Rowena
Henry pulled up at a beautiful lake house. I was rapidly discovering that nothing Lawrence owned was modest, and thus, to call it a house was an understatement. It was more of a large hunting lodge. It was very isolated, which I guess was the point, but it was a little unnerving that I couldn't see another house from this area of the lake.
I was surprised to find that the thought of being alone with Henry wasn't scary. The idea of it only a few hours ago terrified me, but now that Charlie was safe, I didn't feel like he would hurt me. He was being almost kind since we argued at the first town, he was doing what he could to make things easier for me. I even tried to assist Henry with my shopping and bag, he refused gently and said I should go inside.
The inside of the lodge was an interesting mix of modernity and antiquity. The kitchen was modern and more extensive than I expected, but much of the furnishing had an old homely feel. There was a grand fireplace, which I hoped we could use, and it gave the whole room a lovely cosy feel despite its size. The rest of the ground floor had a narrow staircase leading to bedrooms upstairs, a bathroom, laundry and a mudroom. I hoped there was more than one bedroom. I didn't think I was ready to share a bed with Henry just yet.
"Henry," I called when he came into the kitchen with my shopping. "Do you eat regular food?"
Henry put my shopping on the bench. He was close to me, much too close. It was like he had never before heard of personal space. It was strange that I didn't feel the all powerful Pull to him like I had. I wondered if maybe we weren't mates after all. I knew it wasn't true, though. The hunger in his swirling amber and blood-red eyes said he still felt something. His nostrils flared when he got closer to me. Henry was so close to me I could feel his warm breath on my ear as he exhaled. I shivered as goosebumps danced down my arms and spine.
"We do," he said in a thick voice.
"Oh," I said. Henry's voice, so close to my ear, rolled through my body as if I could feel his words in every cell. I swallowed hard. "I think I have enough for both of us. I should have thought to ask before I shopped," I struggled to say in a faint voice.
He tilted his head towards me when I spoke like he wanted to hear every subtlety of my speech. Henry smiled and said, "I'm not hungry for food at the moment." His tongue slipped tantalisingly between his teeth, and he licked lips. I turned away quickly, feeling heat rush to my cheeks. With or without the bond, he was attractive. Very attractive and very seductive.
I cleared my throat and started to put away the perishables. I felt him hovering, unwilling to move away from me. Was this how it would be until I decided to consummate the bond? Was I going to be tempted by his magnetic charisma and desirability constantly? Henry was frustrating me, not only sexually. I was frustrated because I didn't know if I was genuinely attracted to him or if it was our biologies forcing us together. If I was going to be with him, I wanted it to be because I wanted to, not because fate or his Goddess willed it.
Turning away from Henry, I bent over to put some vegetables in the crisper. I heard him swear under his breath. I looked over my shoulder at him and asked, "Are you ok?" Henry slowly nodded. He wasn't looking at my face, instead, he was staring at my ass. My cheeks felt like they had burst into flames, and I wanted to run away. I went down on my haunches instead of bending at the waist and quickly put everything away.
"I need to go to the bathroom," I said when I had finished putting the food away. Henry followed, and as I went to close the door behind me, I hit Henry in the shoulder with it. "Um, alone," I said.
He gave himself a shake and a slight look of embarrassment washed over his features. "Right," he said and went out. I closed the door.
I didn't need to go to the bathroom, I just needed some space to collect my thoughts. I didn't know how but I had to develop an idea of how to play this. My attraction to Henry was strong. If things kept going the way they were, I don't think I would be able to resist Henry for long. But even as I thought it, I wondered if I really needed to. Charlie was safe, and everyone assured me that after bonding, I would eventually become sane again. I felt clearheaded now compared to last night. The necklace chaffed at my neck, and I thought about taking it off. No, not yet. I won't take it off until I'm sure I want to go ahead with the mating.
Thinking I had avoided Henry for long enough, I washed up and went back into the lounge. He was sitting on the sizeable, brown leather, three-seater sofa staring at me. He sat casually, his arms over the back of the lounge, emphasising his broad chest. His long muscular legs rested wide apart, drawing my eyes to the bulge at their apex. Henry gave me a smirk as he noticed where I was looking. Dammit.
"Where is my bag?" I asked, saying the first thing that popped into my head.
"In our room Little Fawn," Henry replied in his baritone voice.
I shivered as he addressed me so. I liked his pet name for me, but I didn't think I had ever heard him say my name and I wondered why. I hesitated as I took in the meaning of what he had said. "Our room?" I questioned.
"Well, yes," Henry said, getting up leisurely and making his way to me. "Was that too presumptuous?" My breath hitched as he approached. He moved with the grace of a big cat stalking his prey. His footsteps gave the illusion of laziness, but every step he took was a deliberate action and a deliberate enticement. I couldn't decide if his seductive movements were calculated or natural. From what I had seen of Vampires, I think it was a little of both.
"Yes, it was," I uttered weakly.
He looked disappointed. "Come." He said simply and led me upstairs.
"Thank you," I said.
Henry looked dejected as he entered the master bedroom and returned with his bag. "You can have this room," he said. Turning his body to the side, he sidled past me down the hall, and he didn't look at me.
I felt terrible for him. Henry had waited years to be alone with me, and I was doing everything I could to avoid him. He could have taken me years ago, but he didn't. He only did so now because his Father had forced his hand and because of the political situation he found himself in. I could hardly blame him for his biological drive to be with me. I needed time though and I wasn't wrong to want that. Maybe there was a middle ground, a way to spend time together without it being sexual.
