--------------V A L E R I A N-------------
"Snow!"
The grin on Kaitlyn's lips lit up her entire face. It was contagious enough to make my own lips tug into a smile. I've never seen her smile so wide.
It's mesmerizing. She is mesmerizing.
"I heard you like snow but you never got to see it." I explain reminiscing her words from the day she was drunk on pixie brew as I took a step forward.
Dusting off the tiny bead of snowflake stuck to her hair, "I thought this would cheer you up from the unsettling feeling."
Her blue eyes connected with mine, that smile on her face wavering for a minute only to grow wider, "Thank you."
I smiled back, not being able to help myself before grabbing her hand and tugging her along.
"Don't you want to play with the snow?" I ask over my shoulder, a smirk pulling at my lips as I contemplated my next words, "Or make snow angels?"
Kaitlyn's mouth parted in surprise, "How did you. . . ?"
"A drunk man's words are a sober person's thoughts." I mumble under my breath but she seems to hear it, ofcourse.
Dang lycan hearing.
"What else did I say while being drunk on the brew? I didn't do anything stupid, did I?" She asked following behind me, her eyes alarmed.
Except for attempting to kiss me, hug me, calling my voice sexy and kissing my neck and cheek, you pretty much did not do anything stupid.
Knowing the answer would have her running to the nearest hill, I simply reply with a, "No, you didn't."
I mean, I'd call that anything but stupid. My brain couldn't even function properly that day from the way my skin had heated up at her touches.
Shaking away the image of her sultry eyes from that day, I focus on the snowy forest of Helvon.
This forest is the closest to the entrance of the underworld. Hence it always snows here. Before you think that the closest place to Hell should be the warmest, let me tell you two things.
a) Hell is anything but warm.
It's a cold, lifeless place. So icy that walking barefoot on the land might end you freezing and burning at the same time as the feeling of the chilly ice underneath your feet numbed your nerves.
b) Only demons or accomplices of the demons can enter through the gateway of Helvon.
So if any other creature wished to visit Helvon, they can either accompany a demon or not go at all. The invisible wall will stop them on their path anyways. To add to it, the underworld is the last place you'd want to visit, alive.
Getting my attention back on my mate, I find her glancing around excitedly, her hands still clasped in mine. My eyes softened at the joy on her face. What I would do to keep that smile on her face forever.
Kaitlyn's eyes snapped to mine and I schooled my features so that she doesn't notice me openly ogling at her.
"Will you. . ." Her words trailed as she looked at the snow and then at me, bitting her lips as if contemplating her next words.
My gaze automatically dropped to those soft plush lips. The same lips she'd kissed me with. The same lips whose taste still lingered in my mouth like an addictive drug. I had the itchy feeling to release those lips from her teeth and place my own on—
Ugh! Valerian, stop thinking! Just stop thinking!
After scolding myself enough in my head for acting like a horny teenager, I focused my attention back on Kaitlyn only to realize she was waiting for me to answer something.
But what?
"Uh, my brain became numb-" Kaitlyn raised a brow as I stopped mid-sentence.
Oh, God. What am I speaking?!
Clearing my throat, I just replied with a simple, "Yes. I'll do that."
I don't even know what I'd agreed to do. But let's just assume it was a rhetorical question. Either ways, I'd do anything she'd ask of me.
"Are you sure?" Kaitlyn looked like she was about to laugh at my reply.
The fact itself had me solidifying my rhetorical reply. If it makes her happy, anything is fine.
At the nod of my head, she pulled her hand out of mine making me instantly miss the warmth. I had this huge urge to whine like a child at the lack of contact but shut the thought out the moment it came.
"So, the one who makes the biggest snowman wins. What do you say?" Kaitlyn asks making the wheels in my head spin.
"Are we perhaps having a snowman making contest?" The moment I say the words I regret it sorely as she gives me a 'are you serious' look.
"You just agreed to it a minute ago." She deadpans.
I smile at the tone of her voice and nod my head along, "Yes, I'm sorry."
"Why are you even apologizing?" She smiles shaking her head before gesturing to the snow, "Shall we?"
"Yes, mam." I give her a mock salute and see her bite back another smile.
