Romance Fan Fiction ❯ Saeron's Temple ❯ The Nameless Stranger ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The water in my bath felt warm and comforting on my skin, especially the wound the dragon had inflicted. It stung a little, but I could tell it would heal properly with time as long as I bandaged it well and kept it clean. I submerged my head under water and rose to the top to grab the soup. I took a small towel and began scrubbing myself with both the towel and the soup. When I was done my skin felt velvety smooth. I smiled in content as I admired my work of scrubbing. My ears caught a faint yet noticeable vibrating sound in the corner of the dimly lit room. The candles did little to show what made the noise, but it soon ceased to be heard and I quickly forgot about it. I grabbed my towel to dry off and was exiting the bath when I could have sworn I saw two flashing pairs of eyes in the entrance. They quickly faded and I was left to ponder whether I had really seen them or not.

After dressing my wound I made my way into bed. Saeron was already on his side and he appeared to be fast asleep. I reached over to turn the lantern off. A loud growling voice came from the other side of me, scaring me half to death and nearly knocking me off the floor.

"I told you not to run away," His voice came out bold, loud, and almost irritated . "You're lucky you weren't killed today."
"I'm sorry," was all I could manage out. My body still stiff from the sound of his booming voice.
"It's a good thing I found you in time. That Komodo Dragon would have eaten you alive if I hadn't come and ripped it to shreds."
"Thank you." My voice came out weak. I was now facing him. His dark fur had a sunny shade from the light of the lantern and the orange intertwined within the black shone more prominently. It made his fur appear reddish brown. He gazed up at me. The white fur around his eyes made the blue stand out more and I could now see that he wasn't upset, but concerned. Was he really that worried about my safety?
"I need you to follow my instruction. Please," He tried to plead, but it only came out just as coarse as the other words. "Stay near the temple." He had said this so many times before, but this time seemed different. Somehow, despite how coarse his words sounded, Saeron's plea represented a deeper meaning that told me he really did care.
When I realized he had no more to say I slowly turned to the light and put it out.

I was flying. I could feel the wind beneath my arms and I could see clear blue skies. However, I my body suddenly lost control and I began to fall down to earth.
As I awoke I quickly noticed my breathing had gotten heavy and I was sweating. The night felt average, but some how the dream had panicked me enough to put me in a sweat. It was when I began looking around the room for signs of nightmarish things that I realized something. Saeron was gone!
I lifted my head off the pillow and squinted in the dark. I looked closely towards the other side of the bed, but I wouldn't make out anything. Surely I was just hallucinating, or perhaps dreaming.
I carefully stretched my hand out to feel around. My hand came down on nothing but sheets in the darkness. Perhaps he had stepped out for a moment. He was allowed to do as he pleased after all.
My feet landed on the chilly floor beneath me. I cringed as I walked barefooted to the doorway of the bedroom where I continued to walk along the column lined temple. I pulled myself to one of the columns and looked out toward the jungle. It didn't look like he was in the temple so most likely he was in the jungle. But for what? I rested my head on the column and began to contemplate this question. Something dark caught my attention and I quickly looked up to see what it was, expecting to see the shadowy tiger.
My heart suddenly skipped a beat and my eyes widened with interest. There, not even 100 feet away from me, stood a dark haired figure. Immediately I took in his gorgeous looks. The black hair I now found to be streaked with red. The light skin that shone especially pale in the moonlight. The fashionable clothes I had never seen anyone ever possess before. And the most stunning was his baby blue eyes, sparkling brilliantly in the moon's bright light.
He soon realized I was standing there and at first seemed surprised. I thought he might runaway. I hoped he wouldn't. Or perhaps just disappear. He seemed to handsome to be realistic. But the surprise on his face soon formed into a smile which more than make my heart jump with excitement.
"How are you?" His words were soft and liquid smooth.
"I'm ok," I managed to force out. I tried to think of something else I could say so I could communicate further with this god. "Who are you?"
The gorgeous boy looked away and for the longest time didn't answer. I was beginning to think he hadn't heard my question and was about to ask again when suddenly he answered.
"I have no name," he said with a grin. It seemed a little weird to me, but I couldn't seem to focus on this thought for much longer. His beauty was far too overpowering in my mind. "Nice night out. The moon's shining the brightest I've ever seen."
"Yes, it is quite stunning." And he was. In fact, I could hardly keep my eyes off his amazing features.
"What may I call you?" His voice was calm and angelic.
"Dante." I beamed with a smile, thrilled to give him my name. "Where are you from?"
"Oh, I come from a far away place." His voice was thoughtful. "I am the only one left of my people."
"That's too bad." I was truly sorry for him. "Did you travel to come live here?"
"Something like that."
He began slowly walking toward me. My heart raced frantically, getting faster and faster each time he got closer to me. He reached his hand out to me waist and I felt his hand softly rubbing my wound, careful not to harm me.
"Does it hurt?" He asked with concern. His light eyes seemed almost sad as he brushed his finger tips over the bandages. I could feel his touch underneath them and it made my head dizzy with excitement.
"Not really." It seemed like a lie to me. After all the wound had hurt immensely just before I had fallen asleep. But now, as he caressed my side the pain ceased to exsist, numbed by a rush of excitement now surging through my body. "I was attacked by a dragon in the forest, but I'll be fine."
"Were you hurt anywhere else?" His eyes wandered from the bandage to other parts of my body. His fingers followed and each touch sent tingles into my skin. I could barely take the surge of energy going through me. His hand stopped at my arm and he looked at it thoughtfully, his blue eyes still soft with concern. He lightly caressed my hand and I was suddenly dizzy once again with excitement. It was then that I began to notice. The way his hands moved, the way he talked to me seemed almost as though he knew me somehow. Almost as though we had been friends in the past. "You seem fine."
"I feel fine," I grinned with the thoughts of the tingly sensation in my body. It felt very good.
"Good." He took his hand off me and backed away a few inches. The tingly sensation continued to flow through my body. I breathed out a sigh of relief. Sad that the tingle would be gone soon, but happy that I would now be able to relax my muscles.
"Do you need a place to stay? I'm sure there would be any trouble in--
"No, thats alright." He cut me off with a smile. "I appreciate your hospitality though."
"So where are you staying then?" My voice was now surprisingly calm.
He looked away just as he had before, but this time he didn't answer my question. Instead he leaned towards me and sniffed my hair. "You smell very nice. Is that lavender oil?" His eyes were closed and his face held a pleasant smile. "I love the smell of lavender."
My face turned hot with both excitement and embarrassment and I felt my heart thumping against my chest wildly. I tried to look away from him to hide my probably red face, but his charming looks held my focus. I hate to admit it, but somewhere in the back of my mind I wished he would touch me again, caress my side, my arm.
"Your probably smelling the soap I used." My mind finally allowed me to speak. "I didn't realize it was so strong."
"Oh, yes. It's very strong." He finished with a chuckle. Then he turned his gaze to the moon. "You should probably get some sleep. It's almost two in the morning."
"Huh? How do you know?"
"I've learned how to read the moon. It's one thing my people were good at."
My head sunk down in defeat. He was right, I needed rest. But I couldn't let this handsome guy just walk away. I wanted to see him again. He looked at me and I could see he had a good idea of what I was thinking.
"I'll come back again." He said cheerfully. "Just be looking out for me."

I turned to walk to the bedroom, he still stood there, dark hair blowing in the breeze, his eyes transfixed on the moon. I made it back to the bed. Still no sign of Saeron. But I soon forgot about him, and as I thought about my encounter with the gorgeous guy that night I slowly faded into sleep.