Slippers at Midnight Pt. 02

Chapter 8

I heard Daciana repeat my name as I scrambled down the steps away from her. I didn't look back. I couldn't. I needed to get away from her. I needed to think and breathe without her scent and her voice in my head.

I could only think of getting to my car. I stepped off the path that led into the grounds and turned to try and find my way to the front of the big house. As soon as I stepped into the damp grass, I knew I had made a mistake. The heels on my lovely but totally impractical shoes sunk into the turf with every step. I wanted to take them off but I could hear Daciana behind me and I didn't want her to catch up so I sprinted the best I could manage across the lawn.

"Elle!" The hurt in her voice nearly made me double over.

Then I ran. Even when one of my shoes came off in the soft earth, I ran. I turned a corner and could see the valet stand in front of me. I slowed just long enough to slip my other shoe off and ran full speed to the valet.

I grabbed my receipt and shoved it into the hands of the tall wolf who looked concerned at my obvious distress. "The red mustang, there." I pointed. "Please hurry."

He eyed me. "Are you alright, Miss?"

I was fighting tears when I answered. "I'm fine. Please hurry."

He looked like he wanted to say something else but instead, he nodded and jogged to my car. As soon as he pulled up, I hurried to climb inside. I thanked him, shoved whatever cash I had in my wallet into his hands, and drove away as quickly as I could. Just as I was about to turn onto the long driveway, I glanced in my mirror. The princess was behind me, her bodyguard was next to her with an arm around her shoulders. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched me drive away.

****

I made it to my parent's house in half the time it should have taken. Pure luck was the only thing that kept me from being stopped by the sheriff's office as I sped through the streets of our small town.

I unlocked the door and dashed up the stairs to my room. I sank onto my bed. I was trembling and my body ached with restrained sobs. I grabbed my phone out of my small purse and sent a quick group message to my parents and brothers.

"Something came up. Gotta get back to school. Taking my car. I'll send a message when I'm there. Love you all. Thanks. Bye."

Then I was moving again. I tossed my bag of bathroom supplies into my suitcase changed my clothes and left my pretty new gown draped across my bed. Then I turned off the lights, relocked the door, got in my car, and didn't stop driving until I was in the parking lot at Hays Hall.

It was after two in the morning when I crawled into my bed, still dressed, and pulled the blankets up to my throat. My breath came in choked gasps as I finally let myself cry. It had to be a mistake. I had never imprinted before so I had no idea what it would feel like. This must be something else. Lots of wolves had same-sex partners before they imprinted. Everything I was feeling must have been a really big crush. The princess was beautiful. Gorgeous. Who wouldn't have a crush on her?

I knew I was lying to myself. This wasn't a crush. A crush meant you felt happy when you saw someone. A crush made you think about someone. A crush didn't steel your sense of being and wrap around you like a new skin. I had imprinted on Daciana. And she had imprinted on me, too.

I didn't sleep. I lay in bed trembling and sobbing until the sun started to come up through my window. I had to get out of here. Somehow, in the few moments we had been in each other's arms, Daciana's scent had transferred to me. My whole room smelled like her. I needed to be someplace else. I grabbed my bathroom bag and a change of clothes and headed down the hall to the shared bathroom. I showered as thoroughly as I could in a vain attempt to wash her scent away.

When I had done all I could, I put on my dry clothes and checked my phone. 5:45 AM. The library would open soon. I dropped my bag and my dirty clothes back in my room, grabbed my purse, and took off across campus.

A librarian was just unlocking the front door when I came up. She opened the door for me and smiled. I wished her a tight 'good morning' and took off into the stacks. On the second floor, there was a little alcove in the history section. One of the large columns holding up the roof created an area not quite big enough for shelves or tables. Some industrious designer or librarian had turned the little jog into a tiny reading nook. You couldn't see it from either end of the aisle, and unless you knew it was there, you might not even notice it walking down the aisle. It was my very favorite place on the whole campus.

I grabbed a book at random and sat down in the little chair in the alcove. The book was probably very interesting. It was the history of a group of school girls who had helped their classmates evade Nazis in World War II. But I couldn't focus. I just stared at the page. Every exhale seemed to say her name. Daciana. Daciana. Daciana. What was I going to do?

