I stepped out of the room for the first time today. I didn't come out yesterday after Elowen asked me to.
The hallway was empty. I took the stairs downstairs and saw Elowen seated at the table. Dakarai was also there.
"Good morning" I mumbled. I didn't look at any of them in the eyes.
"Paisley" it was Dakarai who called me. I looked at him and he beckoned me over.
"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding the other day. I'm working to get to the bottom of all this" I forced a smile and moved back to my former position.
Elowen handed me a coat and I quickly put it on just as we heard footsteps. Brayan showed up at the door of the steps.
"Let's go" Elowen took my arms and we walked ahead of the two men.
The outside air was cold and I was shaking under my coat. We finally met up with the elderly women. They were all in brown make shift dresses and a white scarf tied tightly around their heads.
"Welcome" Gwyneth said. The other three women flanked her.
Ramona turned around and went to get the large calabash seating on a rock. She dipped her hand into it and brought out two smaller calabashes and handed one to Zaniyah and the other to Saoirse.
"Come child" Zaniyah called me and I followed her. Brayan followed Saoirse and they went in the opposite direction.
When we were far from the others, Zaniyah stopped walking and set the calabash on the floor.
"Strip child" she commanded in a gentle tone and I started taking off my clothes. The chilly air hit my bare skin and I shivered.
She opened the calabash and a sweet smell filled the air. There was a red cream like substance inside the calabash.
She dipped her hand into it and smeared it all over my skin. Each part the cream touched caused tingles over my body.
"It's the blessed mating cream. Very essential for this ritual" she mumbled as she smeared the cream on my back. I wondered if Brayan was undergoing this part of the ritual like I was. Did he strip bare before Saoirse as she smeared the cream all over him.
After she was done, she packed up the calabash.
"Wait here" she walked away leaving me naked in the middle of the forest.
I stood still, listening to the sound of the birds chirping. I wondered if I was close to the human town by any chance. Could I make a run for it?
That was stupid. I would only cost my family their life.
I heard a sound from behind me and I turned quickly. There was nobody there. I heard another sound and I was about to scream, when Gwyneth stepped into my line of sight.
"You are ready for the third ritual" she circled me.
"This ritual is about trust" I scoffed.
Trust? Brayan did not trust me. Maybe this ritual was going to fail.
"Walk with me" I reached for my clothes but she stopped me.
"You won't need them"
I walked beside her and she continued speaking.
"You must trust your male to find and rescue you"
Find and rescue me?
"Why does it sound like I'm being kidnapped" she laughed loudly while I stared at her with a frown.
"You're not. Your situation until your male finds you will be uncomfortable but you must not fear. He will find you" I didn't like the sound of this.
"You will also meet his beast. Be rest assured, he will not hurt you. The second part of the ritual is where he must put his trust in you"
I listened intently but a thousand thoughts were running through my head at this moment.
I stepped on a pile of dried grasses, and something caught my leg. I squealed as I was lifted into the air with my legs and I was hanging upside down the tree.
Gwyneth just stared at me as I struggled to get down.
"Help me get down"
"Only your male can do that for you" fuck. This was the uncomfortable situation she talked about.
"The second part of the ritual must be completed by you. Once your male finds you, he will seek body contact with you. What Zaniyah had applied on your body, will dull his senses and he will be unable to lead you to the private cabin"
"How the fuck do I find the damn cabin" I asked angrily. How was i supposed to find it when I didn't have a heightened sense of smell or know the direction of the damn cabin.
"Head straight until the end of the forest and you will find it"
"Straight from where? The north? Or the East?" I asked her but she was already walking away. Fucking hell. What sort of description was that.
I hung there for so long, the blood rushing to my head and I kept waiting for Brayan to find me.
A loud snarl coming from somewhere in the forest chilled my bones. Was that Brayan or was it some wild animal. I stayed still and tried to will the fear away.
I heard the snarl again. It was closer this time. My eyes went to the direction it came from and I heard a rustle from the bushes. A large wolf jumped out from the bushes and stopped beneath me. His head moved up and our eyes met. His eyes were pitch black and when I saw his canines, the fear returned.
He snarled again, saliva dripping from his jaw. He looked hungry and he had his eyes on me. I stayed still, not daring to move an inch while the wolf looked at me. He slowly circled the tree and returned to its former spot and sat on his haunches.
He licked at his foot.
"Brayan" I called and his head snapped up. He looked like he was studying me again.
"Brayan" I called again. Desperation in my voice. I felt like I was going to pass out soon.
"Brayan" I called out again. He didn't move from his spot and I concluded he wasn't going to help me.
My eyes closed slowly and I resigned to my fate. The darkness was taking over me when I suddenly fell through the air and landed on the pile of grass. The wolf came around and licked at my face and body.
While I waited for the world to stop spinning, I didn't notice that the wolf was no longer beside me. It was Brayan who now stood in its place, as naked as I was.
"Paisley" his voice was soft and he lifted me into his arms.
"I can't smell a thing" he muttered under his breath.
"Straight" I said weakly and he started moving. He walked for a long while. When will we ever get to the end of the forest?
Finally, we came to a stop. I heard the sound of waves and I saw a river. He carried both of us into the flowing river.
After he had washed off every substance from our bodies, he carried us out again. I noticed the cabin was close now.
The tingle between my legs, started instantly and it felt like I was leaking a river down there. He growled harshly and carried me into the warm cabin.
He set me on the bed in the bedroom. His lips brushed my cheeks and his eyes showed his internal battle. He shook his head and was about to leave when I pulled him onto me and kissed him roughly.