Beauty And The Beast [Eden]

Halloween was finally here. The time had come to meet the beautiful Regina. Early in the morning, he sent her a text message. "Good morning Eden. Please meet me at Lake Cadence this evening around 6 pm." Once he finished the text and sent it to her, he started to get dressed. He looked to his clothes in his closet and then to the costume he had spoken of to Eden. He grabbed the hanger from which it rested on and pulled it out. When it was from the depths of the closet, Lucian smiled to it. He had already bought his costume prior to speaking to her. It just so happened, she was gorgeous enough to be on her arm as his Pepper. He placed it on his bed and looked at it some more. He got the perfect idea. A smile spread across his lips as his eyes looked to the costume. He started to undress himself and picked it up, piece by piece. As he assembled the armor on his body, he moved to look at the mirror. With the armor on him, tight and perfect, he struck a few poses before it. Equipped with real lights, he turned them on and smiled to himself. "You are one handsome Ironman, Lucian," he spoke gently to himself. He moved to the bathroom and applied gel to his hair. He arranged it perfectly, just as Ironman had in the movies that were back in the early 2000's. Once he moved out of the bedroom, he looked to his dog laying on the couch. He lifted up his arm and exposed his palm to the canine, "halt! I am Ironman!" he shouted as the light in his palm lit up bright. Kane grunted and looked away from his master. "So I see you don't like the humor of it all... What do you know? You're just a dog.." Lucian moved to the kitchen and started preparing the meal they would share while they were on their date. He grabbed a wicker basket and started placing the items inside. The last items to join the bunch was a bottle of expensive and very aged wine, along with two glasses. If all went well between the two of them, then Lucian would get exactly what he had wanted for so long. Kane watched him with a tilted head. As Lucian was completing his basket, he looked to the dog. "I am going to be gone for a while, but I need you to stay home. Do not leave." With the basket in hand, he grabbed a handful of some other clothes. He also grabbed a blanket.

Walking out of his home, he headed for the neutral lands. It took him a long time in his human form, but he knew he didn't want to shift. The act itself might mess up his hair and he was not going to make that mistake. When he finally made it to the lake area, he started dropping his extra clothes on the ground. They were acting as a path to the Alpha male. When he made it to the place where he found to be perfect, he placed everything else down. He grabbed two portions of the blanket and shook it out until it was open and spread out across the floor. He placed the basket on the blanket and took out the bottle of wine. When everything was set up, he laid on the blanket on his side. His back was facing the water as he looked forward, searching the woods for the sign of his princess. There he would wait until she arrived. He propped his head up on his hand, waiting all sexy-like.

Bleep, bleep!

Looking up from across her office, which had gradually earned a mess of both scribbled bits of paper and crumpled ideas sprawled over the floor, Eden saw that her phone had lit up with a small message envelope on the screen. The blonde glanced back down at her work, scribbling casually inside. "Simon, speak." She commanded her cellular device, hoping the sound would register even for the distance between her and it. Soon, the sound of a British man's voice responded, it's answer being digitally transmitted by what technology humans had created. "Wolfie's message says: -'Good morning Eden. Please meet me at Lake Cadence this evening around 6 pm.' Do you wish to reply?" Said the device, making the Regina look up and then out the window as her eyes narrowed slightly. As she peered at the calendar, she noticed how Halloween had finally arrived, which thrilled her, however scared her slightly to know how a week after visiting the werewolf had gone so quickly. "No, Simon. Rest." Once the screen had dimmed to it's sleeping state, she got up from her chair, shut her diary and put it back on the shelf where it was hidden between two large books to make it seem obvious enough for no one to ever really notice. She then headed upstairs, which led into a small floor that consisted of a futon, walk-in closet, a small bathroom and a white mini fridge and matching microwave. She used this part of the shop as her home if she stayed after hours, only she was allowed upstairs as long as she owned this building. Eden flattened her navy blue skirt that had little anchors and ship-steering wheels on it, as well as fluffing the cotton white blouse she wore tucked into the skirt's waistband around her lower stomach. Fixing her hair and tiny white bow, she slipped on her coat and went back down-stairs to close up shop. She flipped the OPEN sign to close, only to then look around, grab her things and step out into the autumn air.

