Chapter 8 - Revelation
When I arrived home from work the following day I found Damion waiting by my door. Without a word I unlocked the door and held it open for him still silent. If he'd made the effort to come here I could at least hear him out.
I moved about the apartment, putting down my things, clearing the table still untouched from last night and finally changing out of my business clothes into something more casual. All the while Damion watched me fume from the chair he'd vacated last night. I eventually settled into my chair across from him and waited for him to speak.
"Lina, last night you caught me completely off guard." He started, "I knew our relationship was different, special... But I didn't know that you felt that way... About any of it. I didn't know the others bothered you. I thought it took some of the pressure and guilt off of you. And after that night at my apartment while you were in school.. You were so broken, so hurt that I didn't think you wanted a relationship at all."
"So what have I been the last ten and a half years? Some puppet on a string? Some play toy? A stray you took pity on? Or worse, some sick trophy or feather on your cap? 'The Girl claimed by a wolf?!' Is that really all I.."
He cut me off with a kiss. When my arguments died he broke it slowly. "Lina, I love you. I always have. From the moment you stumbled back into the cathedral I cared about you. I fell in love with you when you opened your eyes after the blood moon and even as broken as your body was you tried to attack me."
He laughed and released my face letting me sink back into my chair.
"But what about last night?" I asked still wary. "What about we can't?"
"I was harsher than I should have been I was in such a state of shock. But you know as well as I do that our society would not enable us to have a true mating. We could be married yes, but I would still have to perform my role as sire...and your condition voided your role a decade ago."
"I could handle the others, I know its your birthright Damion. I'd never make you give that up. Hell we know intimacy isn't really my forte. But I want to be more than your 'defective pet you keep around for pity sake'," I said softly, my head dropping as I used the description I'd heard used hundreds of times.