"This is going to become a regular habit, isn't it?" Nik broke the silence first with his teasing question.
"Seems to be so, in your case at least." The underlaying tones of aggravation in Dorian's voice was laced in his response as he quipped back at Nik.
"Well, in his defense, we weren't exactly somewhere private." Nemia intervened, drawing Dorian's eyes back to hers and lingered.
"Exactly, thank you Nemia." Nik seemed to praise Nemia and Dorian shot him a quicky, dirty look.
Then, Dorian sighed as he hung his head, a sheepish laugh slipping through his lips. "That is true, I suppose."
Nemia moved her arm to give him a light pat on his chest. "That it is." She quipped with a soft smile before she finally slipped out of his grasp that he had her in from their previous, undisturbed, moment.
The minute she wasn't in his grasp, Julia bounced up beside her and towed Jacoline over with her. She still had that wide, toothy grin stretched across her face. Jacoline's was decidedly indifferent, not really a care could be found.
Julia reached for Nemia's arm with her other free hand, snatching her arm. "C'mon Nem. Away from the boys." Her eyes shooting between Nik and himself before tugging a protesting Nemia away.
Dorian watched after the three women until they rounded the corner of the exit from the fountain. He assumed they were going to head back out of the maze and it took every ounce of him not to follow along directly after them.
Nik's hand slapping onto Dorian's shoulder snapped him back to reality. Looking over at Nik with a sheepish grin.
"God's, not even twenty-four hours and you're already a love-sick puppy." Nik bellowed, his hand holding his stomach with his laughter.
Dorian swiftly landed the back of his hand across Nik's chest, mostly in a playful manner. "Hey now! I'm not a 'love-sick puppy'... More like an infatuated beast." Dorian corrected in a jesterly way, though it was the truth. He was hooked on her, every scrap of affection she has given he took the most of and craved so much more.
The beast inside him stirred but remained silent, waiting in silence for when he is finally able to mark her. Dorian nor his beast could wait for that moment. His heart swelling with hope and happiness at the thought of seeing his mark on her. Now, he hated the thought of marring her skin but would do it happily for that instance alone. To make her, his.
"I'd say... No place is safe anymore." Nik continued on. "But Dorian... When are yo-"
"When she is ready, she's made it clear that she is willing to try but she needs some time to adjust." Dorian interrupted Nik with a finger to silence him before he had finished his question that Dorian knew the ending of. "And I'll tell you like I told her, I waited this long. What's a little while longer while she figures this out?" He paused, looking out in the direction the girls had vanished in. "I'll admit that it's hard though, waiting now. Having my mate right there in front of me but not being able to take my claim." He heard the possessiveness in his voice as well as the irritation.
He knew it wasn't her fault. She didn't ask for this, she's already said that. Part of him felt like if she had the chance to never find her mate she may be happier. A burning sensation blossomed inside his chest at that thought, but he truly felt like it was the truth. She would've been happier to have never found her mate. But maybe, just maybe he could prove to her that he is worth it too.
Nik shifted, "Oh I can tell it's hard for you." He jested, Dorian could tell that Nik could feel his change in mood and tried to keep things light.
Stuffing his thoughts down, Dorian gave a wolfish grin and this time he was the one to smack onto Nik's shoulder. "God's I can't wait till you find your own mate." He cheesed. "And I hope she's overly stubborn and makes your own marking feel nearly unachievable too." He poked and jerked at Nik.
Though Nik however, seemed to be unaffected by his jeering statements and shrugged his shoulders. "Won't affect me much, I've not held out for my mate. I'm, in your own words to me on numerous occasions, a dog. A man whore. And I'll where that with pride, just means I'll be able to satisfy her every need."
"You think you're safe? You think the pull is sexual?" Dorian paused, "well, only sexual?" He let out a bark of laughter that only grew louder as Nik looked at him with most confused expression.
Dorian shook his head. "Its not just sex, it's honestly barely that. No, you crave her connection. Her touch. Her scent. You want to wrap her around you and you around her. It's deep, primal. She moves, you want to move with her." His heart swelled as he spoke the truth of what he felt every moment Nemia was around him. Yes, he wanted to complete the mating but it was on such a deeper level than just that.
"You become obsessed and want to know everything there is to know about them. You'll have an overwhelming feeling to want to watch them in every aspect of life, like watching them sleep. You'll crave to see how they look the first minute they wake up and want to out the to bed the second you see them have the slightest look of tiredness. It possession, demand. It's honestly overwhelming." He admitted with a sigh.
