Mated By The Demon Collections: Paranormal Romance Page 25

  “I’m sorry I know this isn’t very lady like at all. But I am starving, I feel like I haven’t ate for a month or more.” Rose said as she took a bite of another huge chunk of meat. It melted in her mouth, or felt like it, the food was so good.

  As she reached the end of the plate though she had slowed down as her stomach was feeling full. Pushing the plate away once and for all she said. “That was the best food I’ve ever ate in my life.” She stated honestly.

  Rose watched as his face turned red from embarrassment. “I’m sure it was simply because you haven’t eaten in such a long time!” He laughed.

  “I don’t know, but thank you so much. I’m sorry I ate so much of it!” Rose said.

  “You needed it, I’m glad you ate it all.” He said.

  “Did I eat all the food?” Rose asked feeling bad.

  “No I meant the food on the plates. I still have plenty of food!” He stated.

  “Oh good, I thought I had cleaned you out.” Rose laughed.

  He laughed as well.

  She enjoyed the laughter; it had been such a long time since she had done this type of thing. It seemed like the last time was before her father had died. Rose smiled as she thought of her father.

  “You miss your dad a lot don’t you?” He asked.

  “Yeah I do.” Rose answered. She looked at him and asked, “Who did you lose?”

  “That noticeable yet is it? I thought I hid it well after all this time.” He said. “I lost my dad about 5 years ago now.”

  Rose put her hand on his knee. “I’m sorry, I know how you feel.” She stated the obvious.

  “Thanks I appreciate it, but I really did think I hid the fact I still missed him so much well. That is until you asked me that question.”

  “I didn’t think the hurt of this pain would go away quickly. But 5 years, I was hoping it would be quicker than that.” Rose said.

  “Well I’m sorry to tell you it hasn’t gotten much better, well except some people you can fool into thinking you are better.” He said.

  “Yeah I know how that goes.” Rose shook her head, now knowing why she had never realized how badly she had hurt Alick. “It’s isn’t that you get better at hiding it. It could be that people simply don’t care how you feel anymore.” Rose stated as she realized what had happened to Alick. She had broken his heart so badly that he stopped caring about her. “I’m sorry I just realized something so horrible.” Rose let the tears flow down her face.

  “Hey what’s wrong?” The man came over and sat beside her on the bed.

  “I hurt someone so badly, I feel so bad.” Rose moved over towards the man. She didn’t even know her name, but she needed to have someone hug her. Not giving him much of a choice, she laid her head on his chest.

  He pulled his arms up and looked down at her. Rose sighed as he finally wrapped his arms around her.

  “When my father died, I pushed my brother away and I just realized that I made him hate me.” Rose said to the man.

  “I’m sure he doesn’t hate you.” The man said as he continued to hold her.

  “Yes he does, he stopped caring about me. But it was only because he thought I stopped caring about him.” Rose stated.

  She felt the man shake his head understanding what she was saying.

  “I had to break his heart so badly. He was only trying to get me out of the room to talk to him.” Rose thought back to that year when her father had died. She had a feeling that she had said some mean things to him back then too. Maybe she had said them, but she wasn’t sure. How else could he have done what he did yesterday to her? How had she not seen the change in him? Because she had shut herself off? No she had tried to be normal again when she had come out of her room back at that time. She was almost sure of it if she thought hard enough. Alick had been different to her back then. It had started after her father had died. Not just last night, no it had been like this for a while now.

  “Grief will make you say some horrible things to people, this is true. But not all of us handle it that way. I never did that, I simply suffered in silence. I tried to hide my feelings from the beginning. Whenever someone would ask me how I was, I would tell them I was just fine. I acted like I didn’t even miss my father for so long, that I almost believed I was doing better.” He stated.

  They sat there for a while, him holding her and both of them thinking about their losses. Rose didn’t want to think about it too hard; she honestly didn’t want to remember what she might have said to Alick. No I’m better off not remembering that stuff, it will only make me feel worse, she thought.

  “Can we ever go back and make it better with a person we did that too?” She asked. Sure the man wouldn’t even understand her question.

  “I’m not sure really. I don’t know what you said and who you said it too.” The man said.

  “My brother is who I’m talking about. What I said? Well I don’t know, all I remember is that I wanted everyone to leave me be. But I know that I lashed out at him. The grief I felt I turned into anger when I talked to him. I told him to go away.” Rose said.

  “Well just telling him to go away isn’t bad. You didn’t want to talk, that’s understandable.” The man answered.

  “I don’t know if that is all I said to him through the door. I yelled so many things in anger that my dad was dead, not thinking that it was also his dad.” Rose cried. Her tears soaked the front of his shirt.

  She felt him squeeze her tighter pulling her closer to him. It was just like Alick had done so many times in the thunderstorms when she was a younger girl. “I hurt him so badly. I told him he didn’t care about our dad and who knows what else. I might have said I hated him too. I don’t know everything I said to him. But when I came out of my room he was different to me. He didn’t talk to me as much, avoided me at times, or so it seemed. I thought it was because he was giving me my space and not bothering me. Looking back on it though, I think I pushed him so far away from me. I hurt him badly. I wish I could say I was sorry to him. I want my brother back, the one that I remember for the first 17 years of my life.” Rose stated.

