Colt had decided to return to her room for another shower. After her morning breakdown, she felt sticky, and gross and after all that crying she needed to simply not be. But, for once she didn't want to lose herself in the searing heat and actually had a cooler one, more on the cold to lukewarm side rather than a smotheringly hot one, like the ones she usually enjoyed. The result was, she hated to admit, refreshing as well as energizing. Maybe she wasn't so averse to the cold after all she mused.
Her heart still ached, but somehow she did feel slightly better in a strange way. Like her head was less, fuzzy and clouded emotionally. Her Dad was right, it was time she gave herself some love and care. Focused on what she needed. It was with that thought that she pulled out some of her old unused scented candles and lit them to allow the warm scent of cinnamon and apple to fill her room. Once it had she stretched out, Colt then sat down to meditate.
Colt focused her entire consciousness on her deep breathing. Feeling her lungs expanding as she slowly used her diaphragm to pull the air down, deep inside her chest. Imagining herself stretching tall, her posture straightening, her neck lengthening, till it was time to exhale again. Slowly and completely in control of her movements, her diaphragm relaxed allowing the air to exhale from inside her in a smooth almost seamless effort. She could feel herself becoming more grounded upon the exhale, like the bottom half of her body was rooting into the floor underneath her, connecting her lower half into the earth around her via the building.
She was so focused within, on what she was doing she almost didnt hear her phone ringing at first, sat as it was on the dressing table where she had left it. She was tempted to ignore it, but the thought that it could be Rebecca, or one of the girls at the stables prompted her to open up her eyes and go and answer. She reached for the phone and discovered a cell number calling her she didn't recognise.
"Hello?" she questioned.
"Good morning to you too, Kitten." came the casual response. "How are you feeling?"
"Elijah?" She must be dreaming she thought.
"Is there anyone else who would dare call my mate Kitten?" he asked jokingly.
"Well," Colt started, as she sat on her bed, realising even she couldn't dream up a man this cocky.
She heard the vibration of a growl down the phone, which just plain irked her. "It isn't like it's an original nickname now, so get you panties out of a twist Elijah. Then you can tell me how you got my cell number." she demanded of him.
Elijah coughed smiling on the other side of the call, he was beginning to love the way she told him off, with no airs and graces, just calling him on his shit. Especially when he had an answer, an answer he wished he could be present when he delivered, just to see the look on her face. "Your Mom, actually gave me it."
Colt sputtered out, "She did what?"
"Your Mom, thought I should be able to get in touch with my mate." he replied as if it were some sort of secret conspiracy he was letting her in on.
"Of course she did." Colt said in a sigh, while face palming, for not having realised her Mom would have done something like this sooner. Pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation she asked, "So, what is it exactly I can do for you Elijah?"
"Now, isn't that the offer I have dreamed about all my life." Elijah teased.
"For the love of all that is sacred Elijah, pack it in! I am in every way imaginable, not in the mood for this crap right now. So, if there is a point to this call, then spit it out. Otherwise, I will be going!" Colt snapped at him her temper flaring across the call.
"Hey, wait, wait." Elijah begged in a panic. "I'm sorry, okay. I am new at this and I didn't ever expect it to be like this, and I keep fucking it up. I'm sorry. I just want you to think well of me." he was being more honest than he had ever been in his life, and it made him nervous.
Colt paused, and heeding her Mom's words from the night before, about her having a duty to Elijah as his mate, just as much as he had one to her, and so, she went against her compulsive nature and didn't hang up on him. "Okay, then first off stop acting like an ass, who only cares about getting between my legs." she said, followed by, "And secondly, what would you like to talk about?"
"Really?" He asked in slight disbelief. "You aren't hanging up?"
"Apparently not right now. So, speak Balto, what's up?" she sarcastically responded, she may have an obligation to hear him out, but she wasn't a Saint afterall, and sarcasm was in her nature.
"Did you just give me a pet name?" he asked rhetorically in disbelief. "Why does it have be a cartoon dog?"
"Your not keen huh?" she teased back. "That's a shame I quite like it, and he is crossed with a wolf you know. But, I can always go back to calling you Mr. Lupus if you prefer? Or maybe Toto?"
"No!" he almost shouted. "Fine, fine, Balto it is," he said shaking his head in disbelief, at his dumb luck. Although, secretly he was pleased. Not about the name as such, but the fact she gave him one at all.
"Well, now that's settled Balto, I will ask again, what's up?" she laughed, at how easily manipulated he was over something so silly.
Poor man, she thought if he does manage to convince me to be with him be has no hope what so ever of getting his own way. Then she paused to herself, thinking when did her mind switch from a hell no to an if? How did that even happen. She doesn't want a mate and as her earlier experience revealed, now is a time she needs to use to mentally sort herself out. Not to take on someone else as well. But, the thought of not having him around felt wrong somehow. Is this what actual feelings and not just lust causes she wondered.
"Colt? Are you still there Kitte.." he stopped shaking his head mid question at almost calling her by that name again. It had lost all its appeal now he knew someone else called her it. He did briefly wonder if she gave them as much hassle about patronising her as she did him though.
"Yeah, sorry Elijah, I got distracted for a second. What were you saying?" she asked relaxing back into the pillows at the top of the bed.
"Oh, okay, right. Yeah," he stumbled over himself briefly, smiling when he heard her musical laugh, even if it was at him. "I guess, I just wanted to hear your voice, Beautiful. It's I don't know, harmonious I guess and like it's your own kind of music, even when its snapping at me, I just love the sound of, you. You're like my own special little song bird, that I would happily listen too all day." he stopped, realising he had had waffled on, and said way more than he had expected to. But smiling all the same as something dawned on him. "Hey Colt, what about Birdy? Anyone call you that?"
Colt who was silently taking everything he said in, was in shock. She knew she could hold a tune, but this was praise on another level altogether. It was honest and raw and she begrudgingly felt herself feeling shy all of a sudden. Colt never felt shy.
It was this feeling that she would later blame her honesty on, when she said "Nope, can't say that's a name I have ever been called before." She hit herself in the head with regret as soon as she said it knowing what was coming next.
"Well, my beautiful Little Bird, I now know what I want to call you." Elijah smiled.
"You realise I am half wild cat right?" she asked sarcastically, "Traditionally we hunt and eat little birds."
He could see in his mind's eye her rolling her eyes at him at that exact moment. "I was aware yes, and it is killing me to not repeatedly make jokes about making you purr if you must know." he laughed.
"Well make sure you keep those comments to yourself please. They are not attractive chat up lines in any sense." she snorted in a derisive manner.
"Scout's honour." Elijah stated laughing.
"You were a boy scout?" Colt asked, for the first time allowing herself to be curious about the Elijah that wasn't in the media.
"Honestly?" he asked laughing again. He hadn't been this happy, or relaxed in a long time he realised. "No. No I wasn't, though I have often taken my sister to her girl scout meetings. Does that count?"
"No. But, that's really sweet, all the same. What age is she?" Colt asked openly, enjoying finding out more about him.
"Nora turned eight back in May, she is territorial, and stubborn, strangely enough with a soft spot for sloths of all things. Oh and just she loves to bake." The proud older brother side of him boasted.
"Sorry, Elijah" Colt said suddenly. "I can't do... I mean I have to go now. I'll catch you later." she muttered and hung up before he could object.
May, his sister was eight last May. Ross would have been eight in May as well.