"It's cold outside!"
"You're in Canada during the dead of winter, of course it's cold outside!"
I huffed and planted my feet firmly into the snow, causing Adam to sigh.
"You have to learn to shift. It's a necessity for you at this point," he said firmly, folding his arms across his chest.
"I don't want to. It hurts, and I have nothing to change into afterwards."
Adam held up the long, black dressing robe in his hands. "That's why I have this."
I shook my head.
I can't believe this. I should have just lied to him when he asked me about shifting.
We stood in the tree line on the edge of the forest that was a few hundred feet away from the castle. We were well hidden by the bushy evergreens from anyone who might have been looking on, but that didn't stop me from being mortified. Shifting for the very first time was an intimate thing, and I wasn't so sure I wanted to share it with Adam.
I don't want to take my clothes off in front of him. I don't want him to see me in pain.
Adam stood there, his patience running thin.
"Listen, I cancelled all my morning meetings to come out here with you. Can you please just shift?" He asked.
"I didn't ask you to cancel meetings. I'm not even the one who wanted to be out here. I'm not shifting," I said stubbornly.
"Would it help if I do it first?" He offered.
I was curious about what his wolf looked like, but I wouldn't let my curiosity get the best of me.
"No."
Adam growled silently, clearly getting very frustrated with me. When he threw the robe over a branch and began to remove his clothes, I panicked.
"What are you doing?"
He unbuckled his belt and undid the zipper on his pants before pulling them down.
"Someone is going to see you!" I warned.
"So?" He asked, taking his shirt off.
"So?" I repeated incredulously. "You're stripping naked in two feet of snow in front of a castle full of people and that's all you've got to say?"
He smirked. "You're the only person I care about seeing me naked."
"Oh my God," I mumbled.
He pulled down his boxer briefs and I grimaced, looking up at the tree tops. I knew once I saw him completely naked, I wouldn't be able to un-see it.
"Look at me," he said.
I shook my head and he laughed.
"You suffer from serious second-hand embarrassment," he noted.
"It's not second-hand embarrassment if you're not embarrassed," I countered.
"Look at me," he repeated.
When I didn't move, he made his way over to me and gently grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.
"You need to see it."
My eyes got wide. "Need to see what?"
Adam laughed. "Me, as I shift."
My cheeks were burning. I tried to shove him away, but he caught my wrists and pushed me against the tree behind me.
My breath hitched in my throat.
"I'm not watching you," I whispered.
He smirked, his face close to mine.
"I'm not shy."
"Clearly."
He leaned in to kiss me.
"Adam! Is that you?"
I gasped and threw my hand over my mouth hearing Adam's father.
Adam rolled his eyes and quickly grabbed his boxer briefs from the ground and put them on. "What do you want, Dad?"
Malcom walked into the forest where we were. "Oh, it is you! Am I interrupting something?" He asked, eyeing Adam and I.
"Actually-"
"-No, you're not," I interrupted.
"Actually," Adam reiterated, shooting me a glare, "I was just trying to convince Evie to shift for the first time."
Adam's father scowled at this. "And I suppose you thought standing stark naked in front of her would help her to concentrate? Put some clothes on, boy!"
I tried not to laugh as Adam glared at him and began to put on his shirt.
"Follow me, dear," Malcom instructed me, pulling the robe down from the tree branch. He took me by the hand and led me deeper into the forest.
Adam followed behind us as he finished putting his pants and shoes on.
"She doesn't need you to touch her for her to follow you," Adam said, pulling Malcom's hand away from mine.
"You need to be quiet if you're coming along," Malcom warned him. However, he respected Adam's wishes and placed his hands at his side as we walked deeper into the forest.
We walked in silence for a few minutes.
Where is he taking me?
We came to a small clearing where a shallow pond was frozen over.
"Here is good," Malcom decided.
"What are we doing?" I asked him.
"We are doing nothing," he said, pointing to himself and Adam. "You, my dear, are going to go out and sit on the ice."
