Soulmates Ch. 02

A big thanks to AsylumSeeker and PennLady for helping me edit this chapter. You're legends!

CHAPTER TWO

It was the night of Maria's birthday. She hadn't expected any presents but a large boutique of white lilies arrived with a card sighed, 'Your benefactor'. There were more presents from people all over. She had more art supplies than she knew what to do with, along with being accepted into the art college in the city she wanted, so there was more to celebrate.

She couldn't wait to tell Richard and Dee about the acceptance. All she had been doing over the past six months was either, complaining about not getting the wolf correct or fretting over the wait for the response from the college. She sighed and looked back at the painting of the girl and space for the wolf.

The other paintings she had been working on presented no problems. It was just this one that had her stumped. She supposed that, with the money the man was willing to pay, she was anxious and wanted to make it perfect. Nothing but the right wolf would work.

Ulisi called out and broke into her thoughts. "Maria, they're on their way to pick us up, honey".

Maria jumped into action. She fixed her hair and smiled at her new hair style. She had placed a silver streak at the front, so at the natural part in her hair, she'd have a silver down both sides of her face. She didn't know why she did it, but had followed the impulse and not regretted it.

She wore a dark silvery dress, another impulse that she hadn't quested. As she skipped downstairs, there was a knock at the door. She called out, "I've got it". When she opened the door, there was a body behind a large boutique of wild flowers in a crystal vase which made her squeal in delight.

From behind the flowers, Richard and Dee chorused, "Happy birthday!".

Maria took the flowers from him. "They're beautiful! Thank you so much!". She took them over to the dining room table and placed them in the center and ran back to give them both a hug.

Ulisi came down from her room and smelt the wild flowers and smiled. "They brought your favorites, Maria".

Maria grinned. "Second favorites. The snow lilies my benefactor gave me are my favorites now".

Richard grumbled, "He had to out do us, doesn't he".

Maria spun at the words. "You know who he is?". The look on their faces spoke a thousand words and her eyes went wide. "You have to tell me who he is! I need to know, I want to thank him for them".

Richard looked at Dee and she shrugged. Richard sighed, "You can thank him later. Eric is meeting us at the restaurant and he gets impatient if we're late".

Maria started to quiz them as they left the house, then her eyes went wide. "A limo!", she squealed and ran over to it and slipped in the back seat.

Dee couldn't help but laugh. It was just like having White Deer back with them. White Deer might not have been as talkative as Maria, but they shared the same passion and joy in life.

On the way to the restaurant, Maria started to press the different buttons in the back of the limo. She felt like a kid in a toy store again. By the time they reached their destination, she had calmed down and stepped out of the limo with Richard's help. Dee and Richard entered the restaurant arm-in-arm, and Maria followed, holding Ulisi's hand.

The maitre'd came up and bowed. "Your table is ready, Dr. Campbell, and your brother is already waiting". He turned and led them over to the private booth.

When Eric felt their presence, he stiffened a little. He slipped out of his chair and stood with his back to them. It felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest so once it was under-control, he turned around and tried to hide his emotions but it wasn't working to well. As soon as he saw Maria, his heart started to race again.

Maria studied the art on the walls, even the wallpaper seemed like pieces of art. As the waiter led them to their table, she saw a man standing up and couldn't help but stare at him. He wore a black suit with a dark blue shirt. His features were rugged, with a scar under his right eye. His long-ish hair was pulled back with a strip of leather. She had recognized him straight away. It was the man from her dreams; her muse.

She squeezed her grandmother's hand and the woman turned back to her. "What's wrong, dear?"

Maria whispered, "Wa'ya..".

Her grandmother smiled and tugged her hand. "Come on, dear, you can't leave him standing there all day waiting for you".

Once they got to the table, Eric smiled. "It's good to see you again, Ulisi". He took her and brought it to his lips, adding under his breath, "It's good to see you, A-wa-ni-ta".

She touched his cheek. "It's good to be in your presence again, Eric". Richard took her around to her seat.