I jumped when a pair of muscular legs in dark pants stopped in front of my hiding spot. I sensed the wolf even before I raised my eyes to look at him. It was the big male bodyguard I'd seen with her yesterday. He was watching me down his nose. His arms were folded across his muscular chest.

My eyebrows lifted and I wanted to stand up but he was so close that doing so would have brought me nose to chest with the hulking man.

"Elle Banning?" His voice was deep and rumbly.

I nodded.

"I'm Ted Matei, I'm a companion of Pr- Daciana Horia's. She sent me here to talk to you."

My blood pounded in my ears as a nodded and waited for him to continue.

The big man squatted down so he was at eye level with me. "Dachee knows you've had a big shock. There are things to figure out. She wants to figure them out with you, though." He locked eyes with me. "She NEEDS to see you."

My breath caught. My voice was a whisper. "I can't go back to Avion right now. I have classes tomorrow and I've barely slept."

He matched my volume. "The princess isn't in Avion. She's at a hotel just off campus."

My stomach soared. She was here. I could see here today. Right now. That thought overrode everything else I was thinking. "Will you take me to her?"

Ted smiled and stood. "Of course." He offered me his hand.

Chapter 9

So. I got in the car of a man I didn't know. I let him drive me off campus and trusted he really was taking me where he said he was. It was probably not my best-ever plan. All I could think, though, was that I was going to see Daciana again. Don't try this at home, kids! Fortunately, Ted Matei is a good man and was taking me to the exact place I needed to be.

As we pulled into the parking lot at the hotel my palms were sweaty and I felt like I might be sick. I hadn't even brushed my hair after my shower and I was sure I looked like garbage. Still, I followed Ted into the hotel and got in the elevator next to him. I tried to fix my hair in the reflection of the elevator walls. Ted noticed my fidgeting and chuckled. "She just wants to see you, Ms. Bannister. You look fine." I stopped fidgeting and waited for the doors to open.

Down the hall and to the left Ted opened the door to a spacious sweet with an amazing view. I didn't notice any of it though because across the room, looking like she'd been pacing, was Daciana.

She stopped moving and watched as we walked in. I noticed her hands grip the back of a chair as she looked at me with a tentative smile. I smiled back and waved. I was ashamed of the fact that I'd run from her and felt very shy. Still, I couldn't take my eyes off of her face. Ted excused himself into the adjoining room on the left. I heard the door close behind him.

"I um..." I started. I didn't know what to say.

"Thank you for coming." She blushed. "I'm sorry about last night."

"What are you sorry for? I'm the one who ran off."

"I pushed. I always do that. I see what I want and I go for it. I should have given you more time to adjust. I'm so sorry."

She was one of those people who talks a lot when they are nervous. I didn't know that about her before just now. It was adorable. I found myself grinning.

She looked hopeful. "Would you like to sit down?" She gestured to the chair across from hers.

I nodded and sat. "Thank you."

She sat on the edge of the chair she had been death-gripping. I saw her will herself to stay still. That also struck me as adorable. I wanted to move to her and put my arms around her. Instead, I shook my head.

"We're both female," I said, stupidly.

She laughed a nervous little giggle. "Yes, I had, in fact, noticed that."

"How can this have happened? Did something go wrong?"

Daciana bit her lip. "I... I don't think so. We know the bond is a gift from the goddess. It seems unlikely she made a mistake."

I found myself shaking my head fervently. The very notion was beyond blasphemous.

Daciana continued. "Then it stands to reason that there is a perfectly good reason for this" She gestured between us. "But the goddess knows your heart and for you she wants only those things to strengthen you. Never will she give to you that which does not build you up."

I knew the verse and continued it. "Therefore, let no wolf say that the gifts of the goddess are to your detriment for all that she gives is to your benefit."

Daciana wrung her hands together as she spoke. "I do not understand why this has happened but I believe... I feel in the depths of my soul that what is between is real. It's good. I believe that it is a gift from the goddess."

Tears stung my eyes as a watched her earnest face. "The others will not understand."

Daciana squared her shoulders. "I don't care."

"I don't understand."

Her shoulders dropped. "I don't either." She leaned forward in her chair. "But I do want it. I want you."

