Forever Fae

Chapter 11 - Calista

Merrick and I finally reached my bedroom door, and it felt like an eternity walking all that way in silence, but I was trying to plot my escape.

"Which room would you like to be yours, Merrick?" I asked him.

"Whichever one is closest to you," he chimed with a slight grin.

"I don't think you'll approve of that room because the closest room to mine is the pink one." I laughed, imagining what he would look like taking residence in the pink room. The other warriors would never let him live it down.

Giving me a sly smile, he laughed. "I know it's pink. Remember a few years ago when I refused to help you paint that room because of it?"

Raising his eyebrows in question, I laughed thinking about that fun-filled day. Xylia and I tried so hard to get him to help paint the room. She even offered to flash him if it would get him to help, but he still refused.

"I just wanted to see what you would say about me taking that room. I'll stay in the blue room down the hall."

That was actually the only room he helped paint. I called it the "blueberry room". The whole room was a mixture of shades of blue. There was a king size bed that'd be perfect for him, and a huge bathroom that could shower the whole army at the same time. I guess he knew a long time ago that the room would be his someday; he could be so arrogant sometimes.

"Calista."

Turning my attention to him, his face took on a wary expression and his voice sounded unsure. He grabbed both of my hands and looked down at the floor while I waited on him to speak.

He finally lifted his head and asked, "Do you mind if I come in and we talk for a little while?"

"Sure," I drawled out, unsure of what to expect. When I opened the bedroom door, I ushered him inside. "What do you want to talk about?"

I had a feeling it might not be something I wanted to hear, but I had a little bit of time before I had to meet Ryder. Once Merrick was inside, I shut the door behind us. He strode across my bedroom to stand in front of the huge bay window. The sprites were in full force tonight with their twinkling lights floating and flying everywhere. Sprites were tiny fae creatures that were about the size of large insects.

At night, their bodies glowed like fireflies, and sometimes I'd watch them for hours. They always helped Meliantha out in the flower gardens by eating the unwanted pests and plucking the weeds from the flower beds.

Unfortunately, thinking about sprites wasn't going to help the sinking feeling I had in my stomach. Merrick was being unusually quiet and I couldn't see his face because he had his back to me. He was dressed in his warrior gear and golden armor. He looked like a golden angel, whereas, Ryder looked like a dark angel.

They were two different men from two different worlds. Merrick's shoulders moved up and down with his breathing and I knew he had to be tired from going through so much tonight. I sidled up behind him and put my arms around his waist. He still hadn't answered my question about what he wanted to talk about so I asked him again.

"Please, Merrick, tell me what's bothering you."

He let out a deep breath and whispered softly, "Why are you shielding your thoughts from me? We're supposed to be connected, and I need to know how you feel in order to protect you. I'm here for you and ..."

He sighed and said the rest silently, "I want you to need me."

Holding him tighter, I squeezed my eyes shut. I could hear his heart pounding in his chest while laying my head against his back. He placed his arms across mine at his waist and lightly ran his fingers across my hands.