Maria's heart pounded as she stood close to her Wa'ya. She blinked at what she just thought; it was Eric, he was the muse for the paintings. She was sure he had plenty of women his own age that were lining up, and she shouldn't think of him as hers.

When he touched her hand, electricity shot up her arm and made her blush. When he took her hand, he didn't kiss the back of her hand, she looked at him, puzzled. He kissed her palm and she flushed all the more.

"It's good to see you after all these years, Maria". His eyes were fixed on hers and he couldn't help but let her see his desire for her.

She swallowed hard and thought she had lost her voice before she said, "Why did you leave me, Wa'ya?". She realized what she had called him, "I'm sorry. Eric".

His breath caught when she called him Wa'ya. He smiled and said, "I had to". As he lead her, pulling out her chair next to Ulisi.

It wasn't until the second course meal when Ulisi spoke up and broke into Maria's thoughts. "Maria, don't you have something exciting to tell everyone?"

Maria looked a bit blankly at Ulisi. "I do?"

Ulisi laughed. "Your plans for next year..". she prompted.

"Oh". Maria looked at Richard and Dee, knowing she couldn't look at Eric or she'd be lost. "I got into that art school I've been freaking out about". She pulled the acceptance letter out of her purse and passed it over to them.

They leaned close to each other and read the letter. "That's great news. Congratulations, Maria!". Richard and Dee beamed at her.

From across the table, she heard. "Congratulations".

She smiled at Dee and Richard then looked at Eric and said, "Thank you".

When dinner was finished, they left the restaurant. As Maria was about to get back into the limo, Ulisi stopped her. "There's not enough room, my dear". She turned towards Eric. "Eric, could you be a dear and take Maria home?".

Eric looked at Ulisi and nodded. "Of course, I'll take good care of her". He came over to help Ulisi into her seat.

Eric peered inside to see his brother and sister-in-law smirking and looked at Ulisi as she said, "I want her back before dusk tomorrow. Take good care of her". She patted his hand before shooing him away.

He stepped back as the window started to come back up and walked back over to Maria who was confused. Eric held out his arm to her, she took it and walked with him to his car.

"What was that about?", she asked, keeping her eyes averted.

He shook his head a little. "She has a theory that we're meant to be together".

Maria stopped for a moment. "What do you mean?".

He considered. "She feels we are soulmates, returning to each other after years of separation. If you trust me, I'd like to show you something".

She nodded as she got into the car. "I trust you".

He slipped inside the silver Mustang and were entering the private elevators within twenty minutes of leaving the restaurant.

While the elevator ascended, Eric asked, "Has Ulisi spoken much about our people's history?"

Making half-and-half motion with her hand she said, "Some but not everything".

When the elevator stopped, he led her over to his apartment and motioned her inside. She stepped inside, feeling cautious, and was surprised at the mix of decor she found. Even though everything looked modern, there was a touch of the past inside with wall decorations, furs and woven mats on the ground.

He kicked off his shoes and took off his socks and then his jacket as soon as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"Both of our blood lines go back to the same tribe before white men arrived in America," he began. "Our people were linked with the spirit of the wolf. For a lucky few, brother wolf chose to bond with us. Like wolves, we partner for life. If one of us loses a mate, we either go insane and kill ourselves or, we accept what happened and find peace within ourselves till the day comes that our mate is reborn".

She slipped her hand into his and he led her around the corner. On the wall, there were two paintings and a space for a third.

He stopped in front of her painting of the couple and moved her in front of him with his hands resting around her tiny waist.

"U-ne-ga E-u-s-ti Wa'ya and U-ne-ga A-wi". He couldn't help but to inhale her scent. "Gray Wolf and White Deer. They had been together for about a year before the white man came. When they did come, they killed White Deer, which sent Gray Wolf into a rage. Brother Wolf had bonded with Gray Wolf and he ended up killing every one of the white man that came into the village that night. During his rage, his brother was taken away from the village and was nearly killed before he got to him". He paused for a moment as Maria stiffened in his arms.

"His brother was weakened, so Gray Wolf had to mourn the loss of his love but he had to stay sane for the sake of his brother. His brother's wife joined them as Gray Wolf waited to get his White Deer back in his arms again so they could complete the bond and be together until their last breath".

