Chapter 22:
All it takes to imprint is...
Constantine:
After giving the bottled happiness to Angelica, we leave the house. On our way to our home, Daniel moves closer to me, and takes a hold of my hand. I twine our fingers together, and smile.
Well, if this is what taking responsibility is like, I should do it more often.
Not that I run from responsibility, most of the time. But this time, when I am inviting another person to become a part of my life, is simply...magical. I thought that I will live out my life bottling happiness, with no one by my side. And now...
I still uprooted him from Earth.
The thought wipes the smile from my lips. I sigh, and slither faster. There are so many things that I want to tell him. The streets are not the place for such confessions.
When we close the door behind us, I don’t let go of his hand. I tug him up, and into my room. Then, I put him before my laptop, and load up my folder with embarrassing photos of my childhood.
“This is me, age three,” I open up a photo where I am wearing an Illity pajama, with a hoodie. He blinks at me. Still, I load up another picture. “And this is me, age seven.”
He chuckles at that one. I can see why. I am wearing a formal suit, with a jacket, shirt, and a tie. Yet, I have an Illity badge on the jacket, and an Illity balloon in my hands.
“You seem to really love this snake,” he comments.
“There is something I want to tell you,” I tell him, as I load up the next picture. This one of me in swimming wear, in a lake, with seashells in my hair. I am pouting at the camera. I know that my father is behind me being a lake monster wannabe in this picture.
“Go on,” he says, as he takes the mouse from my hands, and clicks on the next photo.
“I am sorry I costed you the life you knew,” I say, and he hums.
“I’ll get used to it, don’t worry,” he clicks on a picture of me being dressed all in pink, clutching an Illity plushy for dear life. “Now this, I have to know about. What did you do, to deserve such torture?”
“I was a cookie thief,” I say with a smile. “I’d steal the cookies, as soon as they cooled. Sometimes, I didn’t wait. I’d dip the still hot cookies in cold milk, and gobble them up, before mom came back from whatever task took her from the cookies’ side.”
“Rascal,” Daniel chuckles, and then turns to me.
“Are you offering to be my new home?” He asks. I bite my lower lip.
“I want us to be closer,” it is a silly wish, considering he is going to imprint on me, and then it will be impossible for us to be separated. Yet, I want him to get to know me, first.
He stands up, and takes me into his arms. Slowly, his hands wrap around me, and he takes in a deep breath of my scent.
“You smell of cinnamon,” he says, as he takes in another breath. “But you don’t have anything with cinnamon in the bathroom. No shampoo, no body wash, no perfume.”
“Well, I have always smelt of that,” I tell him. He chuckles.
“I rather like it. Seeing as you shared some funny pictures with me, I’ll tell you why I like cinnamon,” he leads me to the bed, and sit us on it.
We stare in each other’s eyes, and I can’t help but think that his caramel orbs look even more animated than usual. Softer, somehow. Even his laugh lines accent something in him, that I like, but can’t exactly put a name on.
“Cinnamon honey cakes were the first sweet thing I was given to eat,” he begins, and I give him my full attention. “Chocolate was still considered dangerous for me, at that age, but a single cinnamon honey cake was ok. I’d take the cake, and then I will nibble on it, making sure to inhale the scent. One nibble, then another, until the cake was eaten, and I was patting my stomach.”
I giggle at the image of a tiny Daniel, nibbling on a cookie sized honey cake.
“I’d like to nibble on you. One kiss, then another, and take in your scent,” Daniel moves closer to me, his lips brushing against mine. My eyes go wide.
“I...” I push him away. Yes, I agreed to let him imprint on me. I agreed to share the rest of my life with him. But...he is a human! How is sex even going to work for us?
He nods, and brushes his thumb over the back of my right hand.
“You want time, I understand. Still, do you think we can get the imprinting done with tonight? I think that, if I stay cooped up in here for another day, I might lose my mind. Then, I’ll dress you all in pink, and braid your hair to look like the hair of a pretty princess. Not that you are not pretty already, but...” I blink at him, and then place a finger on his lips.
“Ok,” I say, and then place my hand at the back of his neck. “The process is simple. We just need to exchange some blood.”
“Really?” He asks me. I bring his face to my nape.
“Bite down and drink. The taste will be a bit weird, at first, but... ouch,” I whine deep in my throat, when his teeth sink inside my flesh. Still, I manage to sink my own teeth inside his neck. Normally, it is done in turns, and by biting the arms. But it is said that a bite on the neck is more personal. I want for this joining of lifespans to be as personal as possible.
I feel the mana moving between us. Merging. There is a vibration beneath my skin that I can’t quite explain. Daniel gets his teeth out of my neck, and I do the same with his.
“Did you feel it?” He asks me, and I hold my hand, palm up. Soon, there is a sphere of light dancing above my palm.
He giggles, as if drunk, and then envelops me in a hug.
“I am no longer alone,” he murmurs. To me, he might as well have said he was in love.