We scoot down at a distance from each other as we start collecting the snow for the snowman. I see Kaitlyn rubbing her hands to create warmth within them after dumping the snow on the unshaped snow ball that had started to form.
When it's apparent her hands are numb from gathering the ice, I dump down my snow ball and walk over to her. Kaitlyn looks up at me as I approach her.
Once I'm in front of her, "Give me your hand."
She gives me a quizzical look but brings forward her hand anyway. I grab it as gently as possibly. My heart clenches at how cold they've become from the warmth a few minutes ago. Gently caressing her palms with my fingers to create warmth, I pull out the leather glove from my pocket which I always carry around and usher it down her hands.
Kaitlyn just stares as I make her wear the black gloves. When I look up, she's staring straight at me with a strange expression on her face.
"You should wear it yourself." She says finally.
I entwine my fingers with her lathered ones, "You're offering me that even when your own hands are cold?" I smile gazing into her eyes.
Her cheeks heat up a bit, I don't know whether it's from the cold or not but it makes her look even more lovely.
"You're quite peachy today." She says, her eyes boring at our entwined hands.
I smile seeing her eyes soften considerably as I pull out another snowflake from the many stuck on her hair, "Shouldn't I be? I'm having a moment with my mate."
This time her eyes narrow but the colour in her cheeks intensifies, "There's no moment happening here." She deadpans again pulling her hands out of mine.
I chuckle at the way her eyes and her words are saying different things and how her cheeks heat up even more if possible. Oh, they aren't because of the snow. Now I can tell.
The fact has me chuckling even more making her eyes narrow at me. That for some reason makes me burst out in laughter. She looks so cute glaring and blushing at the same time.
When I don't stop, Kaitlyn gives a hard glare before bending down to pick up snow from the land.
Understanding her moves all too well, "No. You can't." I say with wide eyes but my laugh doesn't stop and that seems to be her last string as she launches the snow at my face.
"You did not just do that." I mumble in shock as the chilly snow slides down my face like watery mud.
"Have you perhaps lost your sight, Milord?" Kaitlyn smirked, "Because I'm pretty sure I threw the snow at you." She bends down again gathering another fistful of snow while I gawk at her openly, "Like this." She laughs throwing the snow at me again.
"This is not fair!" I shake off the snow from my hair and launch towards her with a fistful of snow myself.
Kaitlyn runs laughing at my flabbergasted self seemingly enjoying my misery. Despite the playfulness of the moment, my heart warms at the sound of her laughter ringing in my ears. She finally seems to be feeling better than the unsettled feeling of yesterday.
Just when I'm about to reach her, she rushes faster running out of my reach. God, she's fast.
I stop with heavy breaths and place my arms on my knees as an idea starts forming in my head. Kaitlyn stops as well to look at me and her smile turns into a saccharine one.
"Can't catch up, Your Highness?" She raises a brow playfully.
I ignore her and gaze down at the snow. Play the brute until she's close enough to attack.
"Don't call me by the titles." I mumble under my breath which I know she can hear clearly.
"Aren't you our High lord though?" She laughs.
I ignore, not retorting which makes her furrow her brow and take a step closer.
"You don't like it." She states as if suddenly realizing the fact,"Why?"
I still don't reply. Damn, why's she so smart? I don't like the title in general for an unfilial reason. But I don't like it when she calls me by them especially.
"Valerian?" Her voice grows tender souring my heart but I remain rooted to my spot not meeting her eyes.
When I see her feet nearing in my peripheral vision, a cunning smile stretches to my lips. In a quick move, I grab a fistful of snow and launch up to throw it at her.
But she seems to be more closer than I'd anticipated and in the suddenness of the action, she jerks back almost falling to the hard ground. I put my arms around her at the last moment to hold her still although it doesn't go as well planned due to the slippery-ness of the snowy land which has us both spiraling down—falling. Her on her behind and me on top of her.
I turn our positions quickly so it is me who's having the higher impact of the fall and wrap my arms around her cooconing her in an embrace.
A groan leaves my mouth as I fall on my butt on the hard, cold ground. The only thing good about the situation was Kaitlyn being on top of me.
