Reaper's Lily

24

(happy halloween everyone [in my timezone it's halloween] i hope y'all are having a safe one and enjoy the reading! thank y'all for 150 reads!)

Liliana's P.O.V:

It'd been a few hours since I cried in Kaiden's arms. Thankfully, he didn't ask any more questions and let me cry. I was laying in his bed, with the blankets over the lower half of my body, and I sat up against the headboard. I kept thinking about my life up until the moment I started talking to Kaiden. Had I really lived that shell of world I called life? Before I had more intensely laid eyes on Kaiden, I was content with being the fucked up one among my siblings. I was content with never being in love and being without emotions. I was surviving on a few hours of sleep, caffeine, and small meals. Everything was plain, grey, and boring. The same task of surviving nightmares or night terrors was becoming a blur.

I think secretly I had looked forward to nights that I worked with Kaiden. I was always stealing glances at him when I wasn't absolutely disgusted by the drunk frat guys. I wondered what would've happened if I never took that shift. Would I be at home eating popcorn and watching Hulu? Would I have been dragged wedding dress shopping by Illena for a third time? Even bridesmaid shopping by her for another four times in the same week?

I ran a hand through my hair, sighing heavily, then looked at the empty side of the bed. Why was I wondering how he was going to sleep tonight if I were sleeping here? I got out of his bed, walking out of the room, then heard typing in a different room. I looked in, seeing Kaiden staring at a computer screen. He was typing away, not even paying attention to me, and I found myself opening the door a bit more. My feet carried me in the room, looking around to see a small black leather loveseat couch, and noticed the pictures along the wall.

The keyboard was clicking away when I saw a picture of Kaiden with Nathan and Jason in a tropical place. There was another next to it with an elderly couple in the middle of a conference room. Kaiden was in a black suit jacket, a black button up shirt underneath it, and a pair of black pants. His hair was neatly pulled back, not the usual messy bun or ponytail he had it in when it wasn't down. He had a big grin on his face as his arms were around the elderly couple. It had to have been his adopted grandparents. The elderly couple looked white, and in this photograph, they had to have been in their late sixties maybe early seventies.

"My grandparents just celebrated the day I was announced as one of the top hunters in Texas," Kaiden's voice made me jump, and I turned to look at him.

He was sitting in the chair, leaning against it, and I noticed he had changed. He was wearing black sweatpants with a deep blue tank top as his hair was in a messy bun. I looked away from him when I found myself staring at the small part of his abs that his top had rolled up enough to show a sneak peek at. I looked at the one with him and his brothers and saw that they all had on swim trunks. Nathan was the only one wearing a hat and tank top as the other two were topless. All three had sunglasses on with the background being that of a beach.

"Our graduation present from my parents were a few tickets to the Philippines, where my birth mother is from," Kaiden explained again, and I half turned to look at him fixing his tank top as he stood up.

I found one of him with Nathan and Gia as I asked, "Did they get engaged?"

"No, it was her birthday party last year. This was a few months before I rescued you," Kaiden was now standing at my side, and I looked up at him.

"You remember the date when you saved me?" I questioned, amazed at his memory.

Kaiden gave a single nod, "Yeah, because it was the day, I nearly killed that fucker."

"Nearly killed?" So, he nearly killed Calvin? Why did he stop himself from doing it?

"He got away with his twin but not before we slaughtered his entire nest. I did most of the killing that day after seeing what you'd been through." Kaiden replied as if it were another day on the job, but I felt his small amount of anger when he mentioned seeing me in that hell hole.

"Did you know then?" I blurted out, and he gave me a puzzled look. I rubbed the back of my neck and clarified, "Did you know that I was your soulmate when you first saw me in that hell house?"

"No," Kaiden's answer was filled with a little bit of regret.

There was a doorbell ring, then knocking as Kaiden looked up. He took my hand, pulling me along, then let my hand go at the entry hallway of the front door. Kaiden walked to the front door, opening it, and there was Gia standing there again with a bag. She noticed me in the back, smiling as she walked in without Kaiden allowing her to come in. Gia grinned, holding out the bag for me to take, and I stared at it before staring back at her. She merely took my hand, gently placing the strings to the bag in my hand, then quickly yanked her hands away from me.

She explained as she watched me look in the bag, "It's more clothing for you that fit your style for later on tonight. Kade did tell you, didn't he?"

"What?" I glanced up at her, only to see her glaring at Kaiden.

Kaiden rolled his eyes and said, "I was going to call my grandmother later and ask her to move it to tomorrow. We just landed."

"Your grandmother?" I repeated, then Gia looked at me.

She nodded, "Every single soulmate of the Larsen family has to meet the grandparents and parents at the same time. It was a complete terror when Nate had to convince me to do it but I see that Mrs. Larsen will love you and consider you, her favorite. She probably won't like that little red-haired friend of yours, because she isn't particularly fond of that bloodline of witches. Anyhow, I hope you'll dress up and come out tonight. It should be a blast and I'd love to see my future brother-in-law getting out of the house that isn't on a work trip."

"Gia," I heard Kaiden warning his sister-in-law to be.

I only watched her smile once more at me, then bouncing out of the house with Kaiden slamming the door behind her. I walked to the bedroom as Kaiden's jaw was clenched with him dialing a number on his phone. I hurried into the room, setting the bag down on the bed, and pulled out a few outfits. One outfit was a black leather skirt with an odd the shoulder black long sleeve. The next looked to be a black dress that mimicked the style of a trench coat that had a belt on it with a square silver buckle. I looked at the shoes next after pulling out some baggy pullovers, tank tops, leggings, and shorts. There were two pairs that were obviously meant for the first two outfits, and another was a pair of name-brand converse shoes.

I heard knocking on the door, looking up to see Kaiden annoyed in his face as I felt it slowly being more from annoyance to him being pissed. I didn't want to ask, since I had a hunch, he didn't get a chance to change plans with his grandmother. By the look on his face, I knew it was the case.

"I guess you're going to have meet my grandmother in about an hour," Kaiden grunted, as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Okay," I nodded, then he looked away from me. I felt some his tension then asked, "Do you not want to see her?"

"I'm more worried about you." Kaiden admitted, and I looked at him in awe. He further admitted, "I know you don't like being around strangers."

"I have symptoms of haphephobia, not anthropophobia," I clarified.

"What's the difference?" Kaiden asked.

I sighed as I smiled, "Anthropophobia is the fear of people. I have symptoms of haphephobia, which is the fear of being touched."

"So, only people that you—"

"Consider close to me doesn't get my normal freak outs," I finished for him as I sat down on his bed. I heavily sighed this time, and said, "What do I have to wear for this meeting? I should just show up in leggings and a pullover."

"Probably be best to dress up. She's having a formal dinner," Kaiden's annoyance came back, and I looked at the outfit with the skirt.

I guessed this was going to happen sooner or later. I felt Kaiden's annoyance turning back into anger as he walked into his closet. I grabbed the outfit with the skirt, even picking up the heels, and walked into the bathroom. I knew it was going to be a pain for Kaiden, and internally I was panicking, but it was something that was going to happen eventually. I just really hoped it wasn't going to be anything like when I met Calvin's twin brother for the first time. Just thinking about it, made my skin crawl.

Well, better to get this over with now. I wondered if Kaiden was more anxious than me, then I felt his anxiety. Yup, this was going to be fun!