose, you need to calm your breathing down before you faint again." He tells me in a gentile voice. "Please just calm your breathing down and we can talk about this later."

I started sobbing. 'Are you going to kill me too?' I sign with shaky hands.

"No! Of course not! How could you ask that? I would never hurt you, Rose, you're my mate." Claudius grumbles. His warm hands grab my wrists and pull me to him and he wraps his arms around me tightly.

I struggle against Claudius, thrashing against his hold. I push and shove at his chest and try to wriggle myself free, but his hold on me is too tight and unrelenting.

"Shhh." He whispers into my ear. "Shhh, I'm right here. I'm right here Rosalie." Claudius tells me as if that should soothe me. "You may not be my fan right now, but give into my touch and it'll help you calm down a little."

Give into his touch? What does that even mean? Does he mean the warmth and tingly feeling that comes from him? How would I even...

Claudius kisses the top of my head as he holds me on his lap. "That's it, kitten." One of his arms loosens around my back as it reaches up to stroke my hair soothingly instead. "I'm right here." He tells me softly. 

My sobs begin to quieten, my breaths steady. And soon I'm just left sniffling and clutching at his shirt.

"Esa es mi chica." [That's my girl.] He coo's softly in my ear. Claudius' arms loosen around me as he cradles me softly on his lap. "Rose, when you're ready we do need to talk this out. There is more to it that you need to know. But only when you're ready."

I shake my head against his chest.

He lets out a soft chuckle and I suspect its only to diffuse the tension rather than out of amusement. "No, not now. I know. But eventually we..."

I cut him off by shaking my head. Reluctantly I pull myself from his arms and as soon as his touch is gone I find the panic and worry returning. 'I don't want to know more. I won't ever be ready for this. I need...' I pause as I get up from the bed with a pout. 'I need to leave. Now.'

"Rose." Claudius stands from the bed with a panicked look on his voice. "You don't have to do this. You're running because you're scared and I get it I do, but running isn't the answer right now." He holds his hand out for me. "Just stay, give this some time. Hear me out and let me finish explaining."

I take several steps back from him as I shake my head. Why won't he just get it and drop it?

Claudius' face falls and so does his hand. "No estoy lista para perderte." [I'm not ready to lose you.]

I don't know why but my face begins to imitate his, I feel myself growing sad as I watch his reaction to me wanting to leave. 'I can't do this.' And I bolt from the room. I run downstairs and ignore the throng of people gathered in the lounge just off from the front door and leave.

Before I know it I'm running down the streets towards the town border and the tears are back and freely flowing down my face. Why is it that leaving some maniac hurts more than anything I've ever felt?

My dream had been so incredible and carefree and light, it was everything I could ever want... and then his claws came out and he'd killed me just like he... Why couldn't the first part of the dream be real and not the last part?