Blessing of Luna (Wolfgods Book 1) by Blaise Ramsay (best books under 200 pages .TXT) 📗

Chapter Three

On Monday, a week before school started, Damien met Jill for the first time during the day since they started seeing each other. Jill had the day off and Damien told Rob and Chelsea he would be busy, feeling bad that he once again had to lie to them about Jill.

They’d had to reschedule their lunch meeting the Monday following Damien’s fishing trip when Jill sent him a text telling him something came up that required her attention at work. He was upset at first but soon forgot about his frustration when Jill sat in front of him in the bookstore café. Her dark hair tied up in a loose, messy bun at the top of her head. Her beauty still astounded him despite having seen her almost every night.

“Hey, sorry I’m late. Next round of coffee is on me as punishment.” Jill replied, laughing as she scooted the chair back to sit down.

“It’s okay. I’m just glad I’m finally getting to see you during the day. Which reminds me,” Damien started, closing the book he was reading, setting it on the table. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the tabletop. “Jill, I’ve been meaning to ask, why could you only meet me at night before? I know you work during the day and all but every job has their off days, right?”

Jill closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath to calm her anxiety. She knew he would ask this question eventually. When it finally came, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

“Yes. That’s true. In all honesty, Damien, I don’t know how to answer that question. As I’ve said before, it always seemed like you were either busy with school or going out with your friends. After dark seemed to be the only time I could actually see you and spend time with you without getting interrupted. I know that’s probably not the answer you’re looking for but in the positive light, at least we’re getting to meet in the day, now.”

Damien couldn’t help but feel as though Jill had inadvertently dodged his question but out of respect, he didn’t pressure her to answer. “That’s true. Guess I should count my blessings with this one but it still seems odd to me.”

“In time, I will tell you more. For now, I just ask you to give me your trust.”

The smell of espresso met the sweet aroma of pastries in the café as Jill talked to Damien about some of the few things she could remember without him knowing how old she was. The endless chatter of voices unnerved her senses, bringing about a feeling of unease since she hadn’t really made it a point to get around big crowds.

When the conversation shifted to Damien, Jill had to cover her mouth to avoid bursting out laughing after he told her about all of the times he’d tried skateboarding and nearly broken something every time.

“I’m not kidding, I broke my hand just trying to stand on the damn thing. I thought Rob was going to crack a rib, he was laughing so hard. Chelsea pulled her mother hen routine, scolding Rob and racing over to me. I tried to tell the girl I was fine but she didn’t listen. She’s always been like that,” Damien chuckled as he spoke of his memory. “What about you, Jill? Do you have any friends around here? Maybe some you hang out with?”

“I guess technically you would call them friends. We don’t really ‘hang out’ per se but there are rare times when we get together and socialize. Otherwise, I tend to like my peace and quiet. In case you haven’t taken notice, I’m not really social.” Jill responded, the harsh reality of almost always being alone since Lucius died came back to the forefront of her memories.

Upon realizing the sudden downtrodden shift in Jill’s mood, Damien took her hands in his. “At the very least, you do have one friend. I’m open to talking if you want to.”

Jill felt her face heat at his touch. A friend. At least I have one friend. A gentle smile fell across her face.

Damien took their empty cups and threw them in the trashcan. He noticed that Jill appeared to be a bit stressed in the growing crowd.

“You want to go somewhere quieter? I’d like to share a special spot I like to go when I want to escape the world. Want to see it?” Damien asked as he held out his hand, eagerly awaiting Jill’s answer.

Curious and elated that Damien was sharing another secret with her, Jill took his hand, letting him lead her out of the bookstore.

Damien led Jill to an old wooden bridge lying over a small river sourced in the mountains. Jill often used the woods around this place as her hunting grounds and was very familiar with it.

“I like to come here to think. It’s quiet, isolated and calming. The sound of the river settles me down during those times I’m really stressed out.” Damien rested his elbows on the old beams as he spoke. The manner in which he spoke was as though he was describing a dreamscape.

Jill leaned her back against the beams, using her hands as supports. “I know this place. I come here too. It’s a relief against the usual bustle of the town. It’s amazing to me.”

“What is?”

“How much we have in common. When I first saw you moving in, I must admit I had no idea what to expect. I came by your house night after night to see if I could learn more about you. It surprised me when you caught me. Scared me almost. I thought you would be angry and tell me never to get near you again. I never could have dreamed you would have actually given me a chance to talk so