Abruptly, he released her and stepped back, and Lola felt a chill as if she'd been plunged into an Arctic winter.A mask of detached indifference had settled over him like a frozen shroud.The emotions that had radiated off of him were immediately gone, replaced by the walls of any ordinary stranger.She could see him, but not feel him.
"What just happened?"She asked, taken aback by the sudden shift in his demeanor.
“Nothing,” he said.His eyes were guarded and his voice had turned to ice.“Ciarian will be cared for by our healers.It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Confusion clouded her mind.In the fifteen or so hours that she’d known him, he’d never acted so indifferent towards her.In fact, it had been the opposite right from the start.She gathered her wits around her like a shield, and offered up a shaky smile."So, can you still take me on a tour of this huge place?"
He glanced distractedly around the room before striding toward the hall without so much as an invitation for her to follow him.
"Okay then," she muttered under her breath as she hurried after his brisk pace.
As they walked Lola's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as she noticed that the walls had paintings of beastwalkers in various states of shifting all over them.They resembled those that had been in Wild Ink.They were depicted in different backgrounds.Some in city streets, some in wooded areas, or open fields.There were some beasts in battle with ferocious snarls on their faces.Others simply stood side-by-side, dressed in what looked like medieval battle gear with their shoulders pulled back and their chins lifted proudly.As if they'd been the victors in the battles depicted.
"Are these the wars that happened in your realm?"she asked, attempting to pick up her pace in order to catch up with him.She hadn't even realized that he'd gotten so far in front of her.
Callon didn't turn around as he spoke.His voice was low and serious."The beasts are a reminder," he said, "a reminder of what could happen if we let our primal nature take over.Yes, we have learned to look like humans part of the time, but beneath our human skin there is a wildness waiting to be unleashed.We must always remember that."
Lola shivered at his words.She thought of all the times she’d seen his animal form manifest on his features.There was definitely a part of Callon that was primal and untamed.
His steps moved even faster, the tatters of his shirt fluttering as they turned down another hall."This is a library," he pointed to an open door.She just had time to glance inside.It was a reader's dream.Lola wanted to go inside and bask in its tall walls filled with books, but Callon wasn't slowing down.
"Most of these doors are apartments where members live," he continued.“There are more upstairs.There's a full gym with everything we need to train.School rooms for the young, a dining hall, kitchen, and various living rooms for the pride to gather."
Lola hadn't even considered there were kids, though he'd mentioned them the night before.She hadn't thought they might not be able to go to human schools.
“Please, can you slow down?”she gasped as her feet struggled to keep up with his long strides.Sweat gathered on her forehead and a stitch in her side began to form, growing stronger with each step.
He turned down another corner, his shirt flaring into a cape behind him.“We don’t have time to take a leisurely stroll," he finally bit out tersely."I'll take you out to the grounds and then we need to go."
"Go?"Lola's feet stumbled as she spoke.What happened to spending the day together, she wondered.She didn't ask because she didn't want to sound like a clingy girlfriend.Shewasn'this girlfriend.Despite what he'd said multiple times before, she didn't know what she was to him.The way he was treating her made her seem like she was nothing more than an annoying guest that he didn't have time for.
"I just remembered that I have some pressing matters that require my immediate attention," he said in a chilly tone."I've been distracted by following you around, and have ignored my duties long enough."
Lola's mind raced as she processed his words.They felt like shards of glass, sharp and cutting.No emotion was attached to his statement - he might as well have been talking about the sky or the weather.She had to blink back tears as Lola questioned if the man she had met was just a figment of her imagination.Had she desired the ideal hero from one of her books so deeply, she conjured him into existence?Anything was possible, given the presence of supernatural beings in this world.Perhaps she had conjured the perfect, book boyfriend because he happened to be a shapeshifter, and now her life was everything she had always hoped it would be– more exciting than the mundane existence she lived before.
"Don't worry about showing me the grounds," she told him, raising her voice to reach him now that he was over fifty-feet in front of her.
He stopped, but didn't turn around.Fear and confusion bubbled up inside of her as she watched Callon's back muscles tense beneath the shreds of his shirt.She saw his fists clench at his sides, and he took several hefty breaths.What was going on?Normally, she would be filled with curiosity and demand answers, but due to the strange connection between them– the rapidly developing feelings– she kept her tongue still, not wanting to expose her vulnerabilities until he had earned it.
"Callon?"Lola despised the way her voice sounded small and uncertain, as if needing reassurance from him.Had she done something wrong?
He slowly turned around, and Lola saw the warrior he spoke of being.His movements were swift and precise, making it clear he had been trained for battle.Lola understood why the people they encountered earlier had been staring at him as if he was an anomaly.This must have been Callon as his pride knew him: A warrior.The shock on their faces made sense now.
He kept his distance as he walked by her and said in a flat voice, “This way.”His movements were rigid and abrupt.He didn’t look at her, didn’t touch her, no sign of affection in his mannerisms.His lack of eye contact felt like a slap.Lola clenched her jaw and swallowed hard, struggling to keep her emotions contained as rejection pierced through her like a sharp knife, making tears sting her eyes.Taking a deep breath, she refused to let them fall and followed him instead.
Before she knew it they were walking up to Callon's vehicle, which was just as dirty as when they'd left it, complete with scratch marks on the hood.Maybe it was petty, but Lola found herself wanting to give Bane a high-five.She heard a low whistle and turned her head to see Bane standing against the side of the house, partially hidden by the shade.His hands were slipped into his pockets and his eyes focused on her.He winked at her, and she couldn't stop the small smile that formed on her face.Her head whipped back around when she heard a feral-sounding hiss.Callon's eyes were fixed on Bane as he jerked the door open so hard it was a wonder he didn't rip it from the hinges.
She hurried to the car and slid inside.When she looked back to where the panther had been standing, he was gone."Ass," Lola muttered as her eyes lifted up to Callon's.Piercing gold snapped to hers just before the door was slammed."Well, guess the honeymoon period is over," she said softly."And so is the possibility of anything more."Her feelings of pain and dismissal were quickly replaced with anger, something she always found much easier to handle.Lola might be attracted to Callon, and hell, she just might be his soul mate, but she would not sign up for a lifetime of emotional rollercoasters– she deserved better.
Callon sank down into the driver seat and pulled his own door closed so hard the vehicle shook.Lola grabbed onto the door handle and cursed under her breath.She didn't like confrontation.She didn't like to argue.Katy, and even Maddie, were the ones who appreciated a good fight.Katy claimed it cleansed the soul.Whatever the hell that meant.For Lola, it just made her feel out of sorts and hurt.Hold on to your anger,she reminded herself.You’ve done nothing wrong.He’s an ass and in less than a day, he’s shown his true colors.
Once the car was started, he put it in drive and peeled out causing the tires to screech on the pavement.There were a few huge cats sunbathing on the driveway that jumped to their feet barely making