"You're joking..."
He shook his head. "Go on."
"Why can't I just sit here?" I asked him.
"The ice will cause you to think about your movements and to become more aware of yourself, now go."
I looked at Adam for help but he just winked at me.
So doing your crazy father's bidding is punishment for not shifting?
I huffed and cautiously put my foot on the ice. It seemed sturdy, but I still felt uneasy. I turned around and Malcom put his hands up to stop me from saying anything else.
Sighing, I put my feet on the ice, careful not to make any sudden movements.
I'm going to bust my ass out here.
I slowly shuffled my feet to the center of the pond.
"Is here alright?" I asked.
"Perfect," Malcom said. "Now sit."
I rolled my eyes.
He really is insane.
I sat down slowly, putting my feet out in front of me. "Now what?"
"Breathe deeply," he said.
I scoffed.
"This is not Kung Fu Panda and I am not the Dragon Warrior," I reminded him.
By the confused look on his face, I gathered he didn't get the reference.
"Go on," he prodded me. "Close your eyes, breathe deeply."
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
This is ridiculous.
"Again," Malcome instructed.
I took another deep breath.
"Do you feel it?" He asked.
"The only thing I feel is the ice melting through my pants."
I heard Adam chuckle and Malcom gave a disgruntled sigh.
"You're supposed to feel her," he said. "Feel your inner wolf."
Her?
I shook my head. "I'm not feeling anyone."
"It's because you're not taking this seriously," Malcom said pointedly.
I opened my eyes.
"The only thing I can focus on right now is the fact that I can't feel my nose or my fingers."
He shook his head. "We'll try again tomorrow."
I sighed and stood up, carefully making my way back over to them. When I was a few feet away from solid ground, my left foot slipped and I fell back against the ice.
Ouch.
"You alright, love?" Adam asked, striding out towards me.
"Don't touch me," I said as he reached out to pick me up. "I can get up myself."
I went to stand up and my right leg slid out from under me, causing me to fall back to the ground. At that point, my pride hurt more than I did.
But, when I heard the ice crack, I panicked.
"Adam!"
I had barely screamed before the ice gave way and the bottom half of my body went under the freezing water.
Quickly, Adam grabbed my arms and lifted me out.
My bottom half was soaked to the skin and I freezing.
"Cover her."
Malcom handed Adam the robe.
Adam wrapped it around my legs as my teeth chattered. He lifted me into his arms and carried me back through the forest, Malcom hot on our trail.
We reached the castle and Adam carried me swiftly up the several flights of stairs to his bedroom.
I can't carry myself up these stairs and he's not even breaking a sweat.
"Hope you feel better, darling! Don't catch a sniffle if you can help it!" Malcom yelled as Adam shut the door.
I was shaking as he carried me into the bathroom and sat me on the ledge of the tub.
Adam took off my jacket and began to unbutton my pants.
"I can do it myself," I said shakily, pushing him away.
He watched as my shaking hands struggled to get a grip on the button before he pushed them away and unbuttoned them himself.
I began to protest and he silenced me.
"I'll leave your underwear on, relax."
I gulped as he pulled my pants off and began to run water. Adam sat me down into the tub and began to pour water on my legs.
I winced.
"That water is cold!"
"Hot water will sting, give yourself time to adjust," he explained.
I sighed.
"Why did you let him do that?"
He smiled. "It was humorous until the last fifteen seconds."
I splashed him gently, earning a wink.
Eventually, he put the stopper in the drain and began to fill the tub with hot water. I had goosebumps coating my body, but I wasn't sure if it was because I was cold or because Adam had begun to massage my feet and calves.
Good thing I shaved yesterday, I thought.
"Is the water too warm?" He asked me.
I shook my head. "It feels nice."
"Yeah," he agreed.
"Don't take my word for it, though. Get in and see for yourself."
Did that just come out of my mouth? Did I really just say that?
"Tempting," Adam said.
Please say no... that wasn't supposed to come out of my mouth!