The tigress began to spar a little time by enjoying the scenery. Trees had now turn to the several shades of burgundy, crimson red, sunset oranges, and honey colored yellows. Her blonde lochs flowed effortlessly as the wind blew passed her, causing the skin on her neck to rise with thousands of tiny bumps that fight to get closer to keep warm against the cold enemy. Decorations for the holiday lined all the neighboring stores, lights of orange, purple and green filling the streets, wrapping around trees and anything which it could touch. Bats hung from awnings and fake webs were caught in creeks and corners. She watched as a crowd of costume-dressed kids pranced passed her, carrying what looked to be, for the moment, empty pails and plastic bags. Shaking her head and chuckling once, she turned into an alley and was caught by an adult costume store. Lucian had mentioned of dressing up, and she had no intentions to, but an idea, however, did come to mind. She went in and picked out the outfit of her choice, paying for it quickly so that she could head on her way. Using her satchel as a cover, she hid the outfit in there and strolled out into the open like normal. Once she had gotten to the Lake, she began to look around, only to find a trail of clothes not far from her feet when entering. Eden tilted her head and began to follow the trail, noticing how similar they are to Lucian's wardrobe and wondering what he had in mind when he announced their meeting. Looking at the time on her phone, she saw that it was five minutes till - there was nothing wrong with being a tad early, after all. When she came to the end of the trail, her eyes were feasted upon the art of pure seduction. One eye brow lifted, she covered her mouth and slightly blushed at the display of the werewolf dressed in metal of gold and crimson red; her Ironman. She put her hand down and smiled sheepishly, wondering if she could tackle him then and there for a huge hug. "You weren't kidding when you said you had the suit." Was she aroused by this? She couldn't tell even for herself, but judged most of it due to the coloring of her cheeks. "I'm just gonna say this with full honesty - but you look really hot." She laughed, feeling a tad weird after saying it aloud. It sounded far better inside her head, now that she thought about it. Sitting down, she took her shoulder-bag off and unzipped her coat a bit to let in the cold, as she was getting a little overheated with how things were turning out this afternoon. She listed to the waters and smiled softly down to Lucian before kneeling over and gently placing a kiss on his lips, "How're you?" Eden said while rearing back to sit, crossing her legs as a lady would wearing a skirt.

Lucian did not have to wait long, though while he was waiting, a big had decided to pester his face. It flew around his nose, and buzzed loudly. He tried to flinch it away with his nose, without using his hands. But it did not leave. "Get out of here you pest..." he spoke to the bug, as if it would understand him at all. Finally he used a hand to swat it away. When the bug had left, he retook his position. He laid there until Eden arrived to his area. He watched her, looking up and down her body as he stared to her. "Did you truly think I was joking? I had to special order this bad boy months ago. They custom fit it to my size, as well as adding the lights and everything." He looked to her and lifted his arm, exposing a palm. The lights came on around it and his closed his hand. He smiled to her and nodded his head, "of course I do. The woman who checked me out slapped my ass. I knew that was a good sign." He smirked to her, not sure how she would take that comment. He hoped she would be a good sport about it. As she came closer to him, he could not help but to watch her body. She was a gorgeous flower, one whose petals grew increasingly beautiful as the days passed on. She pressed her lips to his and he could not help but to smile. He kissed her back, closing his eyes as he pulled her closer to him. When she broke the kiss, he did not hear her question at first. It was as if his mind was withholding the information from his ears. Finally he got it back and looked to the beauty before him. "I have honestly never been better. I am dressed in a super hero costume, which was a childhood dream of mine. And to top it off, I am on a date with a beautiful lady in a very secluded place." He leaned in close to her and kissed her neck. He closed his eyes and smiled as his warm lips touched her. "I must admit that my dog, Kane, was not too fond of the costume. I think he was more into the large squeak toy idea," he joked with a light chuckle. He leaned back so he could lay on his back, looking up at her. "How have you been? You look as stunning as ever." His eyes moved to her satchel and curiosity peaked in his mind. His green eyes mulled over the latch on the bag and he smiled to Eden. "What's in the bag? I have goodies of my own as well."

