The Watchers Wake

Chapter 29 - Love is in the Air

“Why didn’t you tell me he was your father?” he whispered into my hair.

“I tried!  Remember the Star Wars reference?”

“I have never seen Star Wars Natalie.”

“No!  Really?  It’s like a classic.  How can you not have seen it?”

He shook his head at me and rolled his eyes, “Such a nerd!  Just as well I love you!”

“You are one to talk, Jock!” I rolled my eyes at him before we laughed softly at each other.  “Then who told you?”

“My resurrected-from-the-grave Mother,” He saw my expression and added, “We buried her when I was six.  But I only saw her once or twice a year before that.  Now I suppose I know why.  She’s Egregore.”

“Yes, I know.  I need to tell you everything Scott.  I want you to understand and I want you to hear it from me.” He nodded so I told him what happened from the start.  As I spoke he tensed and I felt his emotions but he didn’t interrupt. 

There was silence when I finished.

“So you kissed Jari and this Aze?”

“Yes, but I was thinking of you.”

He frowned and pulled me into his kiss, “Mine,” then he kissed my neck, “Mine,” then he kiss me in other random and not-so-random places always followed by a “Mine.” 

“Be mine Natalie, be all mine?  I love you too much to share you.”

“Don’t be jealous, I am yours Scott but you don’t own me.  You have to trust me because kissing them isn’t the same as kissing you.  I love you and I would never cheat on you.”

“I know.  I am sorry I doubted you.  Please don’t doubt me.  I don’t remember all of what happened at the lake, I drank too much.  I was so miserable.  That was wrong.  I have really stuffed this all up.  Everything bad that has happened has all been my fault.  I don’t know how to fix it.  I don’t know how you can forgive me.”

“I forgive you because I love you.  Being in love means that you deal with these things, you don’t run away.  I need you to stick by me if I am going to stick by you.  Let me explain next time.”

“We have both done our share of running from this haven’t we?  Ok, no more.  We face this together now.  OK?”  His eyes smouldered into mine and he kissed me as our naked bodies came together.   He moaned softly, “I gather you are not ready to...” he let the words trail away as the lust in his eyes and the gentle nudging against my thigh made it clear what he wanted.

  I laughed nervously, “One day I will be all yours but not yet.” 

With a small groan he fell back against the bed, “And I will wait for you.”

I picked myself up on my elbow and looked down at his face.  Tracing my fingers over his face, his eyes held mine and we smiled at each other.  Then I skimmed my fingers down his chest carefully avoiding the bite marks.

“Do they bother you?”

“Yes,” I looked back to his face, “They hurt you, they took something from you that they had no right to, and they used you to get to Jari.” I winced as I gently touched a bite mark, “Yes it bothers me.”

“No, I mean the scars.  I’m a mess Natalie.  I’ll never be what I was again.  These will mark me for life.  And well the girls used to like my skin.”

“I am sure they did!” I laughed, “You will always be perfect to me. The scars don’t bother me.  I just don’t want to hurt you anymore than they already have.  Do they bother you?”