Sixty four

SATAKE

The world outside became loud and I was tempted to open my eyes. The scenery that graced my eyes looked very different from what I had become accustomed to waking up to all my life. I tried to get on my feet when I noticed David cocooned up next to me.  His hands were clutched to the book he had read me all night and his face was the depiction of a true angel. I brushed away a lock of dirty blonde that hindered me from gawking at his pretty face. I found myself strangely admitting that I found this warlock attractive in every sense and David couldn’t just be a piece of eye candy. Oh, no. He was smart, witty, inventive, and forgiving too. The more time I spent looking at him, the harder it was not to fall under his spell but I had somewhere to be. I stepped out of the bed and tiptoed towards the door, stopping for a minute when the door creaked open. That book was on my mind. I groaned in frustration then tiptoed back to David's side. He was holding on to that book like it was dear life so I made sure to be gentle as I removed it from his grasp. I flipped the pages to the ones I had remembered he was reading from and brought out my smartphone to take some pictures. The language was old. Probably lost over the ages but I could very well hire a witch to help with the translation. As I took the last picture, David rubbed at his eyes and squinted them open.

"You are awake," David whispered.

I felt my face heat up causing me to hide my smartphone in my back pocket. "It's not what it looks like." I laughed nervously.

"It's alright." David returned. "I know you are curious." David then handed the book to me. "Take all the pictures you need."

"That's alright." I returned. "I think I have got all the pictures I need. If you don't mind, I have to dip."

"Of course," David said, stretching out of tiredness and nervousness before sitting up. "I'll walk you to the door."

"Don't worry," I assured him "You look tired. I'm sure I can find my way to the door."

My response left David downtrodden for some reason I couldn't quite finger. His downcast look managed to stop me in my tracks when I reached the door. Screw it, I muttered to myself and before I knew it, I found myself walking back to him. David was stacking some of his spell books when I reached the side of the bed.

"Did you forget something?" David queried. It had to be those damn blue eyes. As his face lightened up, my stupid belly fluttered in response. I needed to swallow mothballs and kill the love bug infestation within me.

"No," I answered. "I just wanted to ask you," I began, immediately cursing myself internally the moment I threw that idea in the open. He probably already knew where I was heading but I was too deep to chicken out now. "If you don't mind, would you like to hang out sometime?"

"Sure," David smiled and something about that warmed my heart. "When and where do you have in mind?"

"Well," I began. "My pack will be holding the ritual in two days now that the ascent full moon is close. I know a happening like that can be risque and chaotic but now that I know I will not be influenced by the heat, I would rather spend my time with you than watch people get into the wildest orgies."

David giggled."So it's like a date?"

"Maybe." I flashed him a mischievous smile before exiting the room. As I made my way to the living room, I found myself face to face with that pixie girl from last night that tried to end my life.

"What the fuck are you staring at?" I scoffed at her while I approached the door and in mere seconds, I saw the door shift from my point of view and the room toppled. It was as if some giant outside had twisted the house like it was some sort of Rubik cube. In stead of where the door stood, the frowning pixie resided. Did she do that, I wondered. Her disapproving glare remained and I found myself stepping back on impulse. The last time our paths crossed, she almost took my life. I wasn't about to let her succeed this time.

"What the hell do you want?" I demanded, this time a little less bitchy.

"I am the guardian of this house," The pixie said, circling me like I was prey. "That means I see all that goes on in this house and do you know what I noticed?"

It seemed like a question. A patronizing one nonetheless but I decided to answer. "What...what did you notice?"

"You spent the night with Master David. I heard both of you giggling even past bed hours"

"So?"

"I am certain you are not blind neither are you naive. You must have noticed at a point that Master David has a silly crush on you."

I squinted my eyes in surprise. David had a crush on me? Impossible. If I was to put it, it was the other way around. While I wouldn't term what I had for David as a crush, it was more of respect. A mutual one. That was why I even came to apologize in the first place. David might be a witch, a species I despised to the bone but he was also the only one that I could be vulnerable to. He was the only one who knew I was a relic. Not to mention he had not tried to gut me and make me into stew for my magical properties.

"Why would you think David has a crush on me?"

"Because he does." The pixie girl shot back. "I practically raised Master David. I am like an honorary mother to him and I know what I see but that isn't the point. The point here is you better not hurt him. Unlike many in his family, Master David is actually a good person and I know you despise his sister for all the atrocities and murder she has on her belt but Master David is not Candice. If this is your ticket to some twisted revenge, you got another thing coming."

I was puzzled. Yes, I did hate Candice but she was dead, and after the closure, I had gotten, I wasn't even sure I could bring myself to hate him anymore."Why would I ever want to hurt David?"

"I don't know" The pixie replied, pausing for a moment. "Master David has been what you would call unlucky at love. The last man he loved turned to be a serial killer vampire who was running away from the Silverlaws and only wanted him for his powers. He had to be stopped." Her eyes then glowed a menacing Veridian and her legs slowly left the floor. "If you turn out to be a psycho just like the rest of them, I promise you, I will break my contract just to kill you kitsune."

I could tell she meant it. I felt a catch ok my throat as her feet slowly returned to the floorboards and the glow in her eyes died. Her frown gradually vanished and it was replaced by one of those plastic smiles you gave people you disliked.

"I hope we came to an understanding, Satake."

I nodded in support as our eyes met.

"I'm so glad we had that talk," she said then the room toppled over once more. The door came back in place and with a troubled mind, I stepped out of the Blossom Manor.