I sobbed then and she could no longer contain herself. She rushed forward and held me to her while I cried. As soon as I felt her it was as though my lungs opened up. I drew a deep breath and her scent filled my lungs. That was when I knew. Everything Mom and Dad and Andrew had described about being completed made sense now. When I held on to my princess it was like my lungs had been misformed before and they were whole inside my chest as long as I was breathing in her. My heart had been weak and frail before but it was powerful when it beat for her.

I gasped and she looked at me.

"I need you." I breathed.

Her face lit up. "I need you, too."

I stood up to face her. I let myself touch her. I reached for her face. I traced the lines of her eyebrows, her nose, her lips. She closed her eyes and leaned into my touch. A tear leaked from under her closed eyelid and I kissed it away. She made a little sobbing noise and sniffed.

"Princess?"

She opened her eyes and looked at me.

"I'm sorry I ran away."

She laughed. "You came back. And for the goddess's sake, please call me by my name."

"Daciana."

"Elle." She touched my cheek slowly and watched for my reaction. I closed my eyes. "May I kiss you, Elle?"

I nodded and my breath caught as her lips brushed against mine. She kissed me again and again. I felt her move back and my eyes fluttered open. She was staring at me.

"What?"

"I'm waiting to see if you are going to try to run again. I should warn you that I won't let you go easily." She crossed her arms and nodded to the door her bodyguard had disappeared through. "I gave him orders to block your path if you tried to run."

A small embarrassed laugh escaped my chest. "I won't run."

"Good," she sighed. Then she leaned forward and kissed me again. She took a step back and grinned at me. "Now, let's do this right." She offered her hand. "I'm Daciana Horia. My friends call me Dachee."

I laughed and took her hand. "Nice to meet you Dachee. I'm Elle Bannister. My friends call me Elle."

Daciana laughed. "Nice to meet you." Her smile became flirty. "I happened to notice that you are the most beautiful woman in the world and I would like to ask you out. Would you like to have brunch with me?"

My stomach flipped at her words and electricity shot through me. "I would like that very much."

"Ted!" Daciana called.

The man opened the door and stepped inside. "Yes, Princess?"

"Would you please order a brunch cart for Ms. Bannister and me?"

His mouth quirked into a smile and I suspected the formality between them was all for show. "As you wish, Princess." He left the room again.

Daciana looked at me. "Let's sit," Her eyes slid across the room to a small loveseat "Do you mind if we sit there, instead?"

"Not at all," I replied and she led me to the little couch. It was a tight fit and her hip was against mine as we sat side by side.

I sat with my hands on my lap and she gingerly set her hand on top of mine.

"I'd like to get to know you." She said. "I mean, I kind of knew who you were and I've met your parents several times, but I don't really know you at all."

I told her some basic things about myself and my family. While I spoke one of her fingers began to trace distracting circles on the back of my hand. I shivered.

"Are you ok?"

I looked at our hands in my lap when I answered her. "I am a little distracted when you touch me."

Her voice was a purr. "Good." She took my hand and laced her fingers with mine. "I am a little distracted when you exist in the world."

My breath snagged a bit on my next inhale. I couldn't believe the effect being close to Daciana was having on me. Every time she moved or spoke or breathed I became more aware of her. Tiny lightning strikes hit everywhere from my fingers to my stomach and from my stomach to between my thighs.

"Tell me about school," she requested. I told her about my classes and the subjects I was most interested in. Her thumb traced a line from my thumb to my wrist and back.

There was a knock at the door. Ted came through and opened it. It was the food she had asked for. Ted and the server got everything set up while Daciana and I sat holding hands on the couch. When Ted had come in, my first instinct had been to pull my hand from hers but Daciana seemed to sense that and she gripped my hand tighter and smiled at me.

Once the men had gone and we were again alone, Daciana stood and pulled me to my feet. "Let's eat."

Chapter 10

Wolves love to eat. No one ever feels bad piling food on their plates. A wolf is much more concerned when their date doesn't eat much. Amongst us, a lack of appetite is a sign that something is wrong. The animal side of me was pleased when Daciana loaded food on her plate and dug in. My mate was healthy. Thoughts tumbled through my head, "Holy shit. She's my mate. She's mine."

