Of Immortals and Men | COMPLETE

Chapter 50 Stay With Me

      The village was decorated with bright colorful ofudas, warding seals that only allowed the benevolent spirits passage and cleansed the evil ones. Floating lanterns were in every corner she looked, and come nighttime Jasmine knew that the Sierra Reserve would be a magical place.

        Once she was in position, Jasmine knelt down and placed her forehead on the wooden stage as she allowed the Alpha to make his way to the seat that was especially prepared for him and his son. There were also two other seats next her father, and Jasmine could not help but smile when she caught a glimpse of them. Haldus-sama granted her request, and now her heart did somersaults in anticipations for his arrival.

       It wasn't long before the ritual commenced and the flutes began to play the tune she was familiar with—the same song she would recite when she was but a young pup.

        The melody was soothing, calming every inch of her body and enthralling her muscles. Before she even knew it, Jasmine was swaying under the song as her kimono twirled with her graceful stride. In one of her hands was a fan made of jasmine flowers and bamboo, created by MatsuRika her shikigami.

       With the most careful coordination, Jasmine moved in the tight confining dress and landed every step to perfection just like how she practiced for so long. The sleeves of the kimono were the most spectacular sight to see, for she handled them as if her own appendages and when Jasmine was midway through the performance, she lifted her gaze slightly only to see his face.

        Her nerves went haywire, as her body almost visibly tense. Exsavior was sat on his legs with his hands on his knees and his gaze right at her. He was perfection, everything she ever dreamed of, for he had the most innocent face and the brownest set of puppy eyes she ever seen. How could anyone dream of hurting those chocolate orbs?   

     He smiled towards her with a reassuring look, and it almost made Jasmine trip in embarrassment. Exsavior captivated her too such an extent that she did not even notice David who sat next to him.

        'Oh my god, look at that face!' Her mind screamed in a girlish way as she anxiously desired to be at his side.

       Taking back control of her movements and emotions, Jasmine swayed to the best of her abilities even more now that she knew those canine eyes were watching. One twirl made her sleeves whirl with her as the fan flew into the air and she grabbed the laurel she made. Her other hand caught the fan at the same time the laurel left her grasp. It flew in his direction, landing calmly on his head. Exsavior gave her a puzzled sheepish look as David's arm wrapped itself around his neck while the crowd cheered.

     Jasmine finished the dance with a flashy move, but the kimono wouldn't give. Her legs were caught and before she knew it, her eyesight was clashing with the blackness that overcame her.        

      It was not until she opened her eyes once more that she realized it was night out, but the weirdest part was that she was moving. Her legs were sustained by a firm hold and her body was in motion.

      All around her were flickering lights of the floating lanterns that went about the village—a romantic sight that many couples took advantage of.

        "You ok?" his voice brought her out of the trance the lights produced.

      She stared at the back of his head, his full raven black hair looking fluffier than ever, and Jasmine couldn't believe that it was him holding her.

      He carried her on his back with his hands on her legs while traversing the crowd of clan members. No one paid them any mind, as if it was the most natural sight.