N’s lips have begun to work their way down my neck while my hands slip underneath his sweater, my fingers tracing the outlines of his hips before sliding up his back.

How far am I willing to go with him? We have just met and here I was letting him kiss me with so much passion… But who am I blame? I wasn’t one to protest his skilled hands.

It’s not long before his masculine hands have slipped underneath my clothing and I immediately feel goose bumps crawling up my spine. N’s free hand takes my lower back to pull me forward, our bodies pressing against each other as his fingers toy with the clasp of my bra.

I suddenly begin to feel anxious and my digits scrunch his sweater as my lips graze his ear.

“Slow down there, Tiger,” I breathe, hoping he wouldn’t take it the wrong way.

I can feel him freeze and his lips pull away from my neck. I am quickly left staring at his face as my mouth drops open in explanation but he cuts me off before I have a chance to say a word.

“What did you just call me…?” He questions.

“Uh… Tiger?” I reply with.

Was that really what he was concentrating on at this point? The fact I called him Tiger?

A smirk finds its way to his handsome face and I throw him a quizzical look, my eyes roaming over his face, searching for an answer.

“It’s just…Uhm… I like that nickname.”

“Tiger?” I ask with a giggle.

I take note of the pink colour that works its way over his cheeks, barely lighting his adorable nose.

“That’s so-”

The sound of the door crashing open cuts me off and I let my hands dig into his back in a mixture of both fear and surprise before I look to who is entering the shop.

It’s the man and woman that I had seen previously when I walked by here, although something has changed; the man now has bright orange hair, pushed up in the front in a manly way with the sides now shaved down.

The girl turns her head and we make eye contact, my hands shifting awkwardly off of N’s back and underneath of my thighs.

N’s shoulders loosen as he rolls his eyes before the people even announce who they are, sighing in an almost annoyed way before turning to look them over with his hands leaving my back to hang loosely against his sides.

“I should’ve recognized this smell down the street,” the man laughs before letting a hand rest against her waist.

She laughs in response before finally addressing either of us.

“N, you should introduce us to your new friend, especially if we’ll be hearing her more often…”

That’s weird… Doesn’t she mean ‘seeing’ instead of ‘hearing’? Oh well.

I shrug a bit before staring at the back of N’s head, his hands seeming to twitch nervously before answering her.

“Fiana, this little disturber is Sera, the other one is Ravi.”

“N, is that really how you should be talking to your family?” She replies with, a smile lighting up her pale face.

“N,” I breathe, my hand slapping against his back, “Don’t be like that.”

“Hey, I’ll hit you back…” He whispers before turning round to face me with a smirk playing on his pink lips.

“She might like it,” Ravi announces in a sing song voice.

Sera chuckle’s at Ravi’s words and it only makes me blush, the heat of my cheeks felt on the back of my neck and ears. I stare at them but their eyes have averted from both N and I to each other.

N sighs again as his hands come to my waist, his fingers squeezing tightly against my leggings that were covering my hips. It doesn’t seem like he puts much effort into his next actions as he lifts me from the counter top to place my feet onto the wood floors.

My flush doesn’t leave and before I can even ask what we’re doing, N is giving me instructions.

“So… We’re just going to go out for a bit.”

“What… Why?” I wonder aloud.

“Let’s just say, they’re not very quiet at night… Or any other time.”

I purse my lips slightly before he wraps a wool sweater from the chair at a table over my shoulders.

Sera is laughing as she suddenly runs past me, my eyes only catching hers and the strange gold glow they held for a moment. I follow her figure as she begins to trek up the stairs behind the counter. Ravi follows up quickly, his orbs the same strange colour as he yells a quick ‘nice to meet you’. His hands grab at her feet before he uses all of his limbs to climb the rest of the stair case. There is a door slamming shut and N is quickly ushering me through the front one, leaving the world of Connor’s shop behind for a moment.

“What was that all about?” I quickly ask him as he slips his hand onto the small of my back, his fingers just barely wrapping around my waist.

“Werewolves being werewolves.”

I give him a strange look before nodding in agreement as I remembered their behaviour, gasping as I came to the realization of Sera’s comment.

“Did they smell… the pheromones? From us?”

He laughs before nodding in reply.