Once we've recovered from the shock of the fall, she lifts her head off my chest and stares down at me with those beautiful blue eyes. I stare back seeing the reflection of my green ones clearly within her orbs. The position we were in was scandalous. Each inch of her body is pressed to mine, my arms are around her waist, her arms on my chest, our eyes wide, breaths labored and faces just inches apart.
My heartbeat accelerates without my consent and not being able to help myself, my eyes drop down from the blues of her eyes to the inviting pinks of her lips. They're as soft as they look. . . .
Kaitlyn's eyes follow my path and through the way our bodies are pressed up together, I hear her own heart picking up speed to meet mine.
Like a magnet, I'm gravitated towards her. Her tongue wets her bottom lip before she bites down on it. My arms tighten around her at the gesture. Why does she always do that? This woman will be the death of me.
My free hand moves over to cup her cheek as I inch my face closer to hers. Kaitlyn shuts her eyes. I smile. Our lips are about to connect when a loud bark jerks us from the haze.
Kaitlyn and my eyes go wide and we whisk our heads to the source of the sound to find a huge black sickly-looking hound barking a few feet away.
It's venom drips down it's snout as it growls ferociously at us taking predatory steps ahead with it's unusually stick-like legs. Kaitlyn's alarmed eyes turn to me as she notices the red eye colour of the hound and it's malnourished form.
"It's rabid!" She squeals getting of off me and jumping like a spring.
Her eyes are anxious as she scoots closer to me the moment I stand up as the hound inches nearer. Ignoring the hound, I glance sideways at Kaitlyn to see the terrified look on her face.
"Hey, it won't do anything." I say softly trying to calm her down.
Her eyes snap to mine, "I. . . have a phobia of rabid animals. . ."
My insides soften at the fear behind those cerulean eyes. Pulling her closer, I lift her up in my arms. She looks up at me, alarm and confusing marring her features.
"We'll make the snowman and snow angels next time." I shut my eyes willing my wings to get out.
The moment I feel the ripple of bones at my back, I open my eyes, "Let's go."
Kaitlyn's face drops as she nods along. I run my hand along the side of her face, "Don't worry, we won't be going back to Lycor yet. You can have some time to yourself in Raveria and then I'll drop you back in Lycor."
Kaitlyn keeps her eyes shut for the rest of the way to Raveria. Her silence makes my own mood dull. Everything was going so well and then the hound came along and ruined it.
I whisk into my room through the window once we're near the castle and settle Kaitlyn down back on her footing.
"You know when someone calls me by any title, it reminds me of my father. He used to say that the very title I despised on him would be mine one day. And that I'd be using the very thing to protect myself. He used to say how it made him and me so similar. I hated him. Being like him was the last thing I wanted. But at the end of the day, I did use my power to hurt people. I did become like him." I don't know why I tell this to her but before I knew I was speaking.
Something about her silence had made my spirits down and it just came out of my mouth before I could comprehend it.
"You're nothing like him." Kaitlyn's eyes fixed on me with strong intent.
The sterness in her voice bought a smile to my face. I tilted my head to the side in amusement as a warm feeling erupted in my chest.
"Why did you kill your father, Valerian?" She asked all of a sudden making my body freeze at the question.
The moment she took into my still self, she shook her head apologetically, "I'm sorry if I crossed the line. Just ignore the question if you don't want to speak about it. I'll understand."
"No, it's not that. . ." My voice trailed as I tried to ward of the memories of that day.
"He won't be able to give you the reason, Kaitlyn." A familiar voice spoke.
We both turned to the source of the sound to find Eleanor leaning against the doorframe of my room observing us silently.
She stood straighter from her position and started approaching Kaitlyn and I. My eyes turned to her in warning but she just stared at Kaitlyn as she said,
"Because Valerian wasn't the one to kill his father," Eleanor's eyes snapped to mine, "I was."
We all thought Valerian killed his father, didn't we? Hehe...surprise💀
Anyways, Why do you think Eleanor killed her mate who she loved so much?
I put a Q&A for Valerian on my Instagram. So if you have anything to ask the king, go on and drop down the question there and I'll make sure Valerian isn't rude and replies to them courteously >.<
Instagram ID : Mystery_angel6