Eden put on her best smile, finding it hard to believe he actually was honest with her about the costume, rather than a mere bluff to get impress her. She watched as he opened his hand to reveal the light-beaming center in the palm of metal, only to then watch it close and be put back down by his side. Was it wrong of her to say that she wanted to see it again just to see if she were dreaming? "That must've been pricey." She added, knowing that price was only a number, and finding it sort of funny that she said it in the first place. For pete's sake, she owned an island, and a dragon, which was to be kept only a secret between her and the werewolf. Eden trusted him to keep it that way as long as he was alive. When Lucian made the comment about the woman, the tigress rose her brows and smirked back, "Nice." but on the inside, everything was on fire. Soon that jealousy subsided as he began to place kisses on her lips, and eventually her neck. The Regina thought of herself to be rushing too quickly into this relationship, and stopped before anything could start up. She didn't need another one-night stand, she wanted it to mean something between the werewolf and her. Affections were one thing, but physical intimacy was not for her, at least not for now. Eventually later on Lucian will earn that from her, if he stayed loyal to her long enough. Eden looked down at him with a soft, blue gaze of wonder, tilting her head as she listened to every last bit, "I suppose that is a plus, huh? You got to live out a dream of yours and well... I'm afraid you've mistaken me for another. I am not the beauty you seek." Chuckling faintly, she kissed the center of his nose and moved off of him before she was stopped by the next question.

She looked to her bag with no surprise and faked her way the best she could through it to keep what was in there a secret. When she was a younger shifter, she had developed a knack for being a compulsive liar to get past the humans to hide her truer identity - she hated to use it now, but it couldn't hurt. "Oh, that? Not a whole lot. Just my glasses, wallet, and some... emergency personal items. Girl stuff.." Eden said with a shrug, covering the tone of her voice from cracking as she shied away from the last part of her statement. Sure, she was a woman, they needed things like that, but even for a lie, she felt embarrassed about it. Perhaps then he wouldn't feel so lucky about the night's end, and it would be easier for them to talk, or express affections in a gentler, slower way until she found him worthy enough to see what was really in it. "Bronx hasn't been feeling well as of late, I think he may of eaten something out in our meadows that I'm unaware of. But I'm glad Kane is as happy as ever with his toys." She smiled, sitting up straight like before, "I'm good, actually, other than that. Armageddon is giving me a headache though, and work's kinda got me in a rut. Asides from that, swell. I'm glad you asked.." Tilting her head, the blonde maiden peered to the basket next to them and wondered herself what was inside. She smelled food, and instantly, her stomach tightened. "Oh, a picnic. Thank god, I haven't eaten at all today. I had to skip breakfast because I woke up late for work." She laughed, combing her fingers through her hair.

