Kei Valancia
The warm shower washing away my grossness was heaven.
Goddess, we stank so bad I’m not sure how Ryker put up with us, Rei said with disgust.
Maybe he secretly likes our stink, I said jokingly.
We should go dumpster diving then. Gotta keep our man on his toes, or else he’ll find a stinkier woman.
I don’t think that’s going to happen.
How do you know? Ryker is a man. You can never be sure what he will be thinking, Rei concluded.
Why are you so weird?
Why, aren’t you weirder?
That’s the thing. I’m usually the weird one, and you’re the semi-normal one in this relationship. What’s going on?
I want to change places. She pouted.
I sighed again but longer and thumped my head against the marble, and I mean marble wall. And I could freaking see the black rock sparkle.
It…was…so…cool. There was suddenly a loud bang, and for some weird reason, I got into a karate pose. My arms were in front of me as if that would help in my present vulnerable state.
“Kei? Are you all right?”
I dropped my arms and tried to cover everything below my neck.
“Yep. Everything’s A-okay except that I’m naked and you are in the same room as me.”
He walked over just in front of the opaque glass, his blurred figure dark against the light. The water pounded on my back, and I kept my eyes on his every move. I saw his blurry arm lift, and his hand grabbed the edge of the glass sliding door.
“I swear if you open that door, I will karate chop you,” I threatened. It seemed to have worked, though, as he did freeze.
“You’re so adorable when you threaten me,” was all he said before yanking the door open. I squealed and jumped back.
“What in the actual heck? Ryker, I’m too white. If you stare at me for too long, I’ll burn your retinas.”
He didn’t say anything but stare. I felt my whole body flush as his gaze crept slowly down and back up again, taking in every detail.
“You didn’t say that when we first met,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“That was before I saw I was whiter than paper.”
He took a step inside the shower, his jeans getting soaked, and water droplets ran down his golden chest.
“Do you think I would really care if you were the colors of the rainbow?”
I quirked an eyebrow. “I will admit. That sounds cool.”
He took another step, getting closer to every move. “The point is, Kei, it doesn’t matter what color you are. I will love you as if the world depends on it.”
He had taken small steps towards me until his chest was pushed against mine, and my breath hitched in my throat. He looked down at me with hooded eyes, his hair sticking to his forehead. I reached up and pushed it away to get a clearer view of his twinkling eyes. He wrapped one arm around my waist, pulled me closer until there was no space between us, and used the other to trail his hand up my bare spine. His fingers lightly traced the path, and the feeling sent shivers up my spine.
He bent down and whispered in my ear, “Cold?”
“Yes, yes, I am.” And I was. The water had gone into arctic mode all of a sudden and me butt-naked was not going to provide much warmth. Goosebumps dotted my skin, and I shivered again. Yet I gripped the hair at his nape and pulled him down for a kiss. Because why not? I might be cold, but kissing Ryker heated me until I felt too hot. I hardly noticed when Ryker searched until he found what he was looking for, turning the water off. He cupped his hands around my face and used his body to push me against the wall.
“I should probably dry off.” I managed in between kisses.
“Is that really such a great idea?” he muttered.
A red flush had splattered across my skin, and I nodded. “I hate to break the moment, but I have to just add something.”
He pulled back and raised an eyebrow at me. “Oh? And what would that be?” he asked. With a serious expression, I stared at him straight in the eyes.
“You still haven’t found the x in the equation.” At the mention of the equation, he rolled his eyes and groaned exasperatedly. He turned and walked out of the shower.
I let out a breath that I was holding and felt myself begin to calm down.
Get rid of that stupid equation, Rei harped at me.
“Don’t wanna.”
I smirked just as Ryker appeared once more but this time, with a plush towel. He was dressed in a loose navy blue t-shirt and a dry pair of jeans.
“Come on before you catch a cold.”
“Yes, sir.” I would have saluted, but I thought I better get dressed before I did anything else. Walking gingerly over to him, I made sure as to not slip on the wet tiles as he reached around me and wrapped me in the warm towel.
“Do you think I could borrow some of your clothes?” I asked him. He nodded, and with his arm still wrapped around my shoulders, we walked back into his room. First, he directed me to the bed and pushed my shoulders down so that I sat on the ridiculously soft mattress, and he walked back into the bathroom.
I was just sitting there playing with a piece of loose thread on the towel when all of a sudden a memory flashed through my mind.
* * *
I was walking through the forest when I was about ten years old and three years after I had gotten Rei. I was traveling on to the next pack to learn ways on how to protect myself and the ones that I loved.
“Rei?”
“Hmmm?”
“I know it’s stupid, and we might not even find our mate but…”
“But what?”
I took a deep breath.
“I want to wait.”
“Wait, for what exactly?”
“I want to wait to be fully mated with my true soulmate until we get married.”
Rei was silent for a moment.
“Kei, werewolves don’t get married as regular humans do.”
“I know, but some do. I’ve heard stories about the brides wearing the most beautiful gowns with her best friends standing beside her.” I paused. “And then when the bride walks down the aisle, the groom is standing, waiting for his love with a look of awe.
“I know it’s a childish dream, but it’s something that I’ve given a lot of thought.”
Rei was silent for a long time, and I didn’t add any more. I knew it was stupid to wait to get married when you’re destined to live with your other half, anyways, but it’s the thought. Humans are dominating most of the planet now, and I always had a strange fascination towards them. Yet when I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever met one in person. I sighed and held on tighter to the backpack straps. The usual colors gave me some comfort, and I relaxed into a rhythm.
“It’s not a childish dream,” Rei suddenly spoke. “Our mate is the one and only for us. Having a wedding wouldn’t hurt to have, and it may be fun.”
I smiled brightly.
“Thanks, Rei.”
She laughed.
“Anytime, Kei.”
* * *
I blinked and found Ryker bent over me with a panicked expression. He relaxed a little as he saw that I was conscious again.
“Ryker?”
“Baby, how many times are you going to make me worry?”
I sat up, noticed that I was now dry and dressed in a large shirt smelling of him. Ryker was lying beside me, holding me in his arms. I caressed his cheek.
“I’m sorry.”
In response, he nuzzled into my neck. “Stop saying sorry. It’s not your fault,” he said against my skin.
I looked at him softly before I lifted the covers up and around us. He was now dressed in plain black sweats, giving me a wonderful view of his body. I shook my head to get my mind out of the gutter before I laid my cheek against his chest, listening to his heart beat rhythmically against my ear. This action made me realize how tired I was. You would think for getting as much sleep as I had that I would be up and around like a hyper little kid. But no, my body was still too tired to do anything.
“I’ll tell you in the morning. Right now, I think we need some sleep.”
“Babe, it is morning.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s 3 AM.”
I felt my eyes droop. “That’s okay. I’ll wake up early enough to show you some more of my memories before you have to go work…” I began to drift off while his hand played with my hair.
“Oh and Kei?”
“Hmmm?”
“Happy birthday.”