VAL POV:
The sound of my name being called pulled me out of the nightmare and the smell of coconut briefly clogged my mind. I jumped upright in bed, terrified as I often was after a nightmare until I saw something my eyes couldn't even understand the sight of.
I stared at Liana in disbelief, failing at first to register that she was actually here. When my mind finally accepted that she was here I crossed the distance between us instantly. Unable to restrain myself, I moved near to her and allowed my eyes to worship every inch of her.
I soaked in the sight of her exposed collarbones and slender neck and pouting heart shaped lips. Unbearable desire shook me so much I had to physically turn away from her to control myself. Having her here like this so unexpectedly and so close was torture.
My eyes looked desperately for a solution. My will was too weak to have her here like this. I grabbed my jacket from the edge of my bed and turned to hand it to her. A small bit of my appetite was relieved just from the idea of having her enclosed in my scent.
She opened her mouth to question me and I quickly stopped her. The sound of her voice would be too much for me and I knew it. If she spoke even a single word this exposed and this close to me I wasn't sure I would be able to contain myself.
"Please Liana."
I spoke her name like a prayer. Begging the Goddess to let me make it through this moment without losing my composure. The strain of not being able to see her or be near her was pushing me ever closer to insanity and having her this close so suddenly the way I had been dreaming of was not helping.
I watched her shiver and pull my sweater on. Her face was flushed red and she looked deliciously nervous. Finally having her slender limbs hidden from my view I could think clearly. Liana looked like she herself was having trouble focusing and my wolf hummed in approval.
"What do you need?"
Her eyes glanced up to mine, hesitantly down to my lips then back up to my eyes again. She pouted and my heart started to jump. I couldn't take much more of this. I willed myself not to do anything irrational.
"Why are you taking Frankford away?"
For a pause I couldn't focus on anything except the music of her voice and the smell of coconut. I wanted her. I wanted her to stay here for as long as I could keep her. When I realised what she asked, a possession took over my mind and I was angry.
I almost smiled as I let the words leave my own lips.
"Taking him away?"
I knew it was irrational to be jealous that my mate had grown an attachment to him- being that he was seventy years old and clearly not a threat to me. I stepped closer to her and forced her to look at me gently, the way you might hold a precious glass ornament. I didn't want to scare her but I truly couldn't stand to hear the name of anyone else on her lips either.
With the newfound closeness, Liana swallowed hard and her pupils swelled large in the darkness. I ravaged her with my eyes. I forced her to see me. To think about nothing except me as I let my eyes peek down my sweater at the shaking breath she took and the lacey edge of the shirt she wore.
Everything about her was perfect. The wispy swan-like flow of her hair. The pale of her wrists, the silver of her eyes in the darkness. She caved under the pressure of my gaze, heartbeat pounding so hard I could see it in her throat. I felt my irrational anger leaving with proof of the effect I had over her seeping out in her every movement.
I didn't want to let her go but I knew it would frighten her if I pushed it any farther, and she had only just started to come around to me. I couldn't risk losing her before I even managed to get her. It was painful to remove myself from her but I let her go reluctantly.
I stared at her hungrily and put my hands behind my head at my neck to resist touching her again. She took a step back and tried to catch her breath. There was something specifically appetizing about how nervous she was around me. Even from the way she looked at me when I was sure she hated me, she was still curious. She couldn't help it.
"Alright, Frankford will stay with you."
She opened her mouth to say something and I stopped her. Partially to revel in her inability to meet my eyes as she caught her breath, and partially in an attempt to make the moment last just a little bit longer.
"Is there anything else you need?"
Chills ran up the sides of her neck. She shook her head, still refusing to look at me. I wanted to make her squirm. I wanted to do unspeakable things to her and from the way her whole face was reddening I knew she could tell. I was somewhat surprised she hadn't run away yet, being that she had a tendency to try and escape me. Even when we both knew she would be mine eventually.
"Thank you."
My heart throbbed. Her voice was like a song. Everything she said, even when her words were laced with hatred or resentment, it was all music to me simply because she had said it. I watched her with a burning desire, the way she turned quickly and caved to her need to run away from me.
I smiled as I watched her go, even as agonizing as it was to let her leave. I knew that we were getting closer and it was only a matter of time now before she leaned into my touch rather than trying to escape it.
I slipped back into my bed and allowed myself to dream of her.