When she pulled from him, he knew he had pushed her too far. Being so close he could smell something was different about her, but he would not press the issue, or even think of speaking about it. He moved back to the seat he had taken before. He grabbed the basket and pulled it to his lap. "Well, money is no issue to me. It comes and it goes, but no matter how much I spend, it doesn't make a dent in my pocket." As he flapped open the lid, he started to pull everything out for her to see the contents. At her satchel comment, he quickly moved back to pulling everything out. That was the smell he had caught in his nose. It was intoxicating, in a strange feline way. Perhaps the powers of nature had been pulling him towards her? He could not help himself from sniffing her discretely. Lucian pulled out a round plate filled with meats and cheese assortments. He also pulled out a vegetable assortment, and fruit as well. There were some pre-made sandwiches and last, the bottle of wine. The wine itself had been aged for at least thirty years. Though he truly did not care to count, he wanted to make sure everything was perfect for Eden. As he held out his hands to show everything he brought, he looked to her with a coy smile. "I am sorry if I have brought you things you do not like, but we've never actually been on a dinner date. I got a platter with salami, sausage, summer sausage, roast beef, turkey, ham, cheddar cheese, provolone, swiss, pepper jack, and American. I don't much care for vegetables or ranch, but I got you tomatoes, celery, broccoli, and carrots. I also didn't know if you liked fruit, so I got one of those too: strawberries, kiwi, watermelon, honey dew melon, pineapple, and grapes, both green and red. And to drink, I brought something special." He held out the bottle so she could read the label. "It's a very nicely aged bottle of Chateau Montelena Cabernet. I have been saving this bottle for a special event. I feel there is no time I can see as more important than with you." He grabbed the two glasses, placing one down, while the other he held in his hand. He opened the wine bottle easily with one hand. He poured some into her glass and then into his own. He handed her the glass and picked up his own. "Is there anything you would like to toast to?"

Her fingers gently grasped the glass and held it just amongst her palm as she brought it nearer to her nose for a quick whiff and stir. She removed the hair in her face to be put behind her ears, examining the rim of the glass and the dark liquid which wobbled within it's bowl-like inside. Her eyes then looked up from the glass to meet his with an almost sinister-like stare, her rank only challenging him to look back just as long, "Gratias ago tibi, lupus." The end of her tongue managed to sooth out of her mouth before she raised her glass closer to his in a celebratory gesture, "To.. our pasts and packs." Soon, their glasses touched and made a soft clanking noise before she tipped back a small sip of her drink. As cheesy as it was, it made sense for her to say such things, perhaps if it wasn't because of their species coming together, they would have never met one another on that strange occasion inside the Lavender Lounge. And without her pack, she may of not even had a reason to be friends with Lucian in the first place, nor would have Diallo been dead, even. She drew a small, slightly phased sigh, but quickly dismissed it to remain happy in this moment, with the werewolf and her alone, as well as with the heavenly waves calming her on the side. With a broad smile, she put down the glass and remembered to grab her bag before getting up, "I'll go wash up before eating. I'll be back soon, Ironman." She said while turning around and heading across the lake's shore to a small wash-room. It had two sinks and three reasonably clean stalls, as well as a number for if emergencies were needed. She had come without her costume on because of her own insecurities, but now that Lucian was wearing his so out in the open, she held the confidence to strip down and get dressed, as well as dashing on a bit of makeup.

When she was finished, she stepped back out, her old clothes in her bag, and costume as plain as day upon her hour-glass frame. The tiny outfit she wore was none other than the famous, old-fashioned bunny, a typical costume worn by adult women to simply seduce. But her reason was not so much as the seducing, but the ability to show off some skin, as well as her tattoo, which she just got redone so that the roses were brighter in dark red and the vines were easier to see drawn into her milky skin. It wasn't as uncomfortable as it looked in the store, which she liked most about it. As she got back to the picnic, she yelled in a bubbly voice, "Back! Sorry for the wait," and sat quietly next to him once more before fixing the bust to her costume and the little bunny ear headband atop her platinum blonde lochs. Clasping her silk-gloved hands together, she bounced slightly amid her seat and leaned over to him for a quick peck on the cheek, "Comedamus, et nos?" She said before popping a green grape in her mouth and giggling shortly after swallowing. In her honest opinion, she was starving so much at the moment, she didn't care how much food he had brought. So far, a lot of the foods he had brought with him were things she did like, she liked all her vegetables and fruits, and meat was always a must. She however did not like ham and swiss cheese, which were the only exceptions. "Ooh, pepper jack." Eden said happily as she eyed the wonderful cheese and soon helped herself to a pepper-jack and turkey sandwich. Then she realized that she was not the only one eating, and that it was impolite to just barge in and feast before them. "Paenitet..." The tigress mumbled quietly, then looking up at him with her large baby blue hues. "Want me to make you a sandwich?" Her cheeks flushed a slight pink as she put the meal down and looked for things he might want.

