sparks fly~ paul lahote

ⅹⅷ. running with the wolf

Diana had never felt freer. Seated atop Paul's back, holding on for dear life, she loved the rush. The rush of the wind tousling her hair, the rush over the scenery around her, she had never felt lighter. As the wolf sped up suddenly, she let out a squeal and gripped his fur. He was definitely fast, faster than most vampires she knew.

He ran for what felt like hours, covering miles of ground, racing against time. They came to the Canadian border, and Paul walked for a bit before he stopped, shaking slightly so Diana would get off.

She slid down and backed up a bit. Watching intently as he shifted back into a human. When he stood up, in his naked glory, she quickly turned around and stuttered out an apology. Had she been human she would've been blushing madly, but, thanks to her gift, her blush was subtle enough, though her embarrassment was not.

"It's ok," Paul chuckled, as he dressed in the shorts he had brought along. When he had finished, Diana turned around and smirked slightly, "How convenient, you seemed to have forgotten your shirt, Paul."

Paul shook his head, "I haven't forgotten anything, sugar. Simply chose to ignore it as we left."

Diana felt her heart murmur at his words. Though she had no idea where 'sugar' came from, a part of her loved it coming from him. She sighed and looked around; they were in a small clearing, only a few dozen feet around.

Paul admired her curious gaze, the blush still on her cheeks. Though it wasn't much, the small reaction was enough to make his beast purr with excitement. She seemed to be warming up to him.

"So, you're scared to be around me, for my sake? Or, were you scared I might reject you?" Paul asked, causing Diana to look up at him. There was an indescribable look in her eyes, as she took her time, studying the boy before her.

"I guess... I go against everything you are, everything you stand for. You can't- you can't honestly tell me you're happy, right now... with me."

Paul sighed, "I'm not gonna lie, it's going to take some time for me to get used to you..." Diana stood stiff, his words meant everything to her and his next ones would determine the next decades of her life. She anxiously ran a hand down her messy, windblown braid and looked to the ground.

"-But I don't hate you, and I'm certainly not going to reject you."

Diana didn't look up at him until he moved to stand in front of her and forced her chin up to meet his gaze. She relaxed slightly and took a deep breath, flooding her senses with him. He tensed as she leaned forward- something she noticed but didn't comment on- and rested her forehead on his shoulder, reveling in the warmth that spread through her.

She sighed in relief, as he relaxed under her touch, "I have all the time in the world to work on this," she whispered. "And, I will, I promise, but-"

"Don't, " Paul sighed, pulling her into a gentle hug, "- just don't."

She sighed, "Unless you order me too, I'm not going anywhere."

The two stood in silence, enjoying the quiet company. Diana had never been more nervous in her life, she was sure. But Paul took the anxiety away, he replaced it with comfort and stability. Diana knew right then, she was in too deep.

⎿✶⏋

Eventually, the talking started up again, so did the walking, and the smiles never left their faces. They wandered and enjoyed not only the scenery but each other's company. Diana felt like she could finally breathe, after suffocating under the pressure of the bond for so long. And Paul was just happy- he didn't love that his soulmate was a vampire, but he also hardly remembered when she was with him; she didn't seem as dead as the rest of them.