CHAPTER 23: Another Lie
As we moved further toward the forest’s entrance, as I took each step, my thoughts kept wandering to the things that had happened to me inside the forest. And the man who I don’t want to think about is brought by all of that.
Claire said, “I’m sorry about Lara.”
I shook my head and carried on, following the trail. “No, it’s alright. No harm was done”
“She is just like that,” Claire groaned. “She believes that Traian will be hers.”
I covered up the tiny unease that had crept over me at those remarks by tucking both of my hands into the pocket of my coat. “Maybe because Traian gave her a reason to be?”
I avoided Claire’s eyes as she turned to face me.
“And they look together”
“They’re not, no. Whatever relationship Traian may have had with her in the past was meaningless to him. He will only fall in love with the woman who is meant to be his, I know it. Everyone in this place is aware of it, including Lara.”
There was seriousness in Claire’s tone as she spoke, so I decided to stop talking about the issue and change the topic.
“Do you know who Luna the old woman was talking about?” I asked, taking in the breathtaking landscape around me.
As I went on my way, I noticed Claire had apparently stopped walking, so I stopped in my tracks and turned around.
“Did she say that? I was so busy looking for my coat that I didn’t hear that one.”
“The old woman’s voice was really faint, so it was impossible for you to hear it because you were inside while we were, uh, outside.”
Claire laughed nervously, tucking a strand behind her ear, and walked towards me “Oh, I know. I just regret missing that part”
I grinned and shook my head at her, “You sure love gossip”
“I do”
“So you know who this Luna is? She called me that” I innocently asked
“Uhm…. well, she was an appellation actually” Claire hesitantly said.
“That’s interesting. For the chief of the town?” I asked curiously since I had never heard the appellation Luna before.
“Yes. For our leaders”
Now that my interest had been stirred and awakened, my brows furrowed together. I can’t help but be curious. “You address your leader as Luna? ”
Claire sighed defeatedly and nodded, “It’s a title given to a woman who would wed our leader”
I muttered, “Like for the King and Queen.”
“And we are devoted to them, just like the subjects of a King and Queen.”
“Wait who is your leader -” I was not able to finish my question when a gaunt man holding a beer passed between us. He recklessly crossed in front of me, knocking on my shoulders. Before Claire could grab my hand, I staggered backward and felt muscular arms wrap around my waist.
The rapid rhythm of my heart and the tingles that erupt on my skin are both followed by an amazingly powerful and addictive scent that fills my senses. Damn….
I dared to look up, and there was a stunning side profile of Traian, scowling at the departing man. He abruptly turned his gaze toward me as if sensing my attention on him, and I found myself staring at his striking blue eyes once more.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
Another voice said, “Guys stop undressing each other with your gaze.”
“Shhhh, Evan” followed by a scolding tone from Claire.
As soon as that happened, my cheeks began to burn, and I pushed Traian away from me. Traian just smirked and tucked his hands into his jeans pocket. He didn’t really go much farther away like what I hoped for because he was barely half a meter away from me. I scowled at him while inhaling deeply and turning to face the other man. I found Claire standing next to a tall man, around our age, with hooded gray eyes and blonde hair that matched a radiant face. His dimples were on display when he grinned at me.
My gaze went back and forth between the two until I realized who the man was.
I winked at Claire, who was now blushing, and smiled at him as I added, “Oh, so you’re the one.”
“And you’re the famous one” The man offers his hand with a smile on his face and says, “Evan”
I disregarded his comment and said, “Jaidyn,” taking his hand.
“I know who you are”
“Luna-”
His forearm was swatted by Claire, who then gave her a wary look.
“The famous Jane’s youngest sister and sister-in-law of Jaxon and……”
I chuckled, “And what?”
“I’ll carry on tomorrow, but what are you two doing here?” He turned to face Claire.
“Jaidyn and I will shop for some stuff”
I felt a hand gently hold my elbow and it takes so much effort to pull my arm away from Traian. I avoided his gaze while forcing a smile on Evan and Claire.. “She right”
Evan asked, pausing to glance at Traian, who was now beside me before focusing on me, “Can I steal Claire away for a moment?”
“Huh?” I asked, surprised. “Right now?”
He nodded, “I think we have some things to talk about” facing Claire “Right babe?”
I also turned my gaze at Claire, hoping she wouldn’t leave me here with Traian since she was aware of how uncomfortable Taian and I had ended up with yesterday. When she turned her head away from me, though, that fell apart the following instant.
“We have something to talk about. I’m sorry Jaidyn.” She responded, winking at me before waving at me as Evan motioned for her to proceed after waving to Traian and me. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she added.
I took a long breath, sucked in the unwanted feeling of maybe dismay, and then started to move in the direction of the big supermarket across the road which I failed to realize earlier.
I ignored him completely and kept my attention fixed forward, treating him as air. Yeah, an air of power.
He suddenly broke the silence, “You didn’t leave.”
And heavens, his deep, husky voices voice evoked memories of my drunken state, which I seem to be recalling just now. Get your grip, Jaidyn!
I merely replied, “Yeah,” still hesitant to address him directly.
A few meters from the supermarket, I suddenly found myself being pushed into a corner a few meters from the building’s entrance.
“What the hell are you doing?!” I snapped as he dragged me.
He simply let go of my hand when I pulled it away, but he was so close to me that I had to take a step back and smacked a wall in the process. His hand reached out to catch it before my head could hit the wall, and my head came to rest on his hands. He practically encased me in his massive frame, making it impossible for me to move forward. Our faces were only inches away. His body heat and the pressure of his erection on my abdomen are both palpable. I tried so hard to concentrate on his chest that I unintentionally licked my lips. But it didn’t last long when he lifted my chin to look at him.
He looked so intently into my eyes and whispered, “Don’t deny me of those gorgeous eyes of yours. I desire to gaze into them.”
My body was reacting to his presence as usual, so I swallowed nervously, not trusting how my voice would sound at this moment. Since I can practically feel every muscle in his body, I was becoming hot because of the overwhelming dominance he exudes.
“I…..” I lowered my gaze and said, “I don’t want to look at you.”
Another lie. t was forceful, and it still surprises me how anything involving this man that I decline feels insistent and difficult. My heart is filled with the sensation that rejecting him or saying no to him is indecent. Maybe I am sick in the head?