Novel Titanic
41
KNIGHT
Everything just felt right, and it scared me.
It was my first time waking up in the morning with the same woman wrapped in my arms.
Nirvana was a light sleeper who liked curling and tangling around me.
“Morning.” I kissed her shoulder blade. “Breakfast in bed?”
“No way. Zarah and Grandpa are leaving today.” She turned to me to kiss me on the lips, quickly got up, and went to the bathroom.
I had to get on my ass as well. I typed an email to my assistant that I’d be taking a vacation for the whole week.
When she came back, she was wearing different pajamas.
“Did you change your clothes?”
“Yup. I kinda fell last night, but I’m good. My butt didn’t hurt anymore.”
“Be careful. Where did you fall?”
“I slipped in the patio. No biggie. I was just clumsy.”
“Okay.” I didn’t know, but I felt she wasn’t telling me the whole story.
“I’ll go down if the squad is already awake.”
“At this time, they are. I’m going to use the bathroom. See you down in a bit.”
When I went down, she and her grandpa were busy in the kitchen. McKaye and Kailin were also helping.
“And you three are just sitting on your asses?” I playfully hit the kids in the head. “Where’s Maddox?”
“Went back at the pack house. And they said we will take care with cleaning.”
“I don’t trust you in my kitchen, North.”
North frowned, scratching his head.
“I’m kidding.” I went to Nirvana to kiss her head. “Need a hand?”
“Breakfast is my thing, son. At least I can cook for you before Zarah sends me back home.”
“I still need you here, Grandpa,” Nirvana said.
“Honey, you have the whole pack with you. You’ll be fine without me. And I’m sure you’re in good hands.”
“We will protect her with our lives, sir,” West said.
“That’s heroic of you, West, but I don’t need protection.”
“Because Alpha will protect you?” Zander said, grinning.
“Hey, privacy.” McKaye hit him in the head.
“It was a joke, Mac,” bantered Zander. “Besides, they’re mates.”
“Shut up. Go and prepare the table before Zarah comes down, Zander.”
“Why no one went up to wake her up?” Nirvana asked.
“We decided not to,” North said. “What if she gets pissed off and turns us into rats?”
Nirvana laughed as she sliced a strawberry. “Ouch.”
“You okay?”
She nodded as she sucked on her finger.
“Let me do that.”
“Nope, Alpha. I’m almost done.” She continued with her chores again, and her finger wasn’t bleeding. I noticed how she froze for a moment but finished her task.
The twins got up and went to open drawers and cupboards.
“Coffee is ready,” McKay announced. “How about you, K?”
“One last batch of bacon.”
“Done here.” Nirvana had a bowl of sliced strawberries and a bowl of blueberries. “I’ll wake the witch before she turns us all into stones.”
“Is that possible?”
“Everything is possible, Zander. You’ve seen what Vana’s great-great-grandpa did yesterday.”
“Awesome.”
Nirvana left the kitchen, and I followed her into the hallway, grabbed her wrist, pressed her against the wall, and kissed her hard until she squirmed.
I broke the kiss and let her breathe. “We should do this more often.”
She smiled, amused. “Do what now?”
I took her hand and checked her finger. She curled where she cut earlier, but I didn’t see an open wound.
When I looked at her, she was biting her lip, showing me her neck where I accidentally bit her last night.
“When did you realize you healed fast?”
“Let’s go ask Zarah before they hear us.”
“Okay.” I didn’t let go of her hand as we reached Zarah’s door.
My hand hung in the air when the door opened. Zarah was already in her blouse and pants.
“She healed fast.”
“I have a feeling she does.”
“I accidentally bit her enough to leave a visible teeth mark, but it was gone. Then she cut herself while slicing a strawberry.” I showed it to Zarah, but she didn’t look surprised at all. “You knew?”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
“And she woke up in front of the house last night.”
“Zarah.” Nirvana groaned.
“What?” I stared at them in shock. “How did I not know this?”
“Because I wasn’t sure if I was sleepwalking. I just found myself falling in front of the house. That’s why I changed my clothes. They got dirty.”
“Falling? What do you mean falling?” I turned to Zarah. “What’s happening to her? You’re the only person I trust and have knowledge about magic.”
“Ever heard of Asina?”
I chuckled. “The ancient children’s story, of course. The myth warrior werewolf Asina who died a hero after saving her entire village from an evil warlord? But that’s only in a children’s book. She doesn’t exist.”
“There was a story passed on in the witch’s world that the Moon Goddess granted her a wish.”
“Yeah, she chose to be a wolf spirit warrior. I mean, how could she help her people if she was a spirit in the first place?”
“In the spirit realm, a human could possess an animal spirit. There could be bad spirit or good spirit, but if you are chosen-”
“Your soul should be pure, yeah,” I added.
“That’s right.”
“And they will choose you. They come and visit you in your dream in the form of an animal and talk to you.”
“How do you know about this, Nirvana?” I was still confused. How did this have to do with her healing faster if she wasn’t a werewolf?
“I dreamed of her.”
“You’re kidding.” I didn’t quickly get shocked, but right now, I was, and I didn’t find any reason not to believe her.
“You can check the CCTV on your front door if you don’t believe me.”
“Nirvana, I believe you,” Breathless and overwhelmed, I told her the truth.
“I’d been given a chance to live again, and I’m not wasting it for nothing. I told her I wanted to be with my family and those I cared about. She said wolf spirit could come in handy against bad people. I paraphrased. She talked about power, loyalty, and guardianship. She also said she’s already me, a part of me.”
I looked at Zarah. “Is that possible?”
“Yes. The reason I couldn’t detect dark and negative vibes in her. The spirit warrior is protecting her.”
“She also told me she’s the reason why I’m alive.”
“That’s true.”
“I’m freaking out, Zarah. Is this thing going to consume me? Is this what Ambrose was talking about?”
I made a noncommittal noise instead of voicing out my thoughts.
“No, dear.” Zarah held her arm. “It’s going to protect you. You feel nothing but your true self. It’s just like being a werewolf, but you don’t have to go through transformation.”
“What else do you feel?” I eyed her, but I couldn’t detect any changes.
“Where did you two talk about me before dinner?”
Zarah and I shared a look.
“In my office.” I watched Zarah’s eyes grow big. “Why? How did you know that we talked?”
“She can hear us. She has supernatural hearing better than you and a pure lycan.”
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. It just caught my hearing.” She shrugged.
“Let’s go before someone hears us,” Zarah said.
“I don’t want this, any of these,” she begrudgingly said.
“That’s the price you pay, but a good price, nonetheless. Centuries ago, werewolves and other supernatural beings prayed to have that kind of power, and the wolf spirit chose you, and you should be grateful.”
“I am. I was given a chance to be with you, guys. But I’m not ready to embrace and channel this ability or whatever is inside me.”