The Touch of Demise │18+

10: Primus Stephan

𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄

He was sitting in front of her. There was a coffee table separating them and to the side was a beautiful stone fireplace. On the table was a deck of cards. The shadow of the flame hit his face in just a way that made her realize, yet again, how handsome he was.

She felt like she'd never find another male as beautiful as him.

"Is this your room?"

He nodded. "Yes, it is."

She leaned forward, shaking her head. "But why? There's a beautiful grand suite upstairs. There's an entire wing just for you."

"I prefer living here." His tone was final. He didn't want to speak on it further, so she simply nodded. "Your brother, what is he studying?"

"Medicine. After I got sick, he wanted to work in the field. He's not sure what he wants to practice yet." Her face brightened as she spoke about Malik. She was so proud of him. After their parents died, he was the only positive thing in her life. He was the reason she worked today. If he wasn't around, she wouldn't have continued on.

She grabbed the deck of cards, took them out of the cardboard box, and then shuffled them. She laid them back into a pile in front of her. "Do you play rummy?"

"Grace, I was alive when the game was invented."

She smiled with a short laugh. "I forget Primus are...ancient."

"We're the oldest lycanthropes."

"How old are you?"

He leaned forward, taking the deck in his hands. "Old."

"Well, how old?"

He didn't answer as he began dealing them each seven cards. He laid the deck back down, flipping the top card.

She sighed. He wasn't going to answer her. She had a good hand and she was a good player. She smiled, picking up the face-up card. She took a card from her hand and laid it back down.

"How did your parents die?"

Her heart immediately plummeted. She kept her eyes on her cards, forcing herself not to cry.

"I'm sorry," he continued. "I didn't realize–"

"No, it' alright. It's been years. Uh," she wiped a rogue tear off her cheek. "I was born in the Kingdom of Xerxes. We lived in a village watched over by the Delta. My life was great, is great still. I am very... privileged still. Anyway, one day my father broke the rules. All the women of the village were required to donate blood if they were over 21. We didn't know why, the Delta never told us. My mother had gone to donate as she had every month, but they took too much by accident. She was very weak, they almost killed her. My father went crazy. I firmly believe they were destined mates even though they had chosen each other. My dad was always incredibly protective over my mother, so seeing her that way, what the Delta had done... My father killed our village's Alpha. The Epsilon killed my father and mother in retaliation and then became the next Delta."

By the time she was finished tears were pouring down her cheeks. She didn't look at him. She was hyper-focused on her cards, trying to force herself not to cry even more.

"Grace, come here."

She looked up. She wasn't sure what he wanted, but she obeyed, standing up. She went to him, standing in front of his legs. He grabbed her arm and pulled her down to his lap. He didn't say anything.

She rested her head against his chest which was now covered by a grey shirt. He was always so careful not to touch her. She sniffled. His presence made her feel better even if he said nothing.