Mine to Protect Chapter 127: CALL ME KITTEN

*Hazel*

“You said you were not my kitten anymore, so I figured, you didn’t want me to call you that anymore.”

“Ok.”

I did say that, but I regret it now, I miss him calling me that pet name.

Derek groans in frustration.

“Why do you do this? You keep everything to yourself; how can I understand what you want this way? Are you upset because I haven’t called you kitten? Why aren’t you comfortable sleeping with me?”

Derek, who was staring at the ceiling, suddenly turned to gaze at me, his blue eyes shining like beacons, displaying his internal turmoil.

He’s been honest with me, and maybe I should try that too, even if it is utterly embarrassing, but I don’t want him to beat himself up for something he isn’t responsible for.

“I like it when you call me kitten, and I am not totally comfortable sleeping with you, but not for the reasons you think. Your closeness, especially now that you’re wearing just your underwear, is waking up certain desires, and I am not sure I am ready to take that step.”

I dare a look at him, and I see a small smile there, I know he’s trying to refrain himself from smirking, and he’s failing miserably. I slap his bicep, annoyed by his cocky attitude, and turn my back on him.

He inches closer, and spoons me again, one hand resting over my stomach.

“So, what kind of desires are we talking about, kitten?” he whispers in my year, his voice sexily husky.

“Desires for murder,” I reply flatly, making him chuckle.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t expecting to have sex with you, I am perfectly happy with just holding you.”

Even if I know his words are meant to appease me, they make me worry even more that he might not be that much into me anymore, at least, physically speaking, so I turn around and ask, “Why?”

Derek is taken aback by my words, and frowns deeply without knowing what to answer.

“Why what?”

“Why don’t you want to have sex with me?” I ask, sounding a little too agitated.

“Who said I don’t want to have sex with you?”

“You just did!” I reply outraged, does he have amnesia?

To my annoyance, instead of replying, Derek starts laughing, he turns flat on his back and keeps laughing until I turn fully toward him, and glare at him, while half-hovering over him.

“What’s so funny?” I ask irritably.

“You,” he says, while pulling me closer, so that I am directly on top of him, and I need to crane my neck to see his face.

“I never said that I don’t want to have sex with you, fuck, if it were for me, I will lock us in this room and have my way with you until the end of time, but I know that you are not ready, and I don’t want to push you and make you leave me again.”

There’s a sadness in his voice and in his gaze that pulls at my heart, and I want nothing more than to kiss him and tell him that I’ll be forever by his side, but I can’t do that, because I am not sure what I want now, and I can’t give him false promises.

Derek kisses my forehead, and turns to his side, bringing me with him, so that now we are both on our sides, our fronts touching, my head resting on his forearm, his left arm around my waist.

“Sleep now kitten,” he says softly, and I don’t need to be told twice, because I am already drifting to the land of dreams, now that my heart is at peace.

Only, instead of getting a peaceful sleep, I get summoned again to that yellow field, with a blue sky, and a white wolf, this time crouched down, not far off from where I am standing.

I ran towards my wolf, she looks tired and weak, Derek was right, the rejection must have affected her more than I thought.

“Hey,” I say softly, feeling guilty as hell, “I am sorry; I didn’t know the rejection would affect you so deeply. What can I do to make you feel better?”

She licks my face, letting me know that she’s not angry with me, but the guilt is still crushing me.

“It’s ok, the rejection is one of the causes, but the solution they injected us with did most of the damage,” she explains patiently.

“I still don’t understand how their darts could have gone through our barrier.”

“They used your blood. They drew some of your blood for testing, when you were unconscious with Alice in the underground facility, and they discovered that your magic is connected to your blood, so they coated the darts and claws with your diluted blood, and the rest you witnessed firsthand.”

I am shocked at this revelation; they used my own blood to hurt me. I wonder what else they can manage to do with it; but one thing is clear, my barrier is not safe anymore, I need to find a better strategy for protection.

“Hazel, I have called you here for a reason today,” my wolf says, I wonder if she has a name.

I focused my attention on her again.

“War is coming, you’ll need all the strength and help you can get. I know that Derek hurt you badly, and that you didn’t take the decision to reject him lightly, but if you can find it in your heart to forgive him, if you think that you could be happy with him again, make up with him, let him mark you again. Don’t take too long, because there isn’t much time left.”

“How long?” I ask anxiously.

“One week, maybe two at maximum.”

My heart leaps in my throat, how are we supposed to be ready for war in such a short time.

“You need to hurry, Hazel, fix things, create alliances, you’ll need every single person you can get in your corner.”

She’s just finished her sentence, when I am sucked back to reality, my heart thumping fast, a layer of sweat coating my skin. We didn’t even say goodbye, maybe she was too weak to maintain the connection, that would explain also the soreness in my body.

“Kitty, what’s wrong?” Derek asks anxiously, immediately sitting straight beside me.

“My wolf, she told me that war is looming on us, and we need to find all the help possible,” I say stuttering, still shaken by the dream and the news. I leave out the part regarding us, as I need to mull over it first.

“Did she say when it’s happening?”

“Maybe one or two weeks from now.”

“Holy sh_t! It’s not enough time to prepare!” Derek whisper yells, running his hand through his hair.

“I know, I know!” I am completely panicking by now, and I feel like I am hyperventilating. My reaction doesn’t go unnoticed by Derek, who runs his hand in circles over my back trying to soothe me.

“Kitten, calm down, ok? We will figure it out.”

I look up at him, his face is so close to mine, that I decide to make the last jump, and crush my lips with his, kissing him in a very inappropriate but satisfying way.