He stood back up straight when she turned around. "This is your story?".

He nodded.

"You think I'm the reborn White Deer?". Her voice steady but quiet.

He nodded again. "The night you were born, Richard caught your scent and called me to come to the hospital. As soon as I was in there, I felt a pull towards you. It ate away at me for the first three years of your life, and so I left. After I told you good bye, you called meWa'ya."

¡°Ulisi said she hadn't taught you that word. That's when I knew I had to really leave. I couldn't stop thinking about you. Tonight, even after all this time, the pull was stronger than ever before. The wolf inside me is howling to have you as its mate as I'm dying inside to have you as well".

She had known all her life that there was one person out there for her, that would come and take her away from everything she knew. Even at school, she had never gone on dates, had never looked at boys at all in that way. As soon as she had seen Eric tonight, she had felt drawn to him. She had all those fluttery feelings that the girls at school would talk about with the boys they thought they were in love with.

"You have my paintings, so you're my benefactor. You want the last painting, which I can't finish". She thought for a moment. "The wolf should be like you. I should have it finished soon".

He chuckled a little. "There is more to thinking the wolf would be like me, Maria. The reason you can't find White Deer's wolf is because I never bonded with her".

She, was silent. She understood what he was telling her, but it was too much to take in. Then she heard him chuckle, as he said, "Come, let us relax and not think about such things for now. We have to celebrate your birthday, along with getting into the college you wanted".

He led her outside and took out a bottle of wine from the fridge along with two glasses and led her out to the patio. He poured the drinks and sat down watching her as he took a sip. She sat down near him and relaxed in her seat.

"So, what does bonding mean?" Maria asked. "Is it like getting married?".

He chuckled as put his feet up on the balcony rail. "It is, but it's deeper than a piece of paper. The couple make love then share blood just before they come. People say it feels like... Total euphoria".

She went still, "How do you share blood?".

He looked over to her. "We bite each other here". He touched the base of his neck.

"Have you ever done that with anyone else?".

"Bitten someone to bond with them?".

She nodded.

"No, I've never had that pull to want to be with someone until I saw you for the first time". He decided to be honest and added, "I haven't touched anyone since that moment either".

"You haven't made love to anyone since you saw me in the hospital?". Her voice a whisper.

He gave a small chuckle. "The last person I made love to was White Deer. The other women I had during the years up until you were born were just... to meet my needs". Then he decided to get more dirty with his thoughts. "I didn't think my hand could do a good enough job to keep me from getting blue balls but I found out it did a great job over the past eighteen years so never needed anyone's help. But now you have turned eighteen, I don't think my hand will do much good anymore".

She tilted her head forward so her hair would cover the shades of red against her cheeks. She had never spoken to anyone who was so open about their sexuality before and couldn't help to find it was turning her on a little bit more than just being in his presence.

He decided to tease her a bit more. "See, even now I can't control how much I want to make love to you".

She peeked over at him and her eyes went wide. From the bulge in his pants, it looked like a monster was hiding beneath them.

He couldn't help but grin at her innocence and watched her shiver. "Oh, you must be cold. I always forget that part with humans".

She gave him a curious look. "What do you mean? Don't you get cold?". She realized that she was getting a little cold and rubbed her arms.

He shook his head and stood up, then took a couple of steps to get closer to her so she'd feel the heat radiating from him and held out his hand to her.

She looked at his hand before slipping hers into his and let him pull her into his arms. She shivered again but not from cold. She couldn't help but snuggle into him. "You're so warm".

He smiled at the feel of her in his arms, then picked her up and grinned when she squealed. "We have a joint birthday present for you which I nearly forgot about".

He handed her their glasses and he grabbed the bottle and headed back inside with her in his arms. He dropped the glasses and bottle off in the kitchen before taking her through to the joint office. "So what type of wood do you like?"

She looked at the desks and back to him and wiggled down onto the floor. "I kinda like this one, I love dark wood". She ran a hand over the top of his desk.

He nodded. "And what type of desk do you like?".

She studied the desks in the room and said, "I like that one, over there". She pointed at Dee's desk.

