Shadow

Is this love?

Chapter 14

~*~*~*~*~*Dante's POV~*~*~*~*~*

Akira sat up on the bed her back facing me. She was still naked as I touched the tattoos that covered the right side of her back, starting at shoulder blade stopping at her hip. She jerked forward, giggling. 

"You're so beautiful." I said pulling her back in my arms and kissed the back of her neck. "What are all those tattoos?" I asked.

"Each tattoo represents the levels and rankings of Shadow. The designs around are the same symbols on the wall of my home." She said turning in my arms to face me, touching the bite marks she made on my neck. "Before you ask, the symbols are protective wards. Some Indian thing I was taught by my grandmother, my god rests her soul. But the Shadow dragon is hidden in them, only most people see it."

I nodded as she got off the bed and pulled her dress over her body. She looked so fragile to me, even though she was the most dangerous thing in the whole room. 

"Teach me how to fight, the basics at least." I said without thinking. She looked up at me and cocked her head to the side. "I am serious teach me." She sighed and shrugged.

"Meet me at the eastern wall on the palace. Wear comfortable clothes.' She said before leaving, a smile on her face.

Eastern palace wall

When I got to the east wall, I found Akira doing back flips on it like she was a professional gymnast, but she was a fighter.

“Hey.” I said when she was standing straight. She looked over her shoulder and smiled the most beautiful smile. Then jumped off the wall, she walked up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Ready for your lesson, your Highness?” Her voice was a lot softer than the serious authority in her voice she always had.

I smiled at her, “Yeah.” I leaned forward and kissed her quickly on the lips before looking up at the wall. “Why were you up there?” I ask.

“Balance and no you won’t have to do it.” She laughed and grinned, her fangs. She let go of me and picked up two bamboo sticks. “Here.” She handed it to me.

I took it from her and didn’t notice what she was wearing in Russia’s freezing weather. “Aren’t you cold?” I said looking at her very short shirt that only covered her chest, leaving her stomach exposed, while her skinny jeans shaped her legs perfectly.

“No, I can stand most weather conditions. But if I do get cold, I know who can warm me up.” She winked at me. “Come on. See if you can block me.”

Palace back trail

We walked through the snow, ducking when a tree branch got in the way. Akira hugged against me under my jacket. We were silent as we walked until she pulled away from me.

“Is this love?” She asked stopping, she looked directly at me. “Do you regret what we did?” She looked down at her boots, then back up at me.

‘I assume this is love?’ I thought to myself and if she is talking about regretting having sex with her? “No, I don’t regret anything we have done.”

“Do you think this is love? What we are feeling?” I watched her scoop up some snow and started to mold a ball between her hands. 

“Do you think it is?” I sighed. I could see that her past with Ian was bugging her. “Akira, we will not be in danger if they don’t know. I love you and you love me. Your feelings are trying to come out but you are not allowing it too.”

She stayed quiet, staring down at the snowball in her hand. When she looked up a smirk played upon her lips and her red eyes glowed.

“Akira?” I looked at in a puzzled face. That’s when something smacked square in my face, after I heard her laughter. What had hit my face was the snowball she held in her hand. I wiped the snow from my eyes and looked at, she had another snowball. I quickly dodged it as ran after her. She made a squealing sound and made a dash for it, she was fast on her feet but when the snow began to get up to her knees she ended up falling back in the snow.

I walked up to her and helped her up but she pulled me down with her, throwing snow in my face again. I grabbed her hands pulling her towards me; we stared at each other for a while before her lips came to mine. Heat surged through my body, making me feel like I was in Imperia’s spring weather. She broke the kiss and looked at me; the smile on her face so loved. Joey had said that her true feeling were gone after the death of Ian, but right now I am seeing the true Akira, the one I see that was locked up inside for so long. I could see in her eyes that she was happy and free. We laid there for a while, her head on my chest and her hands buried in my coat. My arms around her securely.

Is this love? But that question was answered when Akira looked at me again and said, “I love you, Dante.”