FORBIDDEN

11

They were in NY again.
The both of them stood still in the middle of the living room. The episode of Blade's last rage was still evident amongst all the overturned furniture.

The wind from the portal slowly died down, leaving the two to still embrace each other.

Once the dizzying motion from traveling through the portal subsided, Lily roughly pushed away from Blade.

"Where are you going?"

"Anywhere away from you" Lily humbly responded.

"Lily, the other night, I—"

"Don't. Don't say another word. I don't need to hear you repeat how I'm nothing to you, and how I'm basically just your mistress. I've heard it enough, just leave me alone."

Blade lowly growled, abruptly standing in front of her way, "Let me finish what I was going to say."

His eyes softened as he watched her bite her lip in pain.

"What's wrong, are you hurt?"

Blade abruptly stopping Lily in her tracks made the wound on her injured foot start to open again. She could feel the warm liquid slowly soak through the bandaging.

Blade immediately smelled her blood and noticed how Lily was awkwardly limping on one foot. Quickly, he lifted her up in his arms and gently put her on the couch.

Lily wanted to roll her eyes at herself for loving the soft touch of his hand on her leg. She silently stared at the top of his head as he undid her shoe.

The room was dead silent, Lily bit her lip from how close he was to her. She prayed that the sounds of the night city would out do her rapid heart beat.

"I'm sorry."

Lily frowned from the words that came out of Blade's mouth. Did she just hear him correctly?

Blade remained silent after that, focused on re-bandaging Lily's wound. He never once looked up or further explain his earlier words, he kept to himself and focused on the woman sitting before him. For the next few minutes it was just the two of them remaining silent, yet acknowledging the other's presence.

Blade finally finished cleaning the wound on her feet, in what felt like forever to Lily. He undid her other shoe and out of nowhere, swept her off her feet.

"What—"

"It's been a long night, get some sleep." Blade casually stated as he entered the bedroom with her in his arms.

"Who are you, exactly?" Lily whispered, not even realizing she was speaking aloud until the words left her mouth.

She was mentally exhausted from the past couple days, and trying to figure out his different sides was even more complicated to her.

Blade froze in his tracks, silently staring at the woman he was holding in his arms.

Over the centuries, was there ever one person who cared enough to question or try to understand what type of person Blade was despite his demeaning and reckless behavior.

"Someone not good for you."

Lily looks away from his intense gaze as he puts her down on the bed. She couldn't help but feel a dull pain of disappointment in her heart from his response.

Her heavy eyelids fluttered closed as Blade walked back into the living room.

He heavily laid back against the couch and watched the luminous lights of the city in front of him.

Conflicting thoughts and brand new emotions were swirling inside of him, all of them relating to Lily. The mate bond was much less juvenile to him than he imagined, and much more dangerous than he thought.

Blade is in deep speculation of how a creature like him was able to have a mate in the first place. He was starting to feel unsettled at the situation and how he had less control of his fate than he thought.

The Gods rarely made a mistake.

But pairing a mate to Blade had to be one. He was undeserving to have a partner of any kind. Or either Lily was paying the consequences of her sins in her past life. She had to be the unlucky one in this situation.

Blade's eyes darkens as he stares out onto the balcony of the city life. He realizes the extent of the situation and how now, he is just a pawn in a game the Gods can play, with no clue on what's going to happen next or how the end is going to turn out.

He was doing so well in isolation for so many years, minding his own business and in control of everything in his life.

So why? Why had fate chosen to now bring Lily into his life?

••••••••••

Lily slowly stretched around in bed until she felt her back come into contact with something sturdy and it's appealing scent. She quickly whipped her head around to see Blade calmly sleeping on his side with his face turned to her.

She sucked in a breath from seeing the features on his face up close and tranquil for once.

Why can't he look more relaxed and normal like this and less of a grumpy jerk most of the time?

As if Blade could hear her thoughts, he blinked his eyes open to Lily's alarming brown ones all of a sudden.

"How's your foot?" He asked in a raspy voice.

Lily gulped, surprised and taken aback by how much she liked his morning voice.

"Uh..it's better now."

"Good, because we're heading out now." Blade stated, taking a glance at her face before rolling out of the bed.

"What? Where to?"

"Greece."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Is this a thing now—we just spontaneously run off to a whole other state, country every week or so?"

"No, you're not safe here anymore."

"We can't run away from Deimos forever if that's what you're scared about. This isn't going to solve anything."

"Look." Blade was suddenly bent down and inches away from Lily's face. A chilling laugh from him blew some of her baby hairs out of her face. "I don't fear Deimos. There is little that you actually know, therefore I suggest you stop pretending to know what is good for you, and trust me."

"You haven't proven much for me to trust you."

Blade was confused as to why those words had such an impact on him. He frowned once those words left her mouth and was slightly shocked into silence.

"In the world you're about to step in, you have no choice but for me to be the only one you should trust." Blade coldly said as he straightens up.

He simply looks down at her face and smirks. "I'm glad you're wise enough to look afraid."