He nodded again and scrolled down the contacts list and brought the phone up to his ear. He waited a few moments before he smiled. "Hey Billy, just a quick call. Can your boys make me a desk? My desk's wood but Dee's style. Thanks, and come by tomorrow. I have a big job for you and your boys". He laughed, "Cheers". He looked at Maria and grinned. "Silly Aussies".

"Aussie?" she asked

He nodded. "Yeah, Billy's from Australia but he's an excellent builder so I get him to do all my personal jobs I want done perfect". He grabbed her around her waist and pulled her on top of his lap at his desk.

She wasn't used to being touched so often but when it came to Eric, she didn't mind. She loved his warmth and the way he made her heart skip a beat when he touched her. She snuggled into him again.

He reached down and opened the top draw of his desk and pulled out a set of keys and placed them in her hand. "The joint birthday present from us".

She looked down at the keys. "What are these?".

¡°Did you notice the white convertible that I parked next to?". She nodded yes. He grinned. "It's yours. Dee said you have your license but no car, so we decided to make it easier on you and Ulisi, and get you one".

Her eyes went wide and she pulled back and shook her head. "I couldn't possibly. It's to much".

He shook his head. "It's already done". He hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed her lips.

She fell into the kiss, her eyes dreamy when he pulled back. "Are there any other things I need to know?".

He nodded. "There are but I'm sure one night of shocks is enough for now. The rest I can tell you about later". He couldn't help but shift against her, letting her feel what she did to him.

A light blush covered Maria's cheeks. She bit her lower lip and wriggled a little then tried to hide a smile when he groaned again. "Are you sure there's nothing else I need to know? I mean, any secrets that will come out that will shock me?".

He hugged her tighter against his body and moved his lips over her shoulder as he whispered, "I'm highly sexual and it won't take much to get me hungry for you".

She could feel herself getting excited which made her shiver again. She had to get out of his lap. She enjoyed hearing his groans so she twisted in his lap then pushed back a little before standing up. She bit her lower lip as she turned to one side to face him. "So, can I have a tour?"

His eyes turned to dark storm clouds and he growled when she left his lap. He was hungry for her. He wanted to take her there and then over his desk but he knew she'd hate him for it. He knew what he wanted their first time to be like, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let his wolf have his wicked way the first time.

"Certainly. This way".

She took her time walking through the living area which was connected to the kitchen and dining area. She couldn't help but smile at his taste in art. Each piece was different but each had the same sorts of colors in them so it made the room link together. She could feel the heat radiating off his body as she turned her head and smiled up to him. "So a tour?"

He nodded and pulled her against his body and whispered with a slight possessive growl, "There's only one room I want to show you tonight".

Maria tried to sort out her feelings; until now, she'd shied away from physical contact with anyone but Ulisi. With Eric, she wanted to be touched by him. She wanted that heat from his body engulfing her. Forcing herself away, she pretended to focus on the paintings and realized, she didn'twant. Sheneeded.

In her journals, she would always refer to the man in her dreams. She had been dreaming of him for as long as she could remember, the longing for his arms to wrap around her. Just having that feeling of protection that she was getting right now.

She stopped. What if her feelings weren't hers at all. If she was the reborn White Deer, what if the feelings she was experiencing were not her own. The thought made her breath catch.

Eric could see the sudden change in Maria. "Are you alright?"

He turned her around and let his hand stroke her cheek once they stood facing each other.

She shivered at his touch and took a step back from him. She looked around and walked over to one of the single chairs away from the others and curled up on it. Tears ran down her cheeks as she hid her face in her hands.

"Maria, what is wrong?". He followed her over and touched her arm. "Talk to me".

She shook her head, she couldn't tell him what she was thinking. She knew it would hurt him too much if she told him she doubted her feelings.

He reached out with his senses and felt Richard and Dee were home. Assuring Maria he'd be back soon, he ran over to their apartment and called for them to come. He returned and tried to coax Maria into talking, with no success.

Richard had been teasing her big time in the ride back from Ulisi's and she was about to cause payback when they disturbed.