“Oh God, what a wonderful first impression,” I breathe through gritted teeth.

“Eh, don’t worry; they don’t have the best first impression right now. They’re both new werewolves.”

“Both of them?” I inquire as he pulls me to the right to guide down a gravely path.

He nods with a somber expression, his eyes taking on that of a melancholic light.

“It was somewhere in his bloodline, but it only became prevalent when Sera was in danger… She was basically dead and he used his new powers to change her.”

I look at him with an awed expression, trying to understand how he could be so calm about the situation.

“When did this happen? I mean, how did he even know to bite her?”

He shrugs his shoulders as we move toward a small park surrounded by tall trees.

“It was almost a week ago, maybe… I mean he only knew to change her because I told him to.”

“Wait, you were there?” I ask with what seems like worry.

Why was I so concerned? I didn’t even know him at the time… But part of me wants to make sure he had no injuries.

“Did you get hurt?” I mumble as my eyes roam his face.

He smiles to himself, seemingly happy with my concern as he ushers me to seat myself on the park bench that had come into view.

“Only a little, but don’t worry I heal pretty quickly,” he answers with.

We sit close to one another, his hand landing on my thigh almost immediately. His fingers are almost tight against my skin and trying to hold me back in an almost protective way.

What’s with this?

“I’m not going to run away, you know,” I tell him as my eyes drop to his hand with a smile.

He loosens his grip put his palm stays pressed against my leg. I’m happy he wants to stay so close to me but I’m still curious as to what exactly he was, and why he was so eager to pay off this debt of mine.

“By the way,” I begin with as I slip my arm around his, “Can you turn into just a cat or are there any other animals you like to be as well?”

His body stiffens slightly as my hand tightens on his forearm. I can’t tell if his skin is red because of the cold night air, or if it’s due to my touch, but for some reason I hope it’s the latter option.

“I like being a cat the most… But I can be anything you ask me to, well anything that I have knowledge of.”

“Wow, a shifter... that’s so cool,” I blurt out to which he laughs.

“So, if you really wanted to you could actually turn into a tiger? A lion? Even a panther?”

I’m beginning to ramble, my curiosity getting the better of me.

“Yes, yes I can… Why did you only pick cats, by the way?” He questions as he stares at me.

His expression has become unrecognizable and his eyes roam my face, almost as if they’re searching for some lost memory. I purse my lips before answering, trying to explain my feelings on felines.

“Cats are my favourite, ever since… Well since I was fifteen. I just felt naturally drawn towards them and any type of them.”

He nods slowly, his lips tugging upward as he becomes seemingly joyous from my answer.

“Black cats are my favourite, though,” I tell him with a flush, the tip of my nose burning from the heat that had rushed to the surface of my skin.

“It’s the same…” He breathes immediately.

I’m even more curious – what was I the same to? He’s said it multiple times since our first encounter… Was it an ex?

I feel somewhat angry at the thought of another woman around him but try to push it from my mind as I further the conversation.

“What exactly is the same? You’ve said it before… I’m a bit curious,” I mutter with a bit of a frustrated tone.

He smiles and turns his gaze away from me, “That I’ll explain after tomorrow… It’ll make more sense.”

My hand falls away from his arm as I let my frustration begin to take over me and when I’m about to tell him off, he is scooping my palm up and holding it between his two hands.

“Trust me? Like earlier, just trust me… I promise it’ll make sense once I pay off your debt.”

He’s almost pleading and I feel guilty as our eyes connect.

I smile fondly at him and let my free hand rest on his cheek. His skin is warm still, my guess being the animal like blood in him, and when he sighs warmly I can see his breath puff out in the air.

“Okay, I trust you… tiger,” I tell him.

I lean forward and press my lips against his to reassure him my words weren’t ones of falseness.

He returns my kiss with eagerness, the same passion as before and it still surprises me… Was he like this with any other woman he might have kissed?

N pulls away first, my breath coming out slowly from my nose.

“Shall we walk?” he suggests with a smile, standing up and moving a few feet away from bench I sat on.

I stand up, my legs slightly tired, and take note of his broad shoulders. How much I want to touch his muscles again.

“You can,” I tell him.

“Wha-”

I quickly run up behind him, throwing my arms around his neck while my legs automatically wrap themselves around his waist.