  Looking up at the man she yearned for her life to be back to normal. “I just wish my dad was still alive now and that Alick hadn’t changed. That Alick had told me last night I was to marry someone else. Someone he didn’t even know. He told me it didn’t matter what I felt about it either.” Rose said.

  “Shh, sometimes it is just easier to not think about everything. Come on, sit closer to the fire, it will help you feel better.” The man said standing up he helped her up.

  As she stepped outside of the blankets, she blushed, thinking once again about the clothes she had on now. That had meant the man had seen her naked when he took her clothes off to change her.

  “I’m sorry; I had to get the wet clothes off of you. If I hadn’t you would be dead for sure right now.” He answered.

  “How did you know what I was thinking?” She asked.

  “I could tell by the facial expression.” He shrugged his shoulders.

  They moved by the fire and Rose had to admit that the warmth of the flames felt wonderful. He brought the blanket over for her to sit on in front of the fire.

  “Are you going to sit with me?” Rose asked as it looked as if he was going to sit in another spot.

  “Sure I guess I could!” He said and sat by her.

  Rose leaned over on him. She had really enjoyed the feeling of his arms around her. It wasn’t that it reminded her of Alick either. She realized that now. It was the fresh manly scent she smelled when she was so close to his skin. Rose thought about the muscles she could feel through his shirt against her face and shoulder.

  She let her body sink against his. Rose sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. I don’t even know his name, but I swear I feel like I love him already. She thought as she let her eyes close as her head was on his chest.

  Breathing in deeply she smelled his scent. The manly aroma was intoxicating to her, and she sm
iled. Rose had never been with a man, but right now she wanted to be with this one in an intimate way. However, she knew that she would never initiate anything like that. So instead she just smelled his scent and relaxed as he held her in front of the fire.

  It was nice, they just both sat their quietly and Rose thought that maybe her life could be decent once again. But how will it be decent if you’re supposed to marry this other person? Her mind reminded her.

  Life never seemed to be what you wanted it to be, she thought. At such a young age she already realized this, and it made her want to have her father back again. Or if this man wouldn’t have found me last night, I would be with dad again. She thought and sighed.

  Chapter 3

  She felt him kiss the top of head and smiled. That was nice, she thought. “How long was I out in the woods?” She asked.

  “I’m not sure but you were so cold I thought you were already dead when I found you. But when I picked you up to carry you to the cabin I could feel you barely breathing.” She was looking up at him as he talked and saw him turn a little red.

  “What?” She asked him.

  “Well I had to get your wet clothes off of you or you would have surely died. So I undressed you and quickly tried to warm you up as much as I could.” He stated.

  Rose turned red as he thought of him seeing her without any clothes on. Especially as she felt her blood begin to flow in regions she had never allowed a man to touch.

  “But anyway, you know the rest of the story really, you slept for almost a week and woke up and ate a ton of food!” He laughed heartily.

  “I’m sorry I ate so much food.” Rose looked down her face turning red.

  He put his finger under her chin. “Look you didn’t eat that much really, you’ve never seen how much my brother or I can eat. Plus you needed it; you had to nourish your body. So please I’m only teasing you when I say you ate a ton.” He smiled.

  Rose smiled. “Okay if you say so.”

  “I say so, now that’s over!” He smiled back at her.

  She really wished he would kiss her right now. But there was also part of her crying out in fear. Then the voice that was telling her that her brother had promised her to another man. However, if Rose could choose she would choose this man sitting right her in a second. “What is your name? I just thought that I hadn’t even asked.

  “My name is Catan, and you know what I never thought of asking you your name either!”

  “Oh I’m Rose.” She didn’t offer her last name to him either. She figured there was a reason why he was doing that, and well she knew it too. If you didn’t have to you shouldn’t offer your name to a stranger. There were so many clans that were fighting with one another, you could never be sure. So stating your name could mean instant death. That was if the person you were talking too believed in all the hype of the clan wars. Rose herself didn’t, she didn’t even know what they were fighting about. She remembered asking her father one time long ago and the answer he had given her.

  “Rose honestly I don’t know why we are fighting anymore. But it just seems like someone is always willing to kill you because of your last name.” Her father had told her that night.

  For that reason Rose had always tried to tell her brother to just stop fighting, “Try to get them talk about a peace agreement. Why should everyone die?” It had made her even more upset when her father had been killed in some senseless attack.

  But even so Rose knew not to offer her last name, and not to inquire about his name either. Not the last name, she didn’t mind knowing him only as Catan. Maybe it would be easier to forget him once he was gone, she thought.

  She sighed. “You know life just seems to be one messed up thing after another. I’m only 18 years old, should I really feel this way?” Rose asked and looked at him. Hoping that maybe he would know something about life she didn’t know.

