Page 52 of Cryptic Dreams
“She told us about the books, the flowers, the art supplies. Z is already softening to you, and between that and your previous douchebag behavior, she’ll see that you’re the one who isn’t good enough for her but you’re trying in spite of it.”
I can only hope my friend is right.
Not just for Zephyr’s confidence or her safety, but for my poor little black heart as well. A rejection from such an extraordinary creature, a magnificent female such as Zephyr would surely be my undoing and while I would understand her decision to do so, it would crush me in a way I shall never recover from.
Our paths are woven too closely together and I just need to pray my arse off Zephyr chooses the one that leads to me in the end.
16
Hardcore Swooning
ZEPHYR
Ilook up from my textbook at the sound of a light knock on the guest room—I guessmyroom—door and suddenly feel my heart begin to race.
“Y-yes?” God, I stuttered and barely got the word out.So stupid.
Wraith clears his throat. “Zephyr, love, could you come downstairs when you have a moment?”
With a hard swallow, I nod, which is also stupid because he can’t see me through the wood, Descendant or not. “Is… is everything ok?”
“It is. Everything is fine, I just wish to speak with you if you’ve the time.” There’s a brief pause. “Please.”
“I’ll be right down.” After I get my pulse under control. Maybe. Probably not because it always goes haywire when Wraith is around.
He sighs, but I somehow know he’s smiling. “Thanks, love.”
Gah.
Love.
He calls me that almost all the time now and it does things to my heart every damn time he does it. Well, my heartandmy ovaries because I’m pretty sure I start to spontaneously ovulate whenever he says it, and judging by the way I get so turned on it hurts,everypart of my lady bits really likes hearing Wraith call melove.
It’s only been a couple of days since our extremely intense and weirdly erotic exchange in the kitchen, and it’s almost like Wraith did a one-eighty because of it.
The last two days we’ve shared every meal together, not that it consists of more than a blood bag or two followed by coffee or tea, but we sit at the breakfast nook in the kitchen together while we have them and it’s led to a number of other very pleasant interactions.
We’ve read together, separate books, but together in the library. We’ve engaged in light conversation about what we were reading. Wraith asked me about school and my studies, and seemed to take genuine interest in what I’ve been learning. And while I left out all of my extraresearch, I’ve actually willingly shared.
To be honest, I ended up talking his head off about a bunch of things he already knows because he lived through them, but Wraith didn’t seem to mind and apparently I’m so starved for positive interactions that I couldn’t stop myself from spewing everything I know at him.
He walked me to the library last night, my first night back to work since I almost died, and Wraith even asked to come in and see what I do while I’m there. And while I know most of that was for his peace of mind and my safety, it still meant the world to me that Wraith took an almost genuine interest in where I work and what I do. He didn’t even look bored when I showed him the card catalog I’m constantly cleaning and organizing despite the library going digital years ago.
It’s been an odd but not unwelcome shift in our… I don’t want to sayrelationshipbecause that just gets my hopes up, but ourcoexistenceI guess, and I’ve decided that my mate isn’t even close to what I originally thought he was.
Which was a very sexy, though cruel and heartless bastard, in case you were wondering.
Wraith is sexy, yes, but he isn’t either of those other things at all, at least he hasn’t been recently and I’ve found myself having a harder time pushing aside how I feel about him because of it.
It’s really hard to remind yourself that your mate doesn’t want you when he does all of these little things that make you swoon. And Wraith has definitely been making me swoon, hard and often, just by tolerating me the way he does.
Lies. I giggle to myself.
Wraith doesn’t just tolerate me anymore, maybe never did to begin with. I can almost feel his desire to be near me, can practically sense what I could almost call love and affection. It’s hard to say for sure, but whatever Wraith feels toward me, it isn’t what I expected it to be and it’s had me as close to living on cloud nine as I’ve ever been.
He almost seems to crave my company, and seeks me out whenever I’m out of the bedroom. Wraith starts most of our conversations, barely gives me a chance to try on my own, and he always leads with making sure I have everything I need, that I’m comfortable and satisfied living here.
Wraith actually almost seems to be seeking my approval, not just over the house and all of the wonderful things he gives me, but my approval ofhim. It feels like hewantsme to approve of him, to accept him and I can’t help but think he wants it because he’s trying to show me that he’s the mate I deserve.
