Safe

"You know, you lot are a hassle to keep up with." Death says, rolling his eyes as he swings his scythe lazily. I frown, crossing my arms as the faint sounds of the dead sounding behind me.

I'm curious what he meant by 'lot' but decide to focus on other things instead.

"I feel like I keep you entertained though." I say, innocently twirling the bridle/bracelet on my wrist.

"You aren't the only one." he mutters, then places his scythe back on his back. "I keep telling you not to die, but I have a feeling the moon mark I gave you is what causing this."

I touch my cheek, staring at him in confusion. "That would make sense. A mark from death is going to attract certain actions or things to want to kill me. But this mark, you gave me because you lov-"

"Don't flatter yourself, Cece. We have a deal is all." he replies flatly, and I can't help but smile at him.

"Okay, okay, I just tease, honest. Plus, it would be oh so scandalous; I am a betrothed woman after all." I say.

"Speaking of which, you're still staying at New Puerto instead of going home. Why though?" he asked curiously.

My mood sobered then, and I sighed, pulling at the ends of my dress. "Mason is still a threat though. Can you not do anything?" I asked, and Death shook his head.

"You have control of a kelpie yet ask help from me. How...amusing..." Death said, making it sound like it was anything but that.

"I don't know much about kelpies aside from the cautionary tales my mother told me back when I was a child." I say, trying not to sound defensive.

"You should have paid attention to your tour guide Lip. He's an interesting fellow." Death commented, and I realized he was right.

Lip was of Quill's pack, yet he was able to use magic. And the way he wanted it to be kept secret of what made me think that maybe not many knew about his abilities.

Although not strange, crossbreeding was something that happened. Very rarely but did indeed. Such as a human with a wolf, and now a magician with a wolf.

"I think I've kept you long enough dearie. Time for you to go back to the waking world. You have an important day ahead of you." Death says, and suddenly I'm moving backwards, my feet stumbling a bit.

"You didn't even let me say goodbye!" I cry out, his faint smile being the last thing I see before he's gone.

When I wake up, I feel Quill's arms on me, and I smile softly, soothed by him. Birds sound outside, and I peek through the curtain, seeing the sun out. It looks to be warmer this time, as the snow is already melting into little puddles.

Glancing at the waters, my hand touches the bracelet of the kelpie's bridle I have. Death did mention something about kelpies, and since there weren't any in Ovylian, I wondered what the force to be reckon with would be.

Arms wrapped around my waist, a kiss on the top of my head felt. I smiled, feeling Quill on me, and turned to hug him.

"You should sleep more." I told him, and he gave me a sleepy smile, holding on to my hands.

"Funny, I was going to tell you the same thing." he said, rubbing my hands together to make them warm.

"I'm fine, Quill, honest. You know, all things considering, I can take care of myself." I said, and Quill sighed, as he kissed my cheek.

"How about a bath so we can have breakfast with the others and finally meet the rest? They're all a bit jealous that Lip is the only one that's met you." He says, and I nod, ringing the bell.

The maids come in then, carrying the usual items, and setting everything up. I turn around so Quill can help undo the back of my nightgown, his fingers brushing on my bare skin gently.

As he does this, I feel my face warm as I realize that though we'd not done anything yet, he had seen me more than once nude, whether it be of my own accord, or danger. It feels silly to be self conscious now, but I don't know what he thinks of my body. I haven't seen him react to it properly.

The maids excuse themselves, and Quill undoes his pants, stepping into the basin once his clothes are off. He cups some water in his hands, pouring it over his head, and scrubbing it on his face so he'll wake up.

I can feel the blush trying to work its way back to my face, and instead, I focus on slipping off the nightgown, and walking towards Quill.

He smiles at me, reaching out to me with his right hand, and I take it, stepping into the water with him. Though it feels hot, it's nice, and I wiggle my toes, as I begin to scrub down on my skin, soon smelling like wildflowers, and clean soap.

Once we're done and dressed, we head out to the dining area, me wearing long clothes underneath a blue dress overcoat with the sleeves neatly cuffed. My hair is braided to the side, and my maids used minimal make up, placing the faintest of powder on my face and light blush on my cheeks.

Quill wears his casual clothes, and since the ball, I've not seen him dressed up. It doesn't seem to really matter, as this is his estate and the only person he wishes to impress should be only him.

The smell of food catches my attention then, the smell of bacon and cooked meats making my mouth drool. My stomach growls, and Quill chuckles as he can hear it.

I blush, stuttering out an apology, when he pushes the swinging door opened, and there we see the rest of the pack.

Two twin boys with orange hair are rowdily swinging real swords at one another, as they spar, their movements quick, and steady. A third boy with wavy brown watches on, seeming enthralled by what's going on in front of him.

Lip sits at the very end of the long dining table, face buried in a book, as he sips a cup of orange juice.

And then I see Cersei, and I can feel myself stiffen at the sight of her.

Quill clears his throat, and instantly the swords are put away, getting the attention of the twin boys on him, the one with the wavy brown hair turned around. Lip closes his book, and Cersei looks to Quill, though it looks like she's glowering a bit.

"Everyone, I do must apologize for a belated greeting. But my betrothed got into some trouble a couple days ago and was just now getting better. This is my soon to be wife Cecelia Ivette Thorn of Ovylian," Quill introduces me, the pack murmuring out greetings, "and Cece this is Elexander, and Eryx Opalton and they were once from Equinox Tull." he says, gesturing to the twins.

They bow, taking their seat once done.

"This is Xolo Levy, and he's from the Aztec Isles." he gestures, and the boy with the cocoa brown hair smiles, giving me a small wave.

I wave back, feeling like this one is full of mischief, and Quill skips over Lip, gesturing to Cersei who refuses to meet my eyes. She wears a rose-pink gown with laces in the front, the laces neatly tied up to the base of her throat, the sleeves going down to her elbows, face composed in a blank expression. Her hair is pinned up in the usual bun.

Lip shoves his book against her arm, causing her to glare at him, but finally meeting my gaze.

"Hello, my lady." she says.

"That's Cersei, one of the first woman wolves." Quill says, and she nods, going back to pick at her meal.

I try not to look too nervous, as I meet Quill's eyes, my stomach growling as Quill calls out for the servants to come out with more food. I sit next to him, taking calm breaths, as the rest of the pack goes back to their conversations.