Chapter 37
THE CREATURE
It was hard to believe that Alina was here, with her arm looped in mine without resistance or complaint—well, minimal complaints. I half expected her to ignore me and go back to sleep. I wouldn’t have blamed her. The pile of pelts looked comfortable.
After the other night, I figured out what I needed to do for her to relax. Clearly, she was establishing her place in the Nest. She wanted me to know that. The fastest way for her to accept me is if I accepted her flirtatious threats. The absence of resistance to her message was all she needed.
Today I wanted to try something different. We had always tangled in the dark, and she resisted bringing our relationship to see the light of day. Now I had the opportunity to show her I am not here to fight.
There was a street market this weekend. The tents lined the snowy streets, closed down to carriages so patrons could stroll.
She inspected the sweets, then some of the dried herbs. She appeared the most at ease that I had seen her since arriving. It was like a state of wandering, with no goal in mind. It was best to keep her occupied.
I noticed she wore one thing I bought her, which gave me an odd warm feeling in my gut.
Her neatly gloved hands with the fur trim danced over the goods of the market, inspecting the broad display of goods closely as if each thing she purchased must be to her impossible standards.
She had even done her hair; it was braided and twisted and gathered neatly with a ribbon, the thin silken bow dangling at the nape of her neck.
She picked out a bundle of eucalyptus for the tenement flats while we were there, though I did see her eyeing the crates of oranges. Her eyes caught my attention; I recognized that look. She was begging me.
“Pick what you like,” I encouraged, “we have all day.”
“You’re sure about that? I can have quite expensive tastes.”
“I can afford it. I wouldn’t expect any less from you.”
She eyed the sweets, then looked at me expectantly. Then she started to gravitate toward them so quickly, I had to pick up my pace to catch up with her.
“What about this?” She picked up a fruit.
“Do you think I can’t afford fruit?”
That only made her smirk. She moved one booth down, pointing to some wreaths and decor fashioned with ribbons. “This, as well?”
“If that is what you like.”
She moved again, this time across the path to a booth it seemed she knew well—baked goods.
Before I knew it, she had to buy a wicker basket to hold all the sweets and fruits she bought. She was quite the spendthrift when she wanted to be, but I suppose that was the point. It didn’t matter to me; I had more money than I knew what to do with. Every penny spent on her was worth it.
“What are those?” I pointed to a candy in her basket.
“Sherbert Lemons; Rebecca likes them.” She plucked one from the bag in the basket, holding it up for me.
I shook my head. “Taste it for me.”
She raised a brow before popping it in her mouth. “It tastes like lemon, sour in the middle.”
“Well, is there anything else bitter or sour? Aside from yourself.”
“Cough candy.” She dug through the basket again and held up a tan piece of hard candy.
“What does it taste like?”
“Clove. You won’t taste anything except the spice and bitterness, but it is supposed to be sweet, as well.” She held it up to my lips.
I hovered over her, locking our lips together.
She nearly jumped at the action. It was quick, breaking as soon as it happened.
Her eyes were wide, the snow around us making them seem all the brighter.
Her face was turning red, her poliosis looking whiter than ever, not even the snow compared.
She wanted to look away—I could see it in the way her eyes shifted—but she refused to, anyway.
Somewhere in my observation, I forgot what I was going to say.
I pulled away, licking my lips. “I like it.”
“Why didn’t you just eat one—”
“I don’t know,” I admitted breathlessly. “I suppose it was just an impulse.”
She huffed, her cheeks becoming rosy. It wasn’t from the cold.
We strolled leisurely until we were past the street and at the entrance to the park. The day was perfect for being outside, though I’m sure she was comfortable under the fur.
Experiences as menial as a market and tasting candy may seem a bit childish to take pleasure in, but when you have spent as many years on this earth as I have, there is rarely an original experience.
The only thing I could do is relish in the pleasure of reliving them all again with her.
Every old experience becomes new through her eyes, and I simply have the pleasure of being present.
I have seen everything from every view, except hers.
It was like experiencing everything for the first time again; she made all the things I took for granted seem new and exciting.
Sometime along our walk, Alina began to stiffen. That could only mean she had disappeared inside that head of hers.
Her brows furrowed, deep in thought. Occasionally, I could see the muscle in her jaw twitch from clenching her teeth together for so long. So much tension for such a cruel thing like her.
“I almost forgot. I have something.” I broke her from her thoughts. I pulled a round object from my pocket, placing it in her hands.
It was an orange.
“We just bought oranges.” She scrutinized it.
“No, peel it.” I smirked.
She picked at the skin, peeling away the orange to expose the blood-red pulp inside. She blinked, and then her eyes trailed back to me.
“It is a blood orange.” I grinned. “I thought maybe you would like it.”
“I do.” She placed the orange in her basket as she stopped walking.
“What is wrong?”
“I see what you are doing.”
Not this again.
“What do you think I am doing?” I raised a brow.
“Parading me around like I’m some prize,” she scoffed. “Buying me things, bringing the girls new fancy clothes—you’re showing off.”
“Well, you are a prize,” I said matter-of-factly. “And it would be a waste not to parade you around.”
“See? There it is. You think this is funny. You mock me.”
“I assure you, this is not a mockery. You would know if it was.”
“You are undermining me.”
“You think too highly of yourself,” I laughed, stepping toward her. “I am investing in you.”
“You are trying to make it seem like I am some object to you now.” She took a step away from me, but I stepped closer.
She backed into a tree along the pathway, but my pursuit didn’t stop until I hovered over her.
“Has it ever occurred to you,” I lowered my face to hers, making sure she was looking at me, “that I show you off because I am proud of you?”
I could see her pulse jump by the throbbing of her jugular. I could smell the change in her blood sugar just from those simple words. I had a feeling she didn’t hear those words often.
“I am proud of you,” I repeated. “You could be made of stars the way you outshine everyone around you, including myself. I am simply happy to be bathed in the light.” I cupped her face with both of my hands. “Do you understand me, now?”
“You don’t really believe that.”
“You deserve all of the attention this world can afford.”
“I don’t believe you—”
“If I could change true north to wherever you stood, I would do it.”
“How do I know I am not just food to you?” she snapped, placing her palms on my chest, but it wouldn’t stop me from holding her.
“If you were food, I would treat you like food,” I breathed. “I clothe you, feed you, adorn you, fawn over you, and you think that I only see you as food?”
“You have a need to control.”
“We both know there is no controlling you; I gave up on that long ago.” I laughed. “I don’t want you under my boot, Alina, I want you in my arms.”
“I’m going home.” She nearly slipped from my grasp, my fingers clasping with hers in one last attempt to keep her.
The shock on her face at seeing our entwined fingers was more severe than when I had nearly killed her in that alleyway.
“Wait,” I begged. I didn’t understand why she still thought the worst of me. That could be my own fault. I hadn’t been fair to her. I didn’t know how else to prove to her that I was not trying to trick her. “We have one more place to go.”