We sat next to each other at a small round table. She watched me take a bite with a big smile on her face. I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was. "How's the food?" she asked.

"It's very good. Thank you. This quiche is amazing."

She eyed it and looked at me. "Let me taste." She grabbed my hand and pulled my fork to her mouth. As I watched her lips slid over the utensil I almost passed out. "Mmm. That is really good."

I had to swallow twice before I could take another bite. She was looking at her plate but the small, smug smile on her lips made me think that she knew exactly the effect she was having on me.

"How is your food?" I asked for something to say.

"Delicious! I have a sweet tooth and these crepes are hitting the spot." She laughed. "They have this lemon curd filling that would be good all on its own. Try it," she ordered. Then she dipped one of her long fingers into the lemon filling and held the finger out to me.

I blushed furiously but I leaned forward and caught her hand. My lips closed over her fingertip and my tongue brushed over her skin to taste the sweet pudding. She moaned softly and it was my turn to feel smug.

I released her finger and leaned back in my seat. I licked some of the lemon off of my lip and her eyes were fixated on my mouth. The hunger in her eyes wasn't for the food on our plates.

Neglecting my fork I picked a thick piece of bacon off my plate with my fingers. I popped it in my mouth and chewed it slowly. She chuckled softly and returned her attention to her food. We cleaned our plates in a comfortable silence. We seemed to take turns watching each other. We were both smiling like idiots.

When we had finished eating we moved back to the little loveseat. She turned to face me and her legs pressed against mine. "Tell me about you," I asked.

She smiled and took my hand.

"People always ask me how being a princess is different from being... not a princess. That's not something I can't answer because this is the life I've always known. It's fun. I get to travel a lot. I get to meet interesting people. It's a lot of pressure. People watch you all the time and analyze your every move. I can't go anywhere without a bodyguard. I'm lucky because Ted and I have been friends since forever so it feels like it's just friends when we're together. For any public appearances, though, I end up with a whole cadre of guards. That makes it difficult to do anything.

"Right now I'm working on my MBA. I take my classes mostly online because I never know where I'm going to be. I sometimes regret missing out on the whole 'college thing' but I get experiences that I know others my age would kill for.

"It's sometimes lonely though. Julian and I are friends but Dad sends us all over the territory so we are often separated. And, truthfully, aside from our birthday and some strikingly similar features, we don't have that much in common.

"I have some friends but it's always a little dicey making new ones. They may want to be friends with me but odds are that they just want to make friends with 'the princess'.

"I have two really close friends. Felicia but she's been away at college in New Jersey. She has cousins in the Northwest Territory. And Ted is my very best friend. " She indicated the door her bodyguard had gone through. "He has been with me since we were little." She looked at me intently. "He is the only one who knows about us. About this." She smiled and a faraway look came over her face.

"I've dreamed about finding my mate for so long. I wanted someone that I absolutely knew would want me and not my title. Years, Elle. I have been waiting for you."

I nodded. "I don't have a title but I still know what you mean. I have waited for that, too. For the truth I see in my parents and my brother and his wife. The truth I see in your eyes."

Daciana's voice was little more than a breath. "I want you, Elle. Right now. I don't want to wait anymore." She stood and tugged gently on my hand. "I'll wait forever if it is what you want, Elle, but I'm really hoping that you will come to bed with me right now."

I let her pull me to my feet and followed her into the bedroom.

She closed the door behind us. She was behind me, then. Her arms were around my waist and she pressed kisses across my shoulders and the back of my neck. Her fingers traced my stomach through my t-shirt and she pressed herself against my back. The feel of soft breasts against my back forced a moan from my mouth. Daciana pressed her hands against my abdomen and pulled me tighter against her.

Her fingers found the hem of my shirt and snaked beneath. Cool fingers stroked over my bare skin and raised gooseflesh there. Her fingers slid up to my rib cage. I shivered and she laughed lightly. "Are you okay?" she breathed against my neck. I didn't trust myself to speak so I nodded.

Her hands continued to move across my stomach and ribs in long, slow caresses. "Goddess, Elle, you have the softest skin." Her thumbs grazed the undersides of my breasts and we both gasped. Daciana's hands paused and she kissed my neck again. This time I felt her tongue trace the skin and then she bit me gently. I whimpered.