  “Well I must agree with you on that life is messed up. But I think also it can be something special if you try and make it that way. I mean honestly the chances that I was out in the woods when you needed me are slim. Especially in weather like that night. I just had this feeling that I had to go out and check for something though. I know it sounds really weird, but it felt like my dad was on my shoulder. He was pushing me outside, telling me to go out there. When I was looking around I found you. I think maybe my dad knows yours or something. You know like they are both someplace together watching us?” He stated.

  Rose shook her head; it made sense to her, in a way. “Yeah I could see that.” Then she thought about the prayers she had been saying as she walked through the woods. The pleading cries to someone anyone out there in the world. Perhaps there was someone looking out after them in this world.

  “So how many brothers do you have?” Rose finally asked him.

  “I have two brothers and three sisters.” He stated.

  “Wow what a big family! It was only me and my brother.” Rose said.

  “Yeah I am the middle boy, one brother is older and two sisters are older than me. Then I have the one brother and sister who are younger than me.” He said.

  “Well my brother is older than me!”

  “Oh so you got to be the baby of the family! Nice spot to be in, you get everything!” He laughed.

  “Not everything, most everything!” She laughed. More than one time she had heard Alick tell her the same thing. “You get everything you want Rose, your life is simple.” He had told her several times when they were younger.

  “No you get it all! Well at least my younger sister did, not necessarily my younger brother though. But you girls you get everything when you’re the youngest one. Even my older sisters see it with my youngest sister!” He stated.

  “I refuse to have this discussion with you!” Rose said and turned towards the fire.

  “That’s only because you know I’m being honest and that I’m right!” He said.

  She looked up at his smug expression and couldn’t help but bust out in laughter. “You’re crazy!” Rose smacked his chest lightly. She felt how hard it had been under her hand. She would love to see him with no shirt on, and with that thought her body seemed to start boiling again.

  Rose couldn’t help it but she felt something different with Catan. Maybe it was because he had saved her? But she thought it was different than that. She had laughed with him quite a few times already. If there was one thing in this world that Rose loved to do, it was laugh!

  “I might be crazy, but I did save you!” He looked down at her. Rose noticed a different look in his eyes, but she had no experience in the field of men. If she had, she would have realized it was lust that she was seeing coming from him.

  “I do thank you again for that!” Rose smiled up at him. She was being honest right at this point in her life, sitting her with him, she was happy. But when she thought of her brother and how he had told her she had to marry someone she didn’t know. Well her wise to be dead would return she wanted to be with her father at that point. Then she thought, or I just want to stay here with Catan. Locked off from the rest of the world, wrapped up in his arms nothing could go wrong this way. This is something I could get used too, she thought.

  Rose put her head back on his chest, hoping he would wrap her up tightly in his embrace again. She didn’t have to wait long and his arms were around her and he squeezed her to let her know he had her. Rose smiled, she didn’t even know this man, but she knew she loved him at this point.

  At that thought it was bittersweet to her. The only way she would be able to be with Catan was to never go back home. Surely her brother would force her into this other marriage, and she would have to leave the man she loved. The thought of it made her want to cry and slowly the tears rolled down her face.

  She had thought she was crying fairly quietly. But realized she was wrong when she felt him pet her hair with his big hand.

  “You’ll be fine, don’t worry we’ll get you back home soon again. I just want to make sure the weather doesn’t get worse
again. It looks like it may snow some more.”

  “I don’t want to go home.” Rose whispered. Then she realized what he had said, and asked. “Did you say snow?”

  “Yes I did. The cold has moved in for the rest of the year I fear. You were lucky I think you enjoyed the last rain of the year. Had it been snowing that night, you would surely have died.” Catan murmured.

  Rose thought about it for a bit. She had been lucky. When she had ran out that day, she hadn’t even thought of the time of year. If she had maybe she would have brought a few more clothes. But probably not, she was very upset about her situation. No matter what she just wanted to get away from it all, especially the impending marriage.

  “How can he make me marry someone?” Rose asked into Catan’s chest. Not really expecting an answer.

  “Well sometimes those who are older than use don’t always think of what they are doing, they don’t think it out. Or maybe it’s like you said, they have stopped caring about what the person feels. I don’t know though, it is hard to think of someone who is family losing their feelings for you.” Catan commented.

  “I never thought that I would hear him tell me he didn’t care how I felt about anything. It hurt to hear it.” Rose admitted.

  She felt him shake his head in agreement.

  “But yet the things I said to him that night. They were mean and spiteful, but honest. That I think is what makes me the saddest. To realize that it is most likely true what he is saying. That he didn’t care anymore how I felt. Then I realize that I caused that to happen last year. I pushed him away, I was mean to him. Alick didn’t deserve any of it, I should have helped him through that time too, like he was offering me.” Rose cried.

  “You may be able to talk to him and straighten it out. You never know. Don’t give up hope, you know sometimes even worse can happen in a family. The members talk and they get it right again.” Catan said to her.

  “I hope your right. But I still don’t want to go home. It feels so nice here, with you. I love how it feels to be in your arms. I love to laugh and you make me laugh. I’m happy right now, and I haven’t had this feeling in over a year now.” Rose said as her chest was nuzzled into his chest.