Elodie
The next few days fly by, and I love every single minute of it. At least, I love every minute I spend with Barre.
When I'm left alone I start to get antsy. I glance out the windows, pulling the curtains closed to protect myself from the thought of Locanas. The fear of him seems to be more dangerous than the threat of the guy himself. I'm shocked he hasn't shown up yet. But the shadow of him still continues to loom over me.
I half expect him to bang down the door, demanding that Barre hand me over.
But after being around him, I know he wouldn't do that. He's sweet. Wonderful. Everything I've ever dreamed of, and more.
The big guy is pretty quiet, and stoick. His face is always so serious. Barre is the strong, silent type I've come to learn. But he seems to like me. He prioritizes me, and that doesn't go unnoticed. It's a rare thing, on Earthat least.
Every morning I wake up with an empty bed and the memory of his arms around me. I hobble to the kitchen where a hot, delicious breakfast awaits. He guides me to the table and serves me food while he redresses my wounds. His touch is always so careful and measured, and I can't seem to take my eyes off of him.
Barre makes me feel lazy with how much he does for me. But, he makes it look so easy, so effortless. And it's as if he doesn't mind one bit. He keeps the fires going, making the house warm constantly. He's gentle, but so big that it would seem impossible to be so careful. And yet, I don't doubt his strength.
I wake up this morning with a grin. After a few days of sitting inside, curiosity has been growing inside of me, and I suddenly want to look around. Of course, Barre is gone from the bed and the aroma of food being cooked travels through the house like every other morning.
I've been here for awhile, but I haven't seen Barre's pet since he carried me in through the front door. The dog-like creature didn't come into the house with us. He left it outside. I want to see it again, and sneaking outside is the only way to go.
It's not lost on me that the animal saved me. Without it, I wouldn't have been discovered by Barre. Who knows how long I would've been trapped out there, or what would've happened to me. I shiver at the thought. That dog deserves my appreciation.
So, I slide out of bed silently so my Rytarian warrior won't notice. He likes to keep an eye on me, and I have a feeling that he wouldn't want me outside. I'll have to be sneaky.
I pull at one of the many blankets piled high on the bed, wrapping the soft thing around my shoulders and tiptoeing down the hall and towards the front door. I check around the corner, making sure that I can't see Barre. He's nowhere to be seen.
I know the dog is outside on the porch. I've seen him or her walking around outside the window. He paces and sniffs, treading it's territory with it's head held high.
My curiosity grows as I reach for the front door. I look over my shoulder at the sounds that still echo from the kitchen. Barre hasn't noticed my secret mission yet, so I count that as a win.
The door knob isn't exactly silent when I click it to the side. It's a little chilly this morning, but it's comfortable. The hardwood of the porch creaks underneath my bare feet, the thick wood is damp under my cold toes, but I continue my pursuit. The trickling of rain is constant all around me, but the sound is nothing compared to the fierce growl that pierces the air.
The beast runs up to me, eyes blazing. It's so big and scary that my automatic reaction is to take a step back out of reluctance.
The dog-like monster stops suddenly in front of me, brown and white fur raised in alarm as it sniffs at me with his muzzle. It's head goes to my shoulders, taller than any canine I've seen. The small, black horns on it's head point backwards and run almost completely parallel to it's skull.
It's cute, with floppy ears and thick, plush fur. It's also scary. Red eyes, sharp teeth, huge paws. It's practically two of me.
Eventually it's growling ends rather abruptly. It's tail begins wagging and it bends it's head, nuzzling my hand with it's long snout.
I begin petting it, and it's purr is back again. It sounds like a huge cat. It rubs it's massive head against my open palm.
"Good boy. Who's a good boy?" The truth is I don't know if it's a boy or a girl. I sneak a peak on the underside of its body to see a definite sign of male-hood between his legs.
Definitely a boy then.
The dog turns, rubbing the side of his body on me as I continue scratching his coat all the way down his back. He's clearly enjoying the affection. I'm glad that he likes me, it would be pretty scary if he hated me. He could easily kill me if he wanted to.
"You're just a big ole sweet heart, aren't you?" I try to refrain from the baby talk, but I can't help it. This giant dog is so sweet, despite his appearance. His fur is soft, and he smells like the woods. He doesn't have a speck of dirt on him either. I like his ruggedness.
It just reminds me of his owner.
As if summoned by my thoughts, the front door swings open, making me jump, and Barre steps out into the drizzly morning, feet stomping.
The Rytarian has a disapproving look on his face as he watches me with his pet. I notice that Barre glances at my shoeless feet and growls low in his throat, shaking his head. I roll my eyes at him.
"Dupeshma Relinkas." He mutters, stepping forward to my side. I shrug. The language barrier is frustrating sometimes, but it doesn't make communication completely impossible.
"How come you leave this sweet guy out here all the time?" I wonder out loud, patting the dog on the back as his tail continues to wag happily. "It doesn't seem fair."
