Insatiable

Chapter 15 - Midnight Sun

• Xenia •

Even though he was cloaked, I had known he was there in the crowd, watching me. But just as he was there, he was gone. I tuned the cheers out and just searched and searched. Where? Who? Why did Alaric cloak himself? Was he afraid of my people? Didn't he know I would protect him? That together we were unstoppable?

I sighed.

Alaric...

Dante tapped my shoulder. I looked back at him.

"Time to make your exit," he whispered in my ear.

I waved to the people and gave a respectful nod before I made my way back into my building. A lot of things needed to be done with this kingdom, and I would see to it that they get done.

The guys talked amongst themselves about the speech. But I was distracted by a scent, a scent I knew all too well. I turned on my heel.

"Let's go back to my palace," I said ending their conversation.

They each looked at me with a loss for words. I narrowed the scent down to Orion.

"Y-your place?" Gordon choked out.

"Yeah, this council hall has entirely too many eyes and ears over the place. There's something I want to discus in private, pure privacy," I said with a gentle smile.

"Okay," they said lowly.

Dante was the first to open the portal, I stepped in. Soon, I was back inside the lonely confines of my palace. Once everyone else had made their way in, I made them follow me to a study that looked over the horizon. I sat down in a chair that gazed out the window. I heard everyone else take their seats and sigh in awe as they looked around.

"Did you like him?" I asked Orion.

"Huh?" They asked.

I tore my attention away from the landscape and looked to Orion.

"Did you like him?" I repeated. "Was he just like I said he was?"

Orion's face flushed. "H-how?"

"He's got a very distinct scent. I crave it, and when I smell it, it physically drives me insane. No matter how he shifts, he may be oblivious to everyone else, but he can't hide from me. And I can never hide from him," I explained.

"He said you wouldn't know."

I smiled. "Well, he was talking about a Goddess who loves him." I sighed. "He didn't want me to see him, so tell me everything that happened."

"Well, he said you would be angry that he didn't stop to see you, but the way he spoke of you... Jesus... that was admiration and love. He had this glazed look in his eye when he spoke your name and title. He said there was nothing left for him to do for you, that you would be fine, that he was proud of you. He told me I reminded you of Jay?"

I laughed and smiled softly. "Alaric, you never cease to amaze me," I murmured.

"Overall, he just was checking up on you. He said that he wanted us to protect you, so I am definitely not going against his word," Orion shook his head.

"Is he that frightening?" Dante asked interested.

"His power was frightening," Orion said as he thought, "I could barely breathe in his presence. But he was so kind, so much like... Xenia..."

"I wish I got to see him," I said softly. "I wish I got to thank him."

"You were right about him," Orion said. "I wish our people could have saw what I did."