I stared in horror and admiration as he lifted his shirt over his head and began to undress.
What have you done?!
I scooted backwards in the spacious tub to give him room to get in. The water sloshed gently as he stepped into the tub and sat down.
I pulled my knees up to my chest, but Adam reached out and grabbed my ankles and pulled my feet out to rest in his lap. He began to gently massage them.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Nothing," I said, my eyes wandering around the room, unable to meet his.
"You're trembling."
"I am not."
Adam smiled.
"Do I still make you nervous?"
I swallowed hard and he took my hesitation to answer as a silent yes.
"You want to know something?" He asked me.
"Sure."
"I've imagined myself in this bath with you so many times... Although, I think it's important to mention there weren't clothes involved in my version."
You're not helping with my trembling, dude.
"Want to know something else?" He asked me.
I looked at him and his eyes shown with a mischievous playfulness I hadn't seen before.
"I think you're scared of letting me see you naked."
I rolled my eyes.
"I'm not."
He smiled. "You are."
"I've known you for two weeks," I reminded him. "I've had boyfriends much longer than that who never saw me naked."
"I'm not your boyfriend, though. I'm the man you'll spend the rest of your life with. The man whose mark you carry, whose children you'll have. The man who you'll sleep next to for the next hundred years."
He has a point.
"So what?" I asked. "I'm supposed to just automatically be comfortable around you? You still have nearly ninety days left."
"Fuck the ninety days," he said, grabbing my leg and pulling me towards him. "You wouldn't leave me right now if you had the choice."
"You don't know that-"
"I do, though. You couldn't even let me leave my own bedroom and walk around my own castle without following me. You wouldn't travel thousands of miles away and stay there."
My breath hitched in my throat as he pulled me closer, my hand on his chest and nose brushing against his.
God, he's right.
My hand went to the back of his neck and I pulled him into a kiss.
Immediately my lips parted and the taste of his mouth collided with mine.
His hands reached around me and pulled my shirt over my head. The kiss was broken momentarily as he pulled the shirt off and threw it on the floor.
Adam groaned into the kiss as my fingers entangled themselves in his dark curls.
Not breaking the kiss, he stood up and lifted me out of the bathtub, his arms going around my waist and my legs around his torso.
Exiting the bathroom, he pulled away from the kiss and laid me down on the bed, not caring that it became wet.
Adam crawled over top of me and kissed me again. I felt his hands go under my back, lifting me slightly as he unclasped my bra.
He threw it on the ground and kissed me deeper. I was very aware, however, that his wandering hands were sliding down my waist.
I nearly gasped when a knock at the door shattered the intimate moment.
"Ignore it," he said mumbling against my lips.
Another knock.
"Evie? It's Vega... I wanted to apologize, can I come in?"
Adam growled slightly when I pressed my hands against his naked chest and pushed him away.
"Sorry," I whispered.
I got up and quickly covered myself with a t-shirt of his from the wardrobe. I went to the door as Adam went into the bathroom, angry at the intrusion.
I opened the bedroom door slightly to see Vega standing there. She gave me an anxious smile.
"Can I come in?" She asked.
"Um, now isn't a good time. Can I talk to you later?" I asked her.
"Oh," she said, defeated. "Well, um, I thought you should know that my dad started talking again this morning. He was asking for you."
Oh.
"Give me just a second to change," I said.
I closed the door.
Picking my bra off the ground, I took off the t-shirt and clasped it back on. I changed quickly into my clothes.
I felt bad for leaving Adam, but he could wait. Mr. Chandler could not.
I met Vega back out into the hallway where she was waiting for me.
She led me down to the hospital ward where the air smelled of sanitizer.
"Here we are," she said, leading me into a room.
Her father sat awake in a hospital bed, Mrs. Chandler by his side.
"How are you?" I asked him, smiling.
He nodded and returned the smile.
"Remembering anything?" I asked.
His smile faded.
"Blood. That's all I remember."
- - -