________________________
- Thank you, wolf.
- Let us eat, shall we?
- Sorry...

"Non a forsit pessima tigris,"¹ he spoke gently to her. He took his glass to his lips and took a drink. He smiled to her as he drank the wine. It was delicious and forced him to want more than what he was drinking. He finished his glass and started to pour the rest of his glass full. Unsure of what she was going to do, he watched her get up and excuse herself. Perhaps it was the female things which caused her to get on her way towards somewhere else. He tried not to think about it. But once she was gone, he looked to the food. He thought about what he would like to try first. But instead of picking just one thing, he started to pick one of everything. He rolled them up into a wad and quickly shoved it into his mouth. The blend of meats and cheeses swirled over his taste buds. He chewed on it quickly, breaking them up into little pieces and swallowing them down his throat. As his mouth was clear, he looked to the plate once more. He thought about going back for more. But before he could scourge over the delicious treats before him, Eden returned. He looked up to her and saw the outfit she had presented herself in. All thoughts of food escaped from his mind, but he would be a gentleman. "Sì, si deve..."² He gestured for her to sit down once more. When she took her seat, she started to stuff her face. It was adorable to watch and Lucian could not deny how this act drew him in even more to her. She looked like a real rabbit, ears and all with cheeks shoved full with goodies and treats. He chuckled gently as he watched her, only straightening his face with a serious look. "You do not need to make me a sandwich. I'm a grown boy and I can promise you, I can do it myself.." He grabbed a couple of meats and some cheese, rolling them up once again. He bit half of it and started chewing again, swallowing some. "Would you like more wine?" he asked as he grabbed the bottle and held it up to her.

¹Not a problem tigress - Latin
²Yes, we shall - Italian

Not at all surprised to know that he knew Latin as well, she continued to do as she wished and quickly made her way back to his side in no time. However, she did notice that he spoke something off from the language she could communicate him with thus far. It sounded familiar, but nothing which she associated with. Perhaps she could look into it later and try to learn enough to understand what he said. Now, she fought the choice to make him something as a way of saving her own skin from blushing anymore than it already was. Perhaps he liked a lot of food, as most of it had been taken away from the pile when she left, she noted, observing to see that almost all the meats, and some of the cheese, had been taken. She giggled, only to find that Lucian's expression was serious as he answered with something different to her question. Still, she left the offer on the table, and she looked to him with a gentle smile while she scooted closer to his side once more. "I know.." Eden shyly mumbled as she looked down at her lap, then to his hands and back up to his face with a pair of innocent, blue eyes. Her expression resembled an internal apology while she slowly jutted out her bottom lip in the attempt of showing him her thanks as well, "-but you went through so much trouble with finding food and setting up our date, I just wish I could help a little too.." The puppish face slowly vanished as he asked of her more to drink, which she rose her glass to so that he could humbly fill it for her. She granted him a tilted smile, but not one as strong as the one's he's put on her face in the past, "Et gratias tibi placet sancta.." When filled, she brought it up to her plump, pink lips and slowly stirred it with the glass in the center of her palm before lapping another reasonable sip. Holding it steady, she carefully moved into a position so that she was flat on her back, laying her head against his thigh while she used one arm to eat a piece of pepper jack cheese, and the other to drink the delicious wine. By her observation, she knew that he liked cheese as well, along with the little fact he knew other languages asides English, just like herself. She was happy to see they had things in common, which led her to believe he was even more than she expected as a werewolf. "Aperi!" Eden giggled happily, holding up a piece of cheese so that she could put it in his mouth. If he were to take it, she would continue to eat her own, and if not, she would eat it. Then, she decided to spice a bit up. If she wasn't able to at least help a little with making the date part of her job, she could at least make it fun for them, as well as a bit of an experience to test the waters. Taking a grape from the container and put it between her teeth, looking up at him to see if he would follow as well, but she tapped her lips anyway to get his attention. She smiled passed the tiny fruit and awaited to see if he'd return it and bob for the grape as well as leave his lips on hers, maybe even a bit more if he was risky.

