ENCHANTED Book 1: Witch's Dawn

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

MORTAL REALM: TÖRLÊM

"Coming home late tonight?" Christi asked, as she watched her best friend walk into the kitchen.

He wore a black round-necked t-shirt, paired with a dark brown leather jacket and blue jeans. The jeans and jacket were obviously brand names, but the shirt was more understated. His dressing appeared casual but seemed not to be at the same time, like he'd put a lot of thought into his outfit but wanted it to appear as if he didn't.

"Maybe," he said, opening the cabinet at his top right; their snacks cabinet. Her curiosity increased.  Ryan almost never touched those snacks - he could be a health freak sometimes. "Don't know how long this movie night's going to last."

He took out the snacks they had individually, and tried to decide which ones would be good enough to take along with him.

"What? You're going for a movie night?" She asked, disbelief coating every word. "Where?"

Ryan stopped what he was doing and sighed. He turned to face her. "At Helen's," he said, folding his hands. He noticed her features darken slightly with a frown. "She and her friend invited me over. Is that a problem?" He asked, affronted.

"Of course it is! How could it not be?" She walked over to where he stood by the kitchen counter and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know how hard you've tried to resist the attraction you feel towards her this entire time. And, I don't think this is a good idea if you want to keep it that way."

He swallowed and moved away from her towards the kitchen island. He paced back and forth for a while, running his hand through his hair at intervals. "I know," he said torn. "I know, but she needs me. I can't turn my back on her when I can clearly see she's suffering."

She was silent as she considered his words. It was true that Helen needed help. She had begun to withdraw to herself since the nightmares began. She had refused to share any details with her or Irene when asked, and instead chose to act like she had everything under control; although it was clear she didn't.

She gazed at her best friend thoughtfully. She had tried to ignore her suspicions this past month as she watched their relationship progress, but maybe it was time to voice those thoughts.

"Ryan," she started carefully. He stopped his actions and gave her his attention, instinctively sensing the seriousness of her next words. "Have you, maybe, considered the possibility that she could be your mate?"

He stared at her stunned, for a few minutes. "What?" He managed to choke out finally.

Christi nodded and his mind began to race a mile a minute. My mate. My soulmate. He'd never considered it because his people rarely had mates outside their kind. To think that he may have found his mate without even realizing it. His heart began to beat faster in excitement and he grabbed the snacks he'd packed, ready to leave the house and confirm if it was true.

He had already reached the front door when he heard Christi call out to him breathlessly, and he turned, slightly mortified that he'd forgotten about her for a moment.

"Sorry about that," he apologized.

"It's okay," she said, dismissing his apology with a wave of her hand. She pulled him to her and gave him a hug. "Be careful." It might have seemed like too much but she knew what could happen to him if their suspicious turned out to be wrong.

For immortals, a soulmate was sacred. And the emotions involved when dealing with that particular subject were complicated and could cause the immortal harm if not handled carefully.

Ryan hugged her back in understanding. "I know. I will." He kissed her forehead and released her to go towards the garage.

Christi watched as he pulled out and drove away. Hoping against hope that she was right, and at the same time dreading what to come if she was. Or wasn't.

The comfortable silence and the cool temperature on the drive to Helen's house, allowed Ryan to gain control of his thoughts and emotions. As he pulled into the driveway of the cottage-styled home, he killed the engine and took a deep breath to boost his morale. For better or worst he'd put an end to his dilemma today.

He watched the shadows that occasionally crossed the arched window of what he guessed was the living room, which emitted warm light, and chuckled fondly.

Seems the party's already started.

Helen didn't know why, but she instinctively sensed that Ryan had arrived. It was like a homing device had been placed within her which only recognized and received signals from him. This wasn't the first time she'd experienced this, it had happened severally whenever they had been apart at school but she'd just assumed that her crush on him had made her hyper aware of his presence.

As if on cue, they heard a knock on the door as the sensation grew stronger. "Who is it?" Ronnie called out and moved towards the front door. Helen crossed her fingers and watched expectantly to confirm if her suspicions had merit.

"Pizza guy. I have a delivery for two beautiful ladies," The fact that he spoke through a closed door did nothing to diminish the effect his voice always had on her.

His rich baritone caused her breath to catch and her heart to race. She felt her face flush and her body heat up, so she got up from the couch she'd been sitting on and went to the kitchen to grab a glass of cold water.

What is wrong with me? Never had she reacted so strongly to a guy, so why were her hormones and emotions running amok because of this guy? What made him so special? The homing device which seemed situated between her breasts began to warm up again. It grew so hot she gasped and dropped the glass of water she'd just poured for herself.

"Helen!" She heard him shout before she felt his hands on her, holding her up. She hadn't even realized she'd been hunched over. "Are you okay?" He asked, the worry in his voice so genuine it caused her to look up at him.

He was so gorgeous. She never seemed to get tired of admiring him, in fact every time she did he got more handsome - if that was possible. Also, the weird sensation had stopped the minute he'd touched her so she no longer felt uncomfortable.

She nodded shyly when she noticed he maintained his hold on her and patted his arm to reassure him. "I'm alright now," she said softly, signalling that he could let her go now.

Ryan, however, tightened his hold and pulled her in for a hug. "Thank goodness," he murmured into her hair and breathed in her scent to calm himself down. Hearing that glass shatter and rushing in to see her hunched over with that painful expression on her face, had scared a hundred years off his life.

Helen blushed self-consciously, but snuggled into the hug all the same. After all how often did a girl get to have these moments with her crush? She justified shamelessly as she took in a lungful of his spicy scent. He smelled like a mix of gingerbread spices, only better; and it was mouth watering.

They remained like that for a while, both lost in each other, until Veronica yelled for them to come to the living room so they could start the movie.

Helen snapped back to reality and detached herself from Ryan flustered. She escaped from the kitchen without looking at his face, and he chuckled as he noticed how red her ears were.

How cute. He took his time going to the living room, however, because he had to cool his blood down. "It looks like you may be right, Christi," he muttered under his breath as he left the kitchen.

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