Imprisoned By Love

Chapter 3

Katniss

"And this is where you'll be staying," Peeta says pushing open a set of black walnut French doors to reveal a bedroom as big as the house I grew up in. I slowly step forward and turn around to face him.

"This is mine?" I ask.

"Well, not all yours," he says. "This is my room too."

"What?" I ask.

"It's my duty to you to protect you," he says. "I don't like the thought of you being alone. So you're staying here in my room." I look at him uneasily and he forces me to stand straighter. "You can trust me. I won't hurt you."

"I know that," I say walking away from him and towards a set of long, midnight blue velvet curtains edged with silver fringe. I just barely hear his footsteps as he stalks up behind me, his warm breath tickling my neck.

"You do?" He asks, sounding almost surprised.

"If you wanted to hurt me, I think you would have tried at least something before now," I say. "As I odd this all is, I believe your intentions are to protect me. For some reason, you thought I'd be safer here then where I was at home."

"Would you trust me enough to believe the unbelievable?" He asks, his lips grazing my ear. I turn around to face him and just before I speak, howls break out over trees. I look through the crack made by the two curtains to see a large red wolf, her coat paled by the claw of moon left in the sky, standing upon a ridge. She throws back her head again and howls, two others joining her call and a the dark shape of an owl circles the group. They take off towards the South and disappear down a valley.

"They were so close," I say. "They aren't even bothered being so close to people. You'd think they'd be afraid."

"Are you afraid of them?" He asks, not even phased by the fact that three of what I could only describe as the buffalo wolves from the stories about the old west were hunting close enough you could see the colors of their eyes. I look over my shoulder at him to see him staring at me, hanging on my answer.

"No," I say. "When I was a little girl, yes, but I'm almost nineteen. I have a lot of respect for them. I didn't have much of a family growing up and I love the sense of family they give off. And one saved my life when I was five years old. I love them really. They are my favorite animal."

"One saved your life once, huh?" Peeta asks, tilting his head in a cute, almost puppy like way. I nod slowly.

"I got separated from my father one day when we were out in the woods. I remember it very well, but it was getting dark and I fell down a ravine. Tore my favorite dress and everything. I started crying for my daddy and I was terrified," I walk away from the window and pull the silver wolf pendant from inside my dress and play with it like I always do when I get nervous. "I didn't even see him walk up to me, but all of a sudden, this beautiful golden brown wolf pup was practically sitting in my lap, nudging his nose beneath my arm trying to pull my hand away from my face."

"You weren't scared?" He asks and I look over my shoulder at him as he walks past the window and towards the Californiar King sized bed.

"No," I say. "He was a puppy and his fur was soft and sleek like water. I liked him. He kept kissing my cheek and was just so sweet. And then he lead me home. I don't really know what made me follow him. I don't even know how he knew where I lived. But I loved having him as a friend." I look down and Peeta reaches up and takes my wrist with surprising gentleness.

"You found that pendant the next day on your window sill," he says softly, "and the wolf cub visited you for six years but he stopped right after your father died. And you looked all over because you thought he'd be the only one who could cheer you up." I start to tremble at try to get away from him. Peeta stands up and grabs my other hand.