________________________
- Please and thank you..
- Open!

"But I do all this because I am a gentleman. It is my responsibility to treat you right, to take you out, to surprise you. I do this because I want to not because I have to. I have missed the idea of..." he paused his words unsure if they were actually dating or not. He smiled to her and grabbed a roll of meats and cheeses, stuffing them into his mouth. With cheeks packed tight, he chewed and smiled at her. She did not need to know the words he spoke, or held himself from speaking. As he swallowed his food, he looked to her with a smile. He listened to her reply, beautiful and divine in another language other than English. It captivated him, and Lucian knew Eden was much more of a woman than she led on to be. He lifted the bottle and began to slowly pour more into her glass and a little more into his own. Wine was delicious and the best thing was, he had a very strong tolerance to it. Sadly he had only brought one bottle, so he would not be able to test Eden's tolerance on this night. Perhaps another? As she moved to lay in the blanket, she rested her head on his thigh. He smiled down to her, watching as she grabbed a piece of the cheese. At her command, the wolf opened his mouth and allowed her delicate fingers to place the morsel of cheese on his tongue. As he closed his lips, he kissed the tips on her fingers and stared into her blue eyes. He chewed the cheese gently, looking down to her as he did so. When she reached for a grape, he watched her with even more curiosity than before. She did not submerge the whole thing into her mouth, instead she placed it on her lips, resting between them and possibly her teeth. Lucian knew what she was doing, and he did enjoy the idea. Though he did not think she would want to be doing this so soon. It did catch him off guard. With the small pause in his timing, she took the initiative to tap her own lips, asking for the kiss. As a gentleman, he could not deny her simple request. He leaned down to face her, stopping just before the fruit could touch his lips. While he did this, he held the eye contact with her, orbs of green stared into her pools of sky. The Alpha slowly closed the gap between them, taking the grape into his mouth and kissing her gently. He pushed the fruit to the pocket of his cheek, while he moved a hand to caress her cheek. He used his tongue to press against hers, ensuring the two of them to share a very passionate moment. His thumb gently stroked her cheek, feeling how warm it was to his touch. If she had not been laying on him, he would have laid beside her, allowing their bodies to be pressed, one to the other. He would hold her close and never let her go. He had done it once before, but swore he would not do it again. Slowly, he broke the kiss and pulled back to sit upright. "I think that was the best grape I have ever eaten in my life." For whatever reason, Lucian could not keep his smile hidden around Eden. For now he did not question it, but perhaps when he was alone he would ponder on such a thing.

By the time he had sat back up, her cheeks had already been flushed with a burning residue of a pink-pigment. Her eyes fluttered as she secretly enjoyed the left-over of his taste, as well as with the passion from which she fed from him. "I agree..." Inside, she found surprise by how well he was with taming himself. When learning little upon his race, she discovered them to be dangerous creatures when their emotions flew over their comfort-point. Eden had yet to understand as to how Lucian kept most of those emotions under-wept in front of her sometimes. She knew she could be careless and say unknowledgeable things, topics which he may or may not of heard thousands of times before with other women, but what option did she really have? That was the difference between Diallo and him. With Diallo, he knew just as much as she did, and maybe a little, but all in all, they were complete equals as shifters. As for Lucian, she had to think harder, learn more, take in massive amounts of information that was only meant for someone to hear gradually over time, rather than all at once like her in the moments she shared with the werewolf. But when she looked at the Alpha's eyes and charming smile, it was like a whole another world lived and breathed inside her, just waiting to be unlocked so that she could explore new things and uncover one of the biggest mysteries of all. Reaching slowly up, her finger tip gently touched his and she rose to a sitting position, her eyes glistening as bright as a the ocean's surface at the sun's highest peak, "Interrogabo vos et ego?" Replied the tigress, her voice impaired with a slight amount of worrisome. She wished more than anything to lay with the man beneath the setting sun, to speak of their adventures and past-lifes, perhaps dreams which they've shared involving one another to what may take a weight off each other's chests. Though, maybe Lucian did not think of her at night in such a manner like she once after meeting again. She had had many encounters within her dreams about the werewolf, but that was left for only her diary to keep secret. Then again, the thought of he too feeling these dreams, would help her so to feel at ease about them being together.