Barre grunts.
"Salsh." He calls, and the dog's ears perk up. He runs over to Barre, sitting at his feet, ears raised and eyes wide with attention. I'm guessing that's his name.
"Salsh." I replicate the word, and Barre stares at me with surprise in his eyes as the dog runs back to me. Before I know it, I'm being assaulted with slobbery dog kisses all over my face.
I laugh, pushing at his chest as the licks keep coming, he's too strong for me to push away. I hear a deep chuckle that sends a tingle down my spine. Even Barre's laugh is sexy. I haven't heard him do that. I could get used to that.
Salsh is pulled backwards by his collar, and I see Barre effortlessly holding his pet back. He shakes his head, watching his dog. I take the opportunity to admire his arm muscles as he holds Salsh's collar with one hand. The veins make me want to drool a little bit.
"Ashba dars relinkas yatushla." He admonishes, and the dog cocks his head to the side, as if even he understands what Barre says.
He claps him on the head, releasing his hold, and the animal runs off the deck and into the yard. I watch him disappear around the house with a bit of sadness. I nervously glance back at Barre, feeling somewhat guilty for coming outside without him knowing or without permission.
He gets closer to me, and I scoot back, wondering what he'll do next. Barre isn't looking at me. Instead, he's looking to where his dog ran.
Heavy hands land on my shoulders, and his thumb gently caresses the place between my neck and shoulder, his palm traveling upward. I shiver, a brief shot of desire shooting down my spine. I'm not used to that feeling. As much as I check him out, I rarely feel horny.
"Relinkas, destri massa trelip." He murmurs tenderly, and I raise my eyebrows as if the only reason I can't understand him is because I wasn't paying attention.
He's so warm, so inviting. I lean into him. I'm constantly realizing that I'm becoming increasingly obsessed with him. His hand is still caressing my neck, travelling across my shoulder gently. Barre tilts his head to the cabin with his thick neck, and I get the message.
"Okay, bossy." I sigh. Bossy is the best fitting nickname I've found for my rescuer. And that's what he is. He rescued me. From Locanas, from the cold and the dark. I would be lost without him. But, he is very bossy. I guess I'm okay with that.
And that's another thing, even as I walk into the safe haven that is Barre's bungalow, a chill creeps up my spine when I remember Locanas. I can still feel his breath washing over me, his enormous, wandering grip that traced my curves without permission.
Barre notices me stop in the foyer, he closes the door and quickly goes back to touching me. He's extremely touchy. I like it. Maybe too much. His touch, its so different from Locanas. He's so different from Locanas.
He seems to sense my fear, because he grabs my hand in his. I pause, relishing the feel of his rough fingertips scratching against me.
Wordlessly, Barre leads me into the kitchen to shove more food in my mouth. The man is always feeding me like his life depends on it. I can't complain. I love to eat, and he's an amazing cook.
But I can't focus while I eat, or while the day disappears, quickly turning into night. All I can think of is Barre. I stare at him constantly, enamoured by him. It amazes me that someone so large can move so fluidly. And his scars and facial hair, they make his sharp face mysterious and so handsome that I can't drag my gaze away from him.
Finally, the sun sets. The day went by fast, but its not always like that. Because the night is my favorite. Some days I spend hours waiting around as Barre does chores. I follow him wherever he goes, carefully observing and trying to help where I can.
I just love going to bed for the night. It's the best part of all of it. I get to hold him, and he holds me right back.
Barre draws me a bath, as he does every night. I quickly run through the process of scrubbing and rinsing every inch of my body with his bar of soap. The water is hot and refreshing, and I like the idea of being nice and clean before bed.
I get dressed in one of Barre's shirts, which is more than a dress on me. It makes me feel like a child. But the fabric is so soft, and it just smells like him.
When I get to his bedroom, he's standing at the window, staring out into the pitch black night. He turns when he hears me enter the room. I freeze, standing in the doorframe with my arms crossed.
He's shirtless. Again. I gulp, trying to look anywhere but his rock hard 6-pack and the v shaped curve of his hips. He finally moves, for which I'm glad. He lifts the covers off the bed, taking a small, unsure step back.
I rush forward, fully aware of the excitement I display when I can't control myself. I can't help it though.
Curling up in the covers, I moan at the warmth and comfort of the bed. I glance up to see Barre standing over me with a darkness in his mismatched eyes. I gulp, suddenly nervous that I've done something wrong. He flicks the light off, and it takes my eyes a second to adjust.
To gain back his favor, I open my arms wide in an obvious invitation for him to join me. He freezes, seeming like he can't move a single muscle as he stares down at me.
Before I know it, he's climbing over me and letting my arms wrap around his warm, hard body.
Barre sighs into my hair, groaning as his muscles release their tension. The dark consumes me, and I feel myself relax. When I'm here, I feel unbelievably safe, like nothing can hurt me ever again.
I can't help but wonder if this is what I've been waiting for all along.
Double update:)
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