The Hunters

Chapter Eighteen

Ignite

I'm not a very religious person. Well, actually I used to be not very religious. But now I count my miracles and blessings and in the past month I have become a big believer in God. After all that has happened to me I now pray to God every night and thank him for keeping me and my family safe and I ask him to continue to keep us safe and to help us in the war against the werewolves.

    I think of all this on my walk to the tree. It occurs to me that our village doesn't have a church. I know such things exist because they were in our research books and my father told me about other villages that do have them. I come to the conclusion that I want to build a church. I want our village to have a channel to God, I want others to feel safe and secure like I do when I talk to Him.

    I'll talk to Cyprian about this idea when I meet up with him, I decide. I'm almost to the tree, I realize as the forestry around me becomes thicker. I smile down at where I watch my feet rustle in the mess of orange, red, and brown leaves that have fallen from the crisp colored trees. I look up and look around at the oak and maple trees that are also surrounded by the green pine trees. I think that the other trees must get jealous of the pine trees that get to stay green all year.

    Finally I find myself staring at a sleeping Cyprian. He lays in a bed of leaves at the trunk of the tree where his head rests. I approach him quietly, afraid to wake him. I kneel down next to him and stare at his features. I have never admired him like this before. When we were younger he was just a messy boy that I tried not to pay attention to and in the past teenage years he's only been my best friend. I've never thought of him as more than this.

    "Cyprian," I whisper quietly trying my best not to startle him too much.

    He jerks awake and bounces to the side a little bit before noticing me and then he smiles, "What a nice way to wake up."

    I laugh, "You're such a jokester."

    "Mhm," he nods, "you can keep thinking that but hate to break it to you: it's true."

    I roll my eyes and try not to blush, but I feel it overcome me and I try hide it by resting my head in my hands and I sit Indian-style looking at him, "What adventure do you want to go on today?"

    "It's called the Let's-Do-Nothing-But-Sit-And-Talk game," I laugh at him.

    "Okay. Then what do you want to talk about, Cyp?"

    He shrugs, "What do you want to talk about?"

    "I think our village should build a church," I remember.

    "For God?" He looks up at the sky and I see the wheels spinning in his mind, "I think that's a brilliant idea, darling. You should do that when you're leader of this place."

    "Who says I'm going to be leader?"

    "Basically everyone. Especially since you're the daughter of the current leader. Your family has always been leader."

    I sigh, "I don't think my father is a fan of women leading."

    "Well I think you're way better than any other women that lives here so I would hope you would be the first woman to lead this town."

    "That would be nice, but I think my father is pretty mad at me. I don't get why he would be so mad at me for such a simple thing. Wouldn't a good warrior try to save another?"

    "No, darling. A great warrior would save another," he wraps his arm around me and pulls me into him and my heartbeat fastens and my whole body warms.

    I trace a finger along his shirt, having no idea why I am but when I place my hand flat against his chest I can feel the rise and fall of his breathing and it soothes me. I close my eyes and let the world slip away until only me and him remain. I prefer this world with him in it than any other. I feel his lips on my cheek and I almost jerk backwards but I don't and his lips remain on my cheek, resting.

    I release myself from him so I can look at him. His eyes fall down from mine and I know he's looking at my lips. My breathing becomes faster as I continue to stare at his still face. He looks back up at me and moves pieces of my damp hair behind my ear and he holds the back of my head. Our faces are only an inch apart and he pulls me in so our lips touch. The sensation of my first kiss rushes through me. My blood ignites and my heart races and I wrap my arms around him and he pulls me closer and closer to him until our bodies are flush. And I'm breathing hard and he pulls back to look at me once but then pulls me back into the kiss. His hands explore my back and he travels beneath my tank top and his hands are fire against my skin.

    Somehow we've fallen so he's laying flat on the ground and I'm laying on his body. My bones melt into mush and he holds me tighter to him. His kisses become more intense and I need to remember how to breath. I'm in heaven, I declare. His hands are tugging at my tank top and I'm closing my eyes unsure of what to do. He holds my waist and then we tumble over in the leaves so he's hovering over me and I'm laying under his shadow. His fiery kisses roam from my lips and cheeks to my neck. I hold on tighter to him and-

    I hear the sound of my father's voice then, "AMAIA KINGSLEY!"

    I immediately push myself from Cyprian and he falls to the side, hitting the ground with a thud . Cyprian is breathing hard and sits up so he can look my father in the eyes.

    "Dad-"

    "What do you two think you're doing kissing in the middle of the woods? Amaia Solstice Kingsley, I will talk to you more of this matter later. And Cyprian what do you think you're doing kissing my daughter without my consent?"

    Cyprian smiles at my father, "I'm sorry I forgot to ask for permission, but now that you're here... do I have permission to date your daughter?"

    My father's eyes widen and he stares back and forth between me and Cyprian, "This is a matter to discuss later." He grabs at his hair and I swear he's going to pull it out but instead he just walks away from me and Cyprian where we sit in silence in the crisp autumn air.