Elizabeth
Eric's family was friendly. Anna was a darling, and his mom was full of life. They began monopolizing my days and rarely gave me time alone with Eric. He didn't complain because he wanted me happy. He followed us like a shadow. No, not a shadow, more like a guardian angel. I also felt safer with him around. Even if Jessica, his mom, was the one who did most of the talking, I liked that Eric was close, ready to take care of my every need. Anna and Jessica treated him like their own personal bag carrier, driver, and bodyguard. He didn't seem to mind. I assumed he endured all that to be next to me.
Two more weeks went by, and I was feeling much healthier, stronger, and less miserable. I smiled more often and began showing interest in all the novelties that surrounded us: new clothes, new gadgets, the state of the economy, and my new family.
The world had endured several transformations in the past four years that I had been a recluse. There was new music to listen to, new books to read, films to watch, and shoes to buy. Jessica loved shoes. Anna loved books and swords. She was different like that. She also loved Shane, and she couldn’t stop talking about him if we gave her a chance. Jessica was the same about Eric's dad. I envied them because I wanted to talk about my mate the same way. But the thing was that we hadn't even kissed, and I rarely let him touch me.
The biggest progress was holding hands with him when we walked in public places, just because it made me feel safer and less terrified by other men ogling at me. Men were dirty and lustful. I had never been so aware of that before. I covered myself up, just to keep them from staring at any part of my body they would find sexy. Too bad I couldn’t cover my face, even if my hair were long enough to try to, at least, cover my eyes. Even if I did it so the men wouldn't stare at me, I couldn’t help the fact that women stared at Eric openly and shamelessly.
I couldn't complain because he always introduced me as his wife. He couldn’t introduce me as his mate to the humans. I guess wife was the most appropriate term for me, even if it was so much more than that.
Wife should be a stop sign for them. At least I expected so, but let's face it, many don’t respect the sanctity of marriage anymore and would actually like the challenge.
Wife? So, what? I'm so much better than her.
For my misery, some actually were.
Eric would always smirk at me when I was jealous, but he would make the women back off like I would bite if they would dare to come closer. It wasn't so bad in town like it was in the city because supernatural beings respected the mate bond. Yet humans, who had no clue, thought they had a chance with him. As if I wouldn’t rip their heads off!
Increased jealousy syndrome was one more item to add to the list of mate bond side effects. Overwhelming fascination was another. I often wondered if he felt the same. He was always so controlled around me and others that I was beginning to think I had some kind of problem. I began to feel that my prince charming should be less of a gentleman with me. It wasn’t like I was going to get cured just by looking at him and wondering what the he truly felt and thought of me.
Was it love? Real love? Love for me, pathetic, clumsy, and ugly little me? Maybe he was also thinking that the gods were unkind to him for making me his mate. Alaric thought that about Marie.
Why wouldn't Eric think the same?