The bond

That night had been unlike any other and it seemed to be endless.

We both allowed ourselves to give in to our instincts.

With him I felt complete in a way I had never felt before.

Like there had been a void inside me, that only he could fill.

I could have stayed in his arms forever.

Frankly, I did wish it would never end.

That I could be left in this state for all eternity, never to experience any pain, worry or sorrow ever again...

The light of dawn was breaking, bringing along the sweet singing of the birds and the fresh scent of flowers and dewy grass of the morning.

I was not cold anymore.

The sun shone down through the leafy roof above, its rays gently warming my skin.

I was not in a rush to leave this place.

This feeling of pure serenity and peace, was something I had not realized I had desperately needed.

Sadly, it was interrupted the moment I realized why I had slept so comfortably.

Beneath me was Mason's brother and he was not asleep.

What the...

I quickly pushed myself off him and stood up.

He didn't seem bothered by the fact that just a moment ago and most of the night, I had been laying on top of him, and his calmness only added to my embarrassment.

"Why didn't you wake me!?"

I practically yelled at him as I stumbled a few feet away to get at a safe distance.

"You seemed so sound, it would have been a shame to wake you."

I glared at him and made sure to send him my meanest eyes to let him know that this was a one-time affair and absolutely inappropriate.

Either he did not notice, or he just did not care one bit, because he added

"Besides... I figured you were tired from all that running"

That son of a...!

"Well whose fault is that, huh?"

I was sure everyone back at the castle would have heard me as I was yelling at him, but I did not care.

Who did he think he was?

For a moment I regretted yelling at him because that look of shock I had seen on him just the evening before, had returned.

Although it had only appeared for a short moment, there was no doubt that it was there.

His facial expression became stern as he took on the previous facade that I had become so accustomed to.

I did not at all fit the personality I had seen a few hours earlier or the previous night for that matter.

In fact, he had been as tame as a puppy.

Now, there was not a single trace left of the gentle, caring man.

"I am quite sure I made it very clear to you that my intentions last night, were not what you seem to believe. I can't see the necessity to further explain myself if you continue to have that attitude towards me"

"Attitude? But I-"

He began to walk back towards the maze, intending to leave me there.

I however was not even close to being done with this argument, whatever it was.

I ran up in front of him and pushed him square in the chest, which by the look on his face, caught him completely off guard.

Nice!

"Listen up! You have given me no reason to like you so far. You brought me here while I was unconscious and then refused to let me leave. You've been keeping me here against my will and withheld information from me. You've been acting all strange and mysterious around me. You have not even told me your name!..."

The look on his face revealed that he was still a bit taken aback by my last reaction.

Then he looked at me for a moment as if he was considering whether or not this was worth his time.

In the end, he must have decided that it was, because he replied to me in a calm manner.

"My name is Zachary Abram Mendoza"

His sudden mood swing confused me.

I stood in front of him, dumbfounded for just a few moments before his reply got into my head.

I could not believe that after what I had just told him, the only thing he was willing to tell me was his name.

Still it was better than nothing.

I thought for a moment before I replied in a way that I hoped would ease the tension a little bit.

"Zachary... In this century, Zack"

My last remark seemed to have struck something in him.

He furrowed his brows for a moment as he seemed to consider something, but his overall mood didn't seem to change.

"I suppose so..." he replied quietly, almost as if he had only just realized something.

We stood there looking at each other for a while without saying anything.

The prickling sensation I had felt the night before, returned with a strong intensity, which made it difficult for me to focus.

I could not help but wonder if he felt it too.

If he felt the emotions that were running wild inside me whenever he looked at me.

If he felt the physical waves of electricity whenever we touched.

Surely he felt it too...

How could he not?

I studied his face for clues.

I was searching for a hint or a sign that perhaps he felt just the same way as I did.

To my great disappointment, it didn't seem like he was feeling anything out of the ordinary and so I put the thought to rest.

His silky, quiet voice got me out of my daze and I looked straight up into a pair of deep blue hypnotizing eyes.

God he was beautiful.

I could tell his lips were moving, but I heard nothing but my own heartbeat.

I was completely mesmerized by him.

Everything about him seemed to draw me to him.

It was almost like some invisible force drawing me to him, and it was difficult for me to resist.

Not that I had made much of an effort so far.

His teeth were flashed in a soft smile as he tilted his head slightly to the side.

He looked at me closely before as he gently placed a hand on my bare shoulder.

His touch was electric.

Waves of heat started coursing through my veins and memories from the night before flashed before my eyes.

I felt everything all over again.

The way his hands had felt on my hips.

The way the warmth of his skin had radiated onto mine.

The way his lips had explored my body.

I only snapped out of my almost hypnotic state when I felt his hand leave my shoulder.

It left me feeling empty, yearning, begging for him to touch me again.

I stuttered and shook my head lightly to regain my focus.

"H-huh?..."

He let out a soft chuckle.

A sound that sent shivers through my entire body.

The sound of his voice was doing things to me I could never say out loud.

What was he doing to me?

I once again felt my mind go blank and I was irresistibly drawn to him for reasons I couldn't possibly explain.

He gently lifted my chin as he looked into my eyes.

I suddenly felt more at ease, as if some spell had gotten a hold of me but suddenly lost its power.

"I said we should be heading back. People will be looking for us if they find us missing"

"Oh, uh, yes of course..." I replied sheepishly.

He led the way back to the castle and I followed him in silence.

The further away from the clearing we got, the more the memories of the night before seemed to fade from my memory.

When we reached the entrance to the maze, it was like it had all just been a dream and before we made it to the front door, it had completely vanished from my mind.

Zack insisted on leading me back to my room and on the way back, we stumbled upon Mason in one of the hallways.

He flashed me a knowing smirk as his gaze shifted between the two of us.

What exactly did he think had happened?

"You look like you haven't slept all that well cuppy cakes..."

"Actually I slept just fine, thank you very much"

I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face so badly, but behaved myself.

"What are you doing out here anyway? And dressed like that" he continued.

He nodded at my clothes.

I remembered that I had changed into shorts and a top the night before.

I had not had any intention of leaving the castle, or even the library, but then...

I was at a loss for words, but to my relief Zack took over.

He did so in a not-so-polite manner.

"Her business, sleep schedule and whereabouts is none of your concern brother. You keep your focus on your task and nothing else... And nobody else"

His gaze fell on me for a moment and I felt my cheeks flush.

His last addition and overall reaction caught me by surprise.

I was pretty sure that he had just threatened his own brother to stay the hell away from me.

Logic got the best of me and I reassured myself that it was an absurd assumption.

Mason seemed to be just as surprised though, because the smirk instantly vanished from his face and his eyes grew dim.

Perhaps my absurd assumption was not so absurd after all, I thought to myself.

Was Zack jealous?

Upon further investigation, Mason did seem to have shrunk a little in appearance.

It took a little while before he took a deep breath and bowed nonchalantly.

He took my hand and kissed the back of it.

He intentionally let his lips linger for a few seconds longer than what would have been appropriate and flashed his brother a dashing smile before he turned to leave.

"As you wish, brother"

Zack seemed a bit tense as he watched Mason leave.

When he turned his attention back to me, there was barely any sign of his previous annoyance.

Instead, he gently nudged me in the direction of my room, where he had one of the maids clean me up and help me get dressed.

In the meantime he waited for me in the hallway, insisting that we should get something to eat.

I gladly accepted his offer and soon forgot the situation that had just taken place as he led me to the kitchen.