Chapter 22:
All it takes to imprint is...
Constantine:
After giving the bottled happiness to Angelica, we leave the house. On our way to our home, Daniel moves closer to me, and takes a hold of my hand. I twine our fingers together, and smile.
Well, if this is what taking responsibility is like, I should do it more often.
Not that I run from responsibility, most of the time. But this time, when I am inviting another person to become a part of my life, is simply...magical. I thought that I will live out my life bottling happiness, with no one by my side. And now...
I still uprooted him from Earth.
The thought wipes the smile from my lips. I sigh, and slither faster. There are so many things that I want to tell him. The streets are not the place for such confessions.
When we close the door behind us, I don’t let go of his hand. I tug him up, and into my room. Then, I put him before my laptop, and load up my folder with embarrassing photos of my childhood.
“This is me, age three,” I open up a photo where I am wearing an Illity pajama, with a hoodie. He blinks at me. Still, I load up another picture. “And this is me, age seven.”
He chuckles at that one. I can see why. I am wearing a formal suit, with a jacket, shirt, and a tie. Yet, I have an Illity badge on the jacket, and an Illity balloon in my hands.
“You seem to really love this snake,” he comments.
“There is something I want to tell you,” I tell him, as I load up the next picture. This one of me in swimming wear, in a lake, with seashells in my hair. I am pouting at the camera. I know that my father is behind me being a lake monster wannabe in this picture.
“Go on,” he says, as he takes the mouse from my hands, and clicks on the next photo.
“I am sorry I costed you the life you knew,” I say, and he hums.
“I’ll get used to it, don’t worry,” he clicks on a picture of me being dressed all in pink, clutching an Illity plushy for dear life. “Now this, I have to know about. What did you do, to deserve such torture?”
“I was a cookie thief,” I say with a smile. “I’d steal the cookies, as soon as they cooled. Sometimes, I didn’t wait. I’d dip the still hot cookies in cold milk, and gobble them up, before mom came back from whatever task took her from the cookies’ side.”
“Rascal,” Daniel chuckles, and then turns to me.
“Are you offering to be my new home?” He asks. I bite my lower lip.
“I want us to be closer,” it is a silly wish, considering he is going to imprint on me, and then it will be impossible for us to be separated. Yet, I want him to get to know me, first.
He stands up, and takes me into his arms. Slowly, his hands wrap around me, and he takes in a deep breath of my scent.
“You smell of cinnamon,” he says, as he takes in another breath. “But you don’t have anything with cinnamon in the bathroom. No shampoo, no body wash, no perfume.”
“Well, I have always smelt of that,” I tell him. He chuckles.
“I rather like it. Seeing as you shared some funny pictures with me, I’ll tell you why I like cinnamon,” he leads me to the bed, and sit us on it.
We stare in each other’s eyes, and I can’t help but think that his caramel orbs look even more animated than usual. Softer, somehow. Even his laugh lines accent something in him, that I like, but can’t exactly put a name on.
“Cinnamon honey cakes were the first sweet thing I was given to eat,” he begins, and I give him my full attention. “Chocolate was still considered dangerous for me, at that age, but a single cinnamon honey cake was ok. I’d take the cake, and then I will nibble on it, making sure to inhale the scent. One nibble, then another, until the cake was eaten, and I was patting my stomach.”
I giggle at the image of a tiny Daniel, nibbling on a cookie sized honey cake.
“I’d like to nibble on you. One kiss, then another, and take in your scent,” Daniel moves closer to me, his lips brushing against mine. My eyes go wide.
“I...” I push him away. Yes, I agreed to let him imprint on me. I agreed to share the rest of my life with him. But...he is a human! How is sex even going to work for us?
He nods, and brushes his thumb over the back of my right hand.
“You want time, I understand. Still, do you think we can get the imprinting done with tonight? I think that, if I stay cooped up in here for another day, I might lose my mind. Then, I’ll dress you all in pink, and braid your hair to look like the hair of a pretty princess. Not that you are not pretty already, but...” I blink at him, and then place a finger on his lips.
“Ok,” I say, and then place my hand at the back of his neck. “The process is simple. We just need to exchange some blood.”
“Really?” He asks me. I bring his face to my nape.
“Bite down and drink. The taste will be a bit weird, at first, but... ouch,” I whine deep in my throat, when his teeth sink inside my flesh. Still, I manage to sink my own teeth inside his neck. Normally, it is done in turns, and by biting the arms. But it is said that a bite on the neck is more personal. I want for this joining of lifespans to be as personal as possible.
I feel the mana moving between us. Merging. There is a vibration beneath my skin that I can’t quite explain. Daniel gets his teeth out of my neck, and I do the same with his.
“Did you feel it?” He asks me, and I hold my hand, palm up. Soon, there is a sphere of light dancing above my palm.
He giggles, as if drunk, and then envelops me in a hug.
“I am no longer alone,” he murmurs. To me, he might as well have said he was in love.
