What Lies Beneath the Water

Intruder Alert! (15)

*Dahlia's POV*

I was laying down in Santino's arms when I woke up on Sunday, and it was amazing. It was so serene and comforting to just know that he was there. That was our first time sleeping in the same bed after nine-hundred years. He always said that he wanted no rumors about my purity because Vampiric Court is filled with snakes and gossipers that would jump at the opportunity to start a rumor about me.

"Good morning, Love." He kissed my cheek and looked into my eyes. "You were sleeping for quite some time."

"Only because I've never been so calmed while sleeping in my entire life." I touched my nose to his before getting up and saying, "I have to take a shower, so can you go pick up breakfast?" I grabbed my matching silk black pajama button down and shorts. I then grabbed my proper undergarments and gave Santino a quick kiss before he left to fetch us breakfast.

I locked Aqua's side to the bathroom before running a bath for myself. I threw in rose petals, oils for my skin, and a special soap for bubbles. I then put my long hair into a bun on top of my head before stepping in and sitting down.

I let my mind drift off to back when I was at home and we had servants to draw our baths and get us our own food and get us ready. My father always said that it was a luxury that I should be thankful for, but I didn't quite understand what he meant until I got here. My mom would always try and get the servants to leave early because she didn't want them in our house, but Dad had given them strict instruction to not be dismissed until he said so.

I laid there in complete silence and serenity for about twenty minutes, letting my mind wander to useless little thoughts and not stress over the magical test I had the next day in Dimensional Manipulation over Otis's Theory of Mathamancy in Dimensional Manipulation.

I heard a knock on my door and told him to come in thinking that it was Santino. From the moment that the doorknob was turned, I knew that it was a shapeshifter. Most shapeshifters can replicate a person perfectly, down to every mole on a person's back, but the lack one ability and that was to replicate a mate bond. Santino could walk into a room equivalent to the size of a human skyscraper, and I could feel it. Plus, Santino would never just walk into my bathroom after I told him to come in. He would ask some question like, "Are you dressed in the correct apparel, my love?" He just wanted me to maintain my dignity at court as a woman of status courting my mate who is first in line to the throne.

I was immediately put on high alert and started thinking of what to do. I knew that this was a bad situation, and I knew that as a woman the shapeshifter could take something from me that I never chose to give.

"Hey Baby, I brought you pancakes. They're on your bed for when you are finished." He said while coming closer to me, pervert.

"You know, I couldn't ask for a better mate." I said while looking at him in the eyes. They were indeed mahogany red like Santino's, but Santino has slight heterochromia when looked at close up. One eye has a flicker of sapphire blue from his mother.

The shapeshifter came closer to me and said, "Really?" He put his hand on my shoulders and leaned in to kiss me. I laced one of my hands through his hair, trying not to gag at how greasy it felt. A second before his lips touched mine, I pushed his head down on the edge of the bathtub with extreme amounts of force, causing him to knock out.

"Yes, and you are not him." I tried to get out of the bathroom as fast as I could without slipping because of oils. I then grabbed a towel, wrapped myself in it, and stared at the shapeshifter.

I grabbed every pen and pencil from my room and stabbed the shifter with all of them on his arms and legs, letting him bleed to weaken his powers. I then snapped my fingers which took all of the writing utensils out of his body and slowly the cuts started to heal, stopping the bleeding. I knew from Supernatural Physiology with my tutor back home that shifters heal differently than vampires. Vampires recover almost instantly. Shifters may look like they healed immediately, but that was far from the truth. Their bodies could take up to months to fully heal depending on the injury.