Eden's eyes flew down to her lap as her hand moved down from his lip to his chest's metal plate. That was another reason why she stopped the idea from them laying together, the metal would block them from really feeling each other's gifted warmth, and provide discomfort if she was pressed against him. They couldn't always have nice things, but perhaps another time it'd be more convenient. "Would.. you still like me if I said.. that I killed a man? Not as a friend, I mean... As your, um.. girlfriend.." She fiddled with the bunny-eared headband atop her hair as a way of distracting herself from peering straight into his eyes. There were many ways which she had ruined things, relationships between her and another. Diallo and her never got the chance to speak about it, for work called for greater duties, and being pregnant required no use of being under stress. But with others, she had tried, and when they had run in the past, she too, ran for the sake of her safety. Her cheeks burned slightly as she opened her mouth to speak in her defense, "I really like you, Lucian.." She mumbled, slowly looking up to see the ocean and then the sun at it's lowest peak before nightfall came to shower the skies with stars, "-and I really don't want us to quit seeing each other because of my past.." Eden then watched the sun sink lower and lower till it's rim had completely lined the edge of the world before disappearing. The moon then shown up above her as some time passed, only for her to then find his face within all things beautiful - those devilishly handsome pair of dark green eyes constantly staring at her, and hers vibrantly blue in return for pure admiration. "I dream of you, and when I don't, I wake up screaming out the names of my past loved ones to which have died before my own paws.. I mean hands. But, those nightmares have never had competition with my other dreams, except for the one's I've dreamt of you, Lucian.." As the pressure on her chest resided and she felt the chains drop from her limbs, Eden pried a golden, sweet smile of hope that he'd understand her growing feelings towards him, "Anchor meus es tu.."

________________________
- May I ask you a question?
- You are my anchor..

"Eden, if I had an issue with you for killing a man, then I should have many issues with myself for all the things I have done. Over the last six thousand years, I have been killing Humans, Vampires, and sometimes Mora. I have done it for many reasons, some more understandable than the next. When I was a young wolf, I used to eat people for fun. I did not eat them because I needed it, I hunted deer and cattle all the time. But Humans are the best prey. Unlike animals, they do not have that sixth sense that something is going to happen. They rely on their fear, on their emotions. I can hunt a Human for days, feeding into their minds that something is after them. Animals know the difference between being toyed with and being hunted. The best part is when they think they can face me one on one. I have killed millions of Humans and I shall see myself killing more in the future. It's just nature. They think they are the top of the food chain, but not any longer." He smiled down to her, trying to ease her mind. There was literally nothing she could do to change his mind about her. Lucian was in far more than he even thought. But it was far too soon to even think about that. They needed more time to be together, to be around each other before he would even think of popping the question. But when he thought of being mated once again, it was always with Eden. There was never a moment where his thoughts were not clear on her. "I have a confession as well. Since the night we first met, I have not had a single day where I did not think about you. All the times we have spent together run through my mind like a slow motion movie. It plays the good parts, your laugh, your smile, the tender things between us. I have not felt this way about a woman in over a thousand years. I did not even think it was possible after losing Claire. But now I see, and I know it is possible. If anyone needs to ask for forgiveness, it is I. I have so much blood stained upon my own hands and claws, that I could apologize for the rest of my life, and it would not make up for the bad deeds I have done. I no longer dream. I don't think I am even capable of doing it. I barely sleep, but when I do, you are my last conscious thought." Lucian smiled, for he knew all these things to be true. He would never be able to tell Eden about the worst thing he had done. He would never be able to truly apologize, but he would continue to say sorry until the end of his days, even if it were not stated directly for his hideous act of jealousy and rage. "If I am your anchor, then you are my ship. Without you, I would surely drown in this world of hate and malice. You keep my floating along and peaceful, even as the storms pass beneath me and above me. It is because of you, I do not falter." He leaned down and kissed her lips, lacing his hand to her cheek and caressing her gently as they kissed.