"Henry," I blurted out. He looked at me with a guarded expression. "Would you like to eat dinner with me? Maybe, we could talk? Get to know each other."
The corner of Henry's mouth twitched like he was going to smile. "I'd be delighted, Little Fawn."
There was that name again. "You can call me Rowena if you want."
"You don't like Little Fawn?" Henry leaned in his doorway with an arm lazily draped against the frame above his head, and he bit his bottom lip. My heart skipped a beat. At that moment, I saw why I was his Little Fawn. I was as helpless as a fawn would be in front of a lion. Henry was a lion. He exuded power, not just because he was a vampire, but because Henry executed every movement with predatory and dominant ease. He knew he was the strongest, most powerful creature, the king of the savannah, so to speak.
"I suppose it is apt for the situation," I said in a small voice.
Henry dropped his bag into his room and shepherded me against the hallway's wall until he had me cornered. Henry was close, but our bodies didn't touch. Henry's eyes searched my face as I struggled to control my panting breath. He put his hand on the side of my head and gently kissed my forehead. I heard him take a shuddering breath and was relieved I wasn't the only one dealing with breathing troubles. He rested his forehead against mine, and for a few moments, we tested our self-restraint.
He stepped back and said, "I'll meet you in the kitchen in 30 minutes."
I nodded my head, and we went to our rooms.
After putting my phone on charge and unpacking the few pieces of clothes I brought with me, I started pacing the room anxiously. There was still twenty minutes before Henry expected me downstairs. I tried to organise my thoughts, think about what questions I still had, what I wanted to know about mating and being a Vampire. Concentrating proved difficult, my heart still raced, and my breathing had not returned to normal.
I needed to calm down. My body cried out for relief from an ache I hadn't felt for years. I was so unused to feeling any sexual desire, it was like I didn't know how to deal with the feelings. Even with Alex, the desire had seemed like teenaged hormone running rampant. The desire I felt for Henry was different and it scared me.
Looking around the room, I spied the bathroom and decided a shower would help pass the time. I needed to have one anyway. I had been in too much of a rush to escape Lawrence and David that I hadn't had time for one. A shower would calm me down too. Ever since having Charlie, it had become a place of calming solace, a place where I could stay uninterrupted and centre myself.
Stripping off in the bathroom, I was grateful there were clean towels under the sink and that I had thought to purchase my preferred body wash. I took off the silver jewellery and got into the warm shower. The warm water reminded me of Henry's warm embrace last night. His steely arms had held me firmly but with a tenderness I would never have expected his body was capable of, and the memory stirred a passion within me. I felt heat bloom deep in my gut, and my body started to burn with an intense desire for my mate. I wanted to feel him inside me, feel his beautiful fangs penetrate me and take nourishment from my veins.
As if summoned by my thoughts, I heard Henry's voice on the other side of the door. Turning the shower off, I went to him.
My hand went to open the door, but Henry's voice urgently called out. "Don't open the door."
Breathless and ardent, I cried, "Why not?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Put the silver back on." Then his words were muffled, but it almost sounded like he said please.
My hand went to open the door again, and this time there was no doubt. Henry's words, though strained, were clear. "Please, Little Fawn. Don't open the door. Put your necklace back on."
I glanced at the necklace and other jewellery. Not understanding why I felt repulsed by the chain, I shook my head. I wanted to tell Henry no and run to him, throw myself at his mercy. But I also wanted to do what Henry asked. I fought with myself, unsure of what to do. I went to the counter where I left the antique necklace. Scrunching my nose up, I lifted the necklace and, opening the clasp, I looked in the mirror to place it on my neck.
"Fuck!" Henry shouted at the door. The door rattled in its hinges as something hit it. In a softer but urgent tone, he said, "Hurry."
I placed the silver jewellery on my neck, and I shook my head trying to clear my ardent thoughts. As the silver connected with my skin and I closed the clasp, the dreamlike state I had just been in vanished, and I felt my mind clear. Giving my head another shake, I asked Henry, "What the hell was that?" I pulled a towel around me and slumped down on the floor with my back against the door, and tried to get my fluttering heart under control.
Henry didn't reply for a while, I could hear him breathing on the other side of the door, so I knew he hadn't gone anywhere. "That, Little Fawn, was the mating Pull. Silver is not just poisonous to us. It also interrupts our magic."
"So, when I'm wearing it, what I feel is real?" I asked half to Henry and half to myself, trying to understand what he was saying.
"I don't know for sure, but I think so."
I sat on the cold tiles a few moments longer, processing what he said. I had been ready to allow Henry to take me. If he hadn't stopped me, I would have offered myself to him. How did Henry have the strength of mind to stop me? He must have felt as I did but still could say no. I was impressed by his control and touched that he respected me enough not to take advantage of the situation.
Standing up, I opened the door and found Henry sitting on the floor in the same position I had been. His eyes raked over my body, and I felt naked despite the towel. Ok, so opening the door probably wasn't the best idea. Henry stood up sluggishly as if exhausted. "Thank you," I said, not meeting his eyes.
Henry reached his hand out and touched my bare, still damp shoulder with the back of his finger and ran it down my arm. In a voice thick with desire, he said, "You should get dressed, my Little Fawn. I'll meet you downstairs." Then he fled. Literally, one second he was there, the next he was gone.
Still reeling, I dried off and got dressed in some yoga pants and a sweater. I replaced the wrist jewellery but left off the thigh bands, they were too uncomfortable. They also didn't seem necessary now that I could see Henry had some control when he was with me. I was glad for the silver, though. I felt so much better knowing that my feelings towards Henry weren't just based on the the Pull. And smiling, I realised that his feelings mustn't be either.