I feel his muscles tighten underneath of my sudden action and all too quickly the back of his neck is glowing red underneath the moons glow.

It still occurs to me that I barely know the man, but I can’t help myself as I bring my lips to his ear and when they graze his skin, the iciness from them makes me lips quiver.

“Let’s go, Tiger,” I whisper into his ear.

He hesitates before letting his arms wrap around my legs, his fingers gliding against the bottoms of my thighs as his muscles relax. He doesn’t say anything as he begins to move, his steps are steady yet slow as we curve around a winding path along the side of the woods next to us.

I rest my chin in the crook of his neck, admiring just how long it was and that there are veins protruding on the sides of it… He had such a sassy side, but everything physical about him seemed so masculine.

The idea that I am so comfortable with someone who was considered a complete stranger frightens me slightly, since I had mainly kept to myself these past one hundred years… But I’m so happy it’s him. There’s just something so familiar about him that I can’t get over how painless it was to be close to him.

N moves along with the trail as the full moon guides his foot-steps along the gravel. A pond begins to make its way into my vision and surprisingly there are others out at this time… Especially one who loves the Earth just as much as I do.

There is a girl with pale skin standing against a tree, her leaf patterned wings aglow with a yellow colour similar to a sunflower. Her hair is the colour of sand and her eyes seem to be the only dark thing about her as they match the tree trunk behind her.

The man with her has his hand resting on the tree behind her just above her shoulder, his dark hair standing up wildly. He’s wearing all black except for the strange pink bow that is tied round his wrist. He has a handsome face and the way she looks up at him tells me that there is nothing but love between them.

N stands still when the girl begins to speak.

“Hyukkie… I missed you,” she says with a sing-song voice, her hand lifting to rest on his chest.

“Brynne, why do I always find my way back to you? Do you think it’s time I stay this time?” he tells her with a hoarse voice.

N swivels around before their conversation continues, leaving me to my imagination as the lovers begin their romantic night.

“Why did we leave?” I ask with a slight pout, “It was so sweet.”

N chuckles momentarily before answering.

“Because I know them.”

“Do you know everyone? How do you know them?”

“No, I don’t know everyone,” he scoffs while readjusting my weight on his back, “But Brynne, the fae, she’s related to Connor.”

I in a breath for a moment; was Connor then a fae?

“And no, Connor is not a faerie,” N says as he answers my silent question, “It’s her granddaughter.”

“Really?” I reply with as my hands relax against his chest.

He only nods, paying attention to our path. Our travel is quiet and the feeling of his chest rising and falling is all too comforting as we begin to make our way back to the shop.

I can feel my lids become heavy once N hits pavement and my head tilts to rest my cheek against the back of his neck.

“I’m sleepy…” I moan quietly against his skin.

“Then sleep,” N coos as the shop comes into view.

“But… but I want to stay awake around you.”

He laughs and I smirk to his uplifted mood.

“You can be awake around me in the morning…” He responds with.

I can feel myself blush but I am all too happy to nod in agreement with his arrangement.

It doesn’t take him long to open the door of the shop and up the stairs, the time seemingly passing in a blur. A door opens and I guess that it his room when a comforter greets me.

How he got me onto the bed so carefully awes me but his lips are quick to press against my forehead and when he pulls away I entrap his head with my hands, my heavy lids opening to connect with his dark orbs.

“Can you cuddle me as N tonight? Not the kitty?” I plead, my lips lifting upward to press against his for a moment.

He’s hesitant but it doesn’t take me long to break down his wall when my tongue suddenly glides against his bottom lip leaving him sighing into my kiss.

N presses both of his palms on either sides of my shoulders and supports himself above me as he pulls away from me, only nodding in agreement as he bends down to kiss me once more.

I smile against his heated lips, the suppleness not disappearing even after our journey in the cold.

After a few moments he lifts his lips off of mine and gently lies down beside me, his arm wrapping around my stomach as I lay my head against his well-built chest. The rise and fall from before is sending me into a slumber that seemed so different from the past one hundred years… I feel so relaxed. His hand is on my hair while his thumb circles the skin of my cheek, the way he held me seemingly protecting me from any worry I had ever had.

As I fall asleep, his words are the last thing I hear for the night.

“Goodnight, my Princess.”