Nik opened his mouth to retort but no words escaped and she closed his mouth, shaking his head. "I see.." He mumbled after a moment and Dorian nodded his head idly.
"Right, well ... Should we head back to try and find where the others got off to?" Nik offered after a moment of silence.
"Yes, let's." Dorian agreed, clapping his hands together in front of him once.
*******
"So, what about tonight then?" Julia asked as if this was just something one brings up in every day conversation.
"Jules!" Nemia exclaimed.
"Nemia!" Julia responded as Jacoline let out a shrill laugh.
Nemia shook her head furiously, the fear creeping up her throat and threatening to take away her ability to breath. "I am absolutely no wheres near ready for that!"
"Oh honestly! You were practically falling all over each other back there. If we hadn't of showed up?" Julia had out her hands on her hips and looked at Nemia with a pointed expression and raised brows. Urging her to answer the question.
"Be careful how you answer that one Nemia." Jacoline chimed in with a harmless warning.
Nemia's lips turned inward at what was being suggested buly Julia. "No. I can control myself better than that. That was just a kiss and nothing more. It's only the second time and we still haven't even made it to the twenty-four hour mark of knowing each other. I am not doing that tonight." The last bit came out a bit more aggressively than she has anticipated and Julia took the faintest of steps back.
Shit. "I'm sorry Jules." Nemia sighed, softening her voice. "That came out harsher than originally intended. Forgive me?"
A smile returned to Julia's face and she bounced back up to Nemia and kissed her cheek. "I'll always forgive you."
That statement was the most truthful one she had heard and one that she knew all too well. Julia had to be one of the most forgiving persons shed ever met when it came to needing forgiveness for her.
Returning Julia's smile made Julia start back up again. "So, not tonight. When?" She was most literally bouncing on her toes.
Ugh. She didn't know a time frame, hadn't thought about a date. She wanted it to feel more natural. But that answer wasn't going to satisfy Julia. "Uhm... At least a week or two... I want to know him before he.." Her throat tightened in fear once again. " We create our marks."
Julia's upper lip curled at her answer. "A week or more? Nemia..."
She held up her hand, this was a firm answer that Julia was going to get. And even then, it still wasnt the honest truth. She wanted it to be natural, and that could be any second from now up until it finally happens and no one could change that for her. But with how strong her urges are, she figured a week or two seemed like a reasonable response.
Julia flipped her hair over her shoulder dramatically and pouted her lips. "Ugh, fine."
"Jeez, you two are hard to keep up with in conversation." Jacoline butted in again as back and forth antics were slowed down.
"Sorry." Nemia and Julia apologized in complete unison and Jacoline looked between the two before her signature laugh rang through their ears.
"No, no. Don't be. It's nice to watch friendly banter, it was just a lot for my older mind." She laughed again.
Nemia grinned. "We'll slow it down for you next time."
"That'd be very much appreciated."
"Hope we aren't interrupting?" Nik's voice cut through and Nemia spun around to the exit of the maze they had been standing out in front of. Nik and Dorian just now walking out of it themselves.
"Not at all." Nemia glanced around to find Julia and give her a subtle "keep your mouth shut" look. She waggled her brows in response but didn't seem like she was going to call out their previous conversation.
"Great." Dorian responded, walking straight over to her as if he couldn't stand another second on not being next to her. "But we'll need to be going to pay that over due visit to Donovan soon."
Jacoline sighed obnoxiously. "I guess I'll need to be leaving soon myself." She glanced down at the watch on her left wrist and her eyes widened. "Definitely need to leave soon, it's already after five and well... I can't maintain this-" She waved at her transformed body. "-without the aid of certain magical properties in my humble abode."
"I'll walk you out then, Jacoline." Nik offered humbly.
"Well of course you will." Jacoline teased flirtatiously before the two of them set off across the lawn and up the stairs leading to the patio.
Another pout formed on Julia's face. "I really liked her, hate she has to go so soon."
Dorian chuckled. "Don't worry too much, we have to use her help here more often than not. You'll get more chances to see her.. if.." He started to stumble over his words and Nemia knew why.
He had just insinuated they would both be staying here, or at least started to insinuated before he stumbled on the words. Julia had caught it too and her eyes were starting to widen.
"Are you?.. Were you?" Julia has started.
"Oh to the joys of decisions." Nemia rolled her eyes and starting to walk away from the both of them in an attempt to get away from the conversation. "Right now, I choose to go get answers." She threw the comment over her should and the two who she could hear starting their questions just silenced themselves and fell in line behind her. Thank the gods.