Chapter 52: The first date

With the number of rumours buzzing around on the internet, it was slowly becoming apparent that Nicholas and I would need to announce that we were in fact, not dead. Though before we did, we’d need to think about the way we did it very carefully. At present, Dante had a lot of influence over every human that had been subjected to the servitude implemented by the lycans and any wrong move on our part would be detrimental. And so Aura had decided that she’d be joining Ophelia on her trip home later. After Theo had conveyed the news to Nicholas, his mood completely soured. He spent a lot of his time brooding in the room while I grew more and more uneasy and frustrated staying in the house.

“Perhaps you’d like to go out and explore a little?” Theo suggested after I’d begun pacing around.

“I can? Won’t people recognise me?” I asked, a little concerned.

Theo shook his head, “Even if they do, they won’t care. Remember, the other Lycan royals have absolutely no effect on Bouvardia. It’s the one place Dante won’t be able to influence.”

I relaxed slightly and then nodded.

“Any place you’d suggest?” I asked.

It was then that Nicholas entered the room, a look of curiosity on his face. He immediately held a hand up towards Theo before saying, “I’ll show you.”

His tone left no room for any of my quirky denial. Instead, it was assertive and almost commanding. It left a single, and very controversial question in my mind: Did it turn me on?

And it was when he walked up to me, took my hand in his and led me out of the door that I decided that it did, indeed, turn me on.

Nicholas’ hand was warm and comforting and the feeling of it against my skin had me blushing like crazy. In fact, it had me wanting more of the feeling of him and so I used my free hand to touch against his bicep. It was hard beneath my hand and flexed the moment it felt my touch. He turned toward me and looked down into my eyes, a curious look in his. Immediately I grew a little self conscious and tried to remove my hand from his arm. But he gently grabbed it and placed it back.

“There’s no need to be shy… I am your fiancé after all,” he said before leaning in, his breath against my lips. I thought he’d kiss me right then and there, but all he did was smile teasingly and pull me a little closer before he continued to walk with me.

“I apologise for my foul mood, but the idea of seeing Aura has me sick to the stomach,” he said with a sigh.

“I understand… sibling problems are usually the most complex and frustrating,” I said.

He then leaned down again, making my heart beat erratically in my chest.

“Speaking of… am I the only one noticing a strange sort of sexual tension between Theo and Kiyan?” he asked softly.

My eyes widened and I almost burst out laughing at his words. It was almost adorable how he was obviously trying to pry and see if I knew any information.

“Well… apparently they had a one-night stand…” I said.

I didn’t quite expect his reaction to be the one he gave me. His eyes widened and his mouth was agape. In fact, he even let go of my hand momentarily to place it against his mouth.

“I thought Kiyan hated my brother… I guess the saying is true, there’s a fine line between love and hate.”

It took him a bit to recover, during which I tried to catch him up on what Theo had told me.

“So… I guess your brother’s lifeline is now tied to Theo’s. I wonder if Theo had the chance to explain it to him.”

That was when I froze. I’d forgotten about the consequence of being mated to and bedding the lycan kings and queens. Eternal life… technically. As long as they lived, so would we. The more I thought of it, the more I too wondered if Kiyan knew that he’d live an eternity and if he was okay with that. Would I be?

“You seem to be lost in thought,” Nicholas said, pulling me away from my internal ponderings. I smiled and shrugged, but as we continued to walk and converse about other things, my mind still lingered on that question. Eventually, however, it faded into a passing and forgotten thought once again as I began to savour our walk more and more. There was something so golden and pure about our intertwined fingers and our careless laughter. The warmth of the Bouvarian weather and the scent of fresh flowers in the air only added to the pleasantness of the moment.

“So, where are you taking me?” I eventually asked, after we’d walked quite a distance from the quietness of Theo’s home towards a more populated area filled with stalls, small restaurants and coffee shops and clothing stores.

He stayed silent for a moment and contemplated before saying, “It’s a bit of a surprise.”

I was caught off guard by the goofy smile on his face, but nodded nonetheless, following him into the market. We soon bought a few items including some delicious snacks, an outdoor blanket and a bag large enough to carry everything in. And although I had deduced that we’d be going on a picnic, I was curious as to where we would be picnicking. That was when he offered his famous lycan transportation. I was a little hesitant at first, thinking back on how disorientated I’d been after the first time we’d tried it, but his charming smile and that excited glint in his eye rendered me unable to refuse.

But just as I suspected, I was completely disorientated after the high speed travel on the back of a supernatural creature. Nicholas held me close for a moment while I got my bearings. Once I was relatively fine, I took a moment to marvel at the beauty of the area. We were on top of a mountain, overlooking Bouvardia. It seemed endless with fields and fields of farmland, flowers and markets here and there. I could even see the outlines of small cities and countryside settlements.

“This is one of my favourite places in Bouvardia. It’s so quiet and so peaceful.”

I nodded in agreement, unable to take my eyes off the scenery. In the meantime, Nicholas had set everything up and when I turned towards him, I was surprised to see how meticulously he’d laid the snacks out, each on a paper plate.

“Would you like to sit down with me?”

I nodded and joined him, eyeing the food hungrily. We both helped ourselves to the food, stuffing our faces as we enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the cool breeze.

“Not bad for a first date, huh?” Nicholas said suddenly.

Immediately I choked on the juice I’d been drinking and he gently pat me on the back, a look of concern on his face.

“D-date?” I questioned after I’d recovered.

He smiled and nodded.

“We haven’t really been on one and I thought that it would be good to learn more about each other, if you’d like?”

I nodded, intrigued and excited to learn more about him.

“You can ask a question first. We’ll start off with something small to ease into the conversation.”

I agreed and then thought a moment about an easy question to ask. There were quite a few, but I settled on a rather simple and yet important one.

“When’s your birthday?”

Much to my surprise, an awkward sense of silence settled between the both of us and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d asked the wrong question.

Then eventually, after a deep sigh, Nicholas muttered a soft, “I don’t have one.”