章 13: Awakened A Sleeping Beast

Islinda smelt him before she opened her eyes. It was amazing how she didn't take notice until now but Valerie smelt like smoke from a bonfire and some other spices that caused a low tug in her belly. Islinda did not know whether his scent had to do with the nature of his power, but she was very much tempted to dart her tongue out for a tiny lick of his flame.

By the gods! Islinda jostled back from him as if she had been burned, which was kind of ironic since she had been thinking of tasting his flames. She must have lost her mind! Islinda wanted to slap her cheeks if that would bring her senses back.

"Are you okay?" His honeyed voice asked and God knew she began to have inappropriate thoughts and it wasn't ladylike. Yes, she was a virgin but that didn't mean she was ignorant of what happens between a man and a woman in a relationship.

"Are you okay?" Valerie asked once again, his eyes flickering down with concern and Islinda didn't realize until now that she was gnawing on her bottom lip and her nails were digging into his back. His bare back.

Great! They laid together!

"Y-yes, I'm fine…." Islinda stuttered and created enough space between them. His proximity to her must be affecting her and her cheeks were burning. She did not doubt that she was blushing. The gods, she must look stupid.

He felt better, Islinda could tell. The dark circles around his eyes had vanished and while it was shocking, the gash at his side was beginning to close up. Give it a day or two and he would be as good as new. The healer in Islinda was glad that he was okay and was astonished at his healing ability, but at the sad time, she was slightly disappointed. This means he would have to leave soon.

Islinda was distracted with her thoughts hence she didn't notice Valerie move but when she looked at him, he was stretching and all the saliva in her throat dried up at once. Holy mother of all gods, they really wanted her dead. Unlike her stepsisters, especially Remy, who shamelessly chased after suitors, Islinda did not have any interest.

When you had a sadistic family who liked to inflict pain on you over the smallest mistake, there was no time to swoon over boys, but that was not the case right now. For the first time, Islinda felt the strangest sensation, heat traveled to her core and she squeezed her lazy bits together. This was not normal! She was not supposed to feel this way toward the Fae!

But then, he was breathtakingly beautiful and she could not look away, no, Islinda felt compelled to look. It was like staring at a rare painting, one that she couldn't have, Valeria was tall and lithe, six feet plus, that was for sure. His bone structure was stunning, but what drew her attention aside from his tempting six-packs was his delicate ears. She must be obsessed with his unique pointed Fae ears.

Thankfully, the muscles of his back stopped working when he sat down and she could finally rip her eyes away.

"Don't you feel cold?" Islinda asked.

In one word, she was trying to say, 'Put on your clothes, please.'

But of course, Valerie misunderstood as usual because he looked at her with concern and this time grabbed her shoulders.

"Do you feel cold?" He spat out a strange yet graceful language which she could guess was Fae before he was back to staring down at her.

"I didn't light the fireplace because I don't feel the temperature drop as much as you humans do, I'm warmth personified. But this should do."

"What should do?" Islinda croaked, suddenly feeling light-headed with his closeness.

But that was not all because Valerie rubbed his hands down her arm leaving scorching heat in its wake amid the hairs on her body standing on edge. She felt this weird tingling sensation and her body recognized it as a foreign invasion when it began to burn. Panic set in and she wanted to break out of his grasp.

"Shh, relax," Valerie soothed her, his grip tightening around her so she doesn't move, "It feels strange but it doesn't hurt, trust me. Relax and embrace it."

And that was it, Islinda relaxed, deciding to trust this Fae one more time. There was no embracing what she couldn't see, so she calmed her breathing instead and that was when she felt it. Islinda had not even realized how cold it was inside the cottage because she had been concerned with treating this Fae.

But now, she felt so warm inside that it was summer instead of winter; she could not feel the cold at all. She lifted her face and Valerie could tell from the beaming smile that she felt it.

He smiled back at her, "It's just a small trick of my power. It would wear off in a few hours."

"It's not just a small trick." Islinda said excitedly, "This is nice and I really appreciate it."

She thanked him, her eyes bright with pure happiness on her face. Valerie was captivated and he let go of one of her shoulders and lifted his hand to trace her features. Dumbfounded, Islinda could not say a word, and could only stare up at him with wild eyes. She swallowed when he traced her face as if committing them to memory with every touch.

His thumb skimmed across her cheekbone, grazing the underside of her jaw before brushing across her lower lip and she didn't dare to breathe, her lips parting on their own. Her heart rate increased and her breath thickened, the air in the room suddenly became as hot as a desert. Was it possible to sweat in winter in a cold room? Yes, she was.

Valerie pressed his lips to hers and she moaned. The sound sounded foreign to her and she felt her face burn hot in embarrassment but the sensation of the kiss was more overwhelming. There was no thinking, Islinda shut her eyes and surrendered to the feeling. The gods knew she had no idea what to do, this was embarrassingly her first kiss and it was a good thing Valeria was in control.

Valerie was an excellent kisser - she had no idea how she knew that, but just knew - and she matched each glide of his lips with fervor, giving back as much as she received. He deepened the kiss and Islinda swore that she was in heaven. His lips were soft and sweet, but when his tongue gained entrance to taste her, Islinda bet she was tasting pure sunshine.

His scent was overwhelming and it spurred her enough that she didn't realize that her hands were digging into his red curls and clenched hard. When she touched his ears, Islinda finally understood the mystery behind them, it was extremely sensitive. No wonder, he almost mewled the first time she touched him there.

Hence, she caressed his pointed tips and he groaned low. She continued touching his ears and he kissed her harder, longer and deeper. Perhaps, she shouldn't have tempted his control because there was a drastic shift in the air and Valerie's kiss became hungrier, almost feral while his grip on her waist grew tighter, almost bruising.

He was beginning to hurt her.

"Valerie!" She was able to break away from the kiss by the will of the gods but her back met the ground instead and Valeria was hovering over her.

His eyes had changed; golden pupils were now surrounded by obsidian black rings. His fangs were intuitively extended points with want to claim her as his and razor-sharp talons that had replaced his fingers.

He looked primal and Islinda finally understood why Fae was feared. This was it. Their innate nature. The beast hiding behind the veil of their ethereal beauty and right now, Valerie was more beast than Fae.

Islinda had awakened a sleeping beast.

The transformation left her breathless and like the first time when they had met, Islinda remained deadly still; she couldn't set him off. His breath was ragged and his eyes were so golden it startled her. A sharp breath was drawn from her when he wrenched a kiss from her lips again. It was a surprise his fangs didn't hurt her only for her to realize that his monstrous features had faded away and she was staring at Valerie once more.

Now came the awkward moment when they pulled away. That awkward silence reigned until Islinda pushed him away and stood up to her feet hurriedly.

"I'll come to see you tomorrow!"

She barely hollered before walking out of the cottage with a wobble and thankfully Valerie did not follow after her. It was a wonder she was able to walk considering her legs felt like jelly and she didn't get to see the figure with darkness emanating from him, who was watching her from afar.

A cruel smirk formed at the corner of the man's lips, "Interesting."