Accidental Time Traveler-InutaishoxOC

27. Layla Awakens

Layla drifted across the meadow, her white nightgown billowing lazily around her bare feet. A slender pearl bracelet encircled her left wrist and on her ring finger a platinum band with a tear drop crystal encased in a decorative platinum floral cage.

The lush green grass, and brightly colored flowers achingly familiar. The answer came to her. She was in Toga's secret meadow.

Layla knew this to be a dream. A strangely lucid dream but a dream, nonetheless. She was currently in Underhill in a bed ensorcelled by her father, not in Feudal Japan.

A stream glittered nearby, calm and inviting. Kicking off her slippers she sat along the bank, her feet in the water. Layla relaxed in the calm atmosphere. Plum blossoms drifted across the surface of the stream, swirling around her ankles. She kicked her feet lazily back and forth.

Someone moved up beside her. Before they spoke Layla knew it was Toga.

"Beloved, how are you?" Toga's deep voice settled around her like a protective cloak.

Without looking at him, Layla patted the ground beside her. "This isn't just a dream, is it? I should've known. Everything is far too vivid. How are you doing this? Is it one of your demon powers? Or..." Unable to mention their bond without freaking out, she trailed off awkwardly.

Fabric swished as Toga sat cross-legged in the damp grass. The demon lord was armor-less. His white hair hung unbound down his back, coiling on the ground behind him. Coming to her in such a vulnerable state spoke volumes of his trust in her. "I know speaking of our bond upsets you. However, I have used it to our advantage allowing us to communicate without being spied upon."

By creating this illusion of his favorite meadow. "Faeries possess mind control." She pointed out, raising her left foot. Water streamed over her skin, landing in the stream with little plips. "I've been on the receiving end of this power and I'm telling you the faeries shouldn't be underestimated."

"Mind control is no match for a soul-mate bond." Toga's eyes glinted warmly. He curled his fingers over her slender hand. The one with the ring. Had he put it there? "I must ask, did you mean what you said? Do you love me?"

Layla dropped her gaze from his, fighting a surge of panic. She spoke the truth in the heat of a desperate moment. Now, she had to face the consequences. "I..."

Toga sighed wearily at her hesitation. "Layla, why do you hesitate? Do you fear our bond so greatly?"

In her heart, Layla hovered on a precipice overlooking a deep dark pit. She couldn't run from this. Not anymore.

Swallowing hard, Layla gathered her thoughts. Wanting him to understand. Vulnerability did not come naturally to her. "I'm scared." She admitted, tears stinging her eyes.

"Of what?" Toga asked gently, rubbing her palm lightly. Patiently waiting for her to work through this.

Layla blinked back the tears, her throat burning. "I've never been in a long-term relationship. Nothing ever lasted more than six months. None of the men I dated ever made me feel more." She forced herself to look at him. "I've never fallen in love before."

Cupping her cheek, Toga regarded her compassionately. "There is no shame in that. Love is not logical, my dearest."

A tear rolled down her cheek and he thumbed it away. "I always assumed it meant there was something wrong with me. I couldn't make myself love any of those guys."

The tears spilled faster.

Toga wanted to strangle these men who made her feel inadequate. Life had made her cautious. That was not necessarily a flaw in a dangerous world. "Love is not an emotion to be forced. Feel no shame for not giving your heart to your former lovers. The fault lays not with you. Perhaps there was nothing in them to be worthy of your love."