He had reassured her enough to kiss her, and that was all that she truly wanted after what he had to say. Lips to lips, she closed her eyes and allowed her inner passion to boil, but not over-flow. There would be another time for that, if ever, however, Eden felt that time would be very soon between them. Especially after the fact he had waited five years till she would return, and still felt that kindness for her in the very end. Her hand moved to his cheek, caressing the stubble to which formed on his angled jaw and smiling softly as their lips soon freed from one another. But, in another strange sense, she felt both protected and frightened of the man, all which led her to believe being with him could offer her much more than just passion for one another. Perhaps they'd reach limits of scary adventures, both good and bad, and would be able to fight along side each other in the long run. However it is, Eden knew he'd be there for her through thick and thin, neither would it be a friend, nor more so, she didn't care. It was him being there for her that was the true meaning of love - not the affection or physical intimacy - but the care to give for one another. As she looked to him in the eyes, her smile faded slowly to that of a ghost's as she wondered helplessly to know one more question, "Have you ever killed a Shifter?" There was once a time, some now, but had gradually decreased, that werewolves and shifters did not favour one another. It was only natural for all the races to envy or hate each other when discovered, since by that time, everyone was a threat. It was one of the reasons Eden refused to socialize with the other species until she was almost eighty years old in advance. That being, at the time, she was strong and stable enough to run or fight to defend herself. "I am not bothered by the fact to whom and how many you've killed, but my stubborn curiosity exceeds me to ask. I killed a man whom had done terrible things to me, and had once tried to kill me as well. He was a drunk, and there was a time I loved the man.. though I couldn't bring myself to the point to let him go despite the rage within his eyes.." Her eyes drifted off to the waves, turning her body so that it rested on her side while her head remained on his lap, "He was my first.." The tigress whispered. Trying to distract herself, Eden reached out for her glass of wine and took a small sip before settling it back down in replace for a piece of pepper jack cheese. She nibbled quietly on the piece on till it was completely gone before looking back up at Lucian with a soft sigh, "Nevertheless.. I still would like to know. Before we had met, if you could recall in time, werewolves and shifters were to never be friends.." She cracked a small smile, "-but I suppose we defy nature.."

"Have you ever killed a Shifter?" The question rang in his mind, unable to allow the Wolf to think of anything else. He did not hear the rest of her uttering and even did not look to her as she went on. He stared to his glass, watching the wine swirl around the walls, spinning and blending together as it rolled around. What could he say? He could lie. He could fudge the truth. Or he could even tell her the truth. But telling her the truth could ruin everything. And Lucian was not about to lose that. The Alpha was not going to lose the woman he greatly cared for once more. Instead, he decided to keep it to himself. There was no need to tell her now. He was not ready anyhow. "I have killed many things in my life: animals, Humans, Mora, and Vampires." He paused for a moment, then looked to Eden. "Yes, I have killed a Shifter before. It was a long time ago. Hundreds of years have passed since then. He was a large feline, and he had taken something that belonged to me. I ended his life, swiftly and with little pain. I reacquired what was mine and all was well. But I do not ever plan to kill another Shifter again. I know the stories and fairy tales speak of such a hatred between our races, but I will never harm one again. I promise you Eden, no harm will come to you or your race. For now, I will promise you that." Looking around them, the night was starting to set into the sky. He looked to Eden with a smile. "It's getting late and I have to walk Kane. Would you like me to walk you home? Also, I may need help finding my clothes I left as a trail for you. But do not smell them, they are not washed.."