The Highlander's Charm

Eight

"I-I should h-have given you an answer a-ages ago, Baigh..." I cannae help but curl my sweet pup to try and protect him from the man sitting so close to us... The smell of Baigh's blood inflaming my very soul only in the way that I think that there should be more spillage of it for making this tender cherub cry, "I... I cannae say that you've not treated me well... I... I just dinnae see you the way you want me too... I cannae marry you..." 

It is not that that I do not understand the hurt in the man's eyes when not so long ago I found myself collapsed under the weight of Flinn's rejection, but I have no sympathy for him... To go after someone who was never meant to be his in the first place is shameful... And pursuing him to the point of causing such sobs is unforgivable... I've been around long enough to recognize the kind of distress I've found the keeper of my heart in, and I am not pleased in the slightest that he's found it within himself to try and share some of the blame in order to excuse Baigh's behavior, "Making him wait for an answer," No matter how long, "Doesnae give him any right to force himself on you, no matter how bonnie you are or how long you've made him wait for his answer."

"N-No!" The look of panic that flashes onto Flinn's face when I broadcast my thoughts on the matter makes my heart ache, "It was only a kiss!"

...

Flinn

...

"Aye... But it was an unwelcome one and I can see that now. I'll not be bothering you anymore, Pup." It soothes my heart to know that Baigh is not going to become violent over his rejection and slowly healing broken nose... And to hear him say that he'll pressure me no more on the matter... But in the back of my mind I know that the vampire is right... It was wrong for Baigh to kiss me when I hadn't given him any leading to do so, "I'm so sorry, Flinn. It wasna right of me to taste what wasna meant to be mine, I just hope you'll not see me any differently than the friend who'll comfort you whenever you need it... That is if your new friend does not intend to chase me off..."

It takes me a moment to realize that he's referring to the vampire who's arms I am currently sheltered in, and the way it causes my heart to flip onto it's side for a moment is truly distressing now that I find myself released from any obligation I might've had to Baigh himself... Only to know that even if my father accepts that we'll not be marrying Baigh into the family officially that he'd hardly find a war torn soilder a better option for me because there is nothing truly tethering the man here to our land... To our pack...

"Keep your hands and lips to yourself instead of on Flinn and I donnae see a problem between us." The way the words make my sweet protector tense around me tells me that they are hard for him to say, and that he may actually not want to say them at all... The slight hiss to the undertone of them somehow settling my spirit down from the distress rising up inside of my soul knowing I still cannae let the two of us be together no matter how fantastically he has come to my aid... Or how wonderful his arms feel around me... 

...

Emory

...

There is a look of knowing that blossoms on Baigh's face that doesnae sit entirely well with me... The way he notices for the first time how tightly I'm holding my sweet Flinn... The way this sweet angel of a pup is curled into me as though his very life depends on it... The way he can't seem to stop nuzzling his delicate face, freckles and all, into my neck seeking out the scent I know will bring him comfort after being kissed without his consent...

He may very well have already rejected me but that doesnae mean I can just walk away from him... It doesnae mean I cannae love him and be here for him in whatever capacity he'll allow me to be... It doesnae mean I cannae protect him from men worse than Baigh taking liberties with him that they should not...

I know I should release myself from the emotions that I feel settling into place around my lovely should-have-been mate in order to spare myself from further pain if one day he finds a man that he can be with and wants to be with... But he is already too damn precious for me to release myself from the bonds keeping us close... He was and still is the first ray of sunshine that has found its way into my life in so long... 

I've no longer got a village, or a family... There is nothing that waits for me back at what one time had been considered my home... I've got nowhere else on this earth to go, and even if it means I might feel slighted and in pain when Flinn finally finds the match he actually wants... I would still find it more important in my heart that I stay with him... Stay near him... Even if it means keeping myself out of his way and silently watching over him if he expresses that he would like me to do so...

I know Baigh can read it in my expression and see it in my eyes... And yet he does nothing other than give a nod of acknowledgment, the wiseness of his choice to stay silent on the matter very much appreciated, his topic when he finds it within himself to finally push through with our conversation, a mutual understanding between us both that I shall do whatever I can to protect the beautiful shifter in my lap, "If we are to all be friends then I guess it is time for us to learn of each other's names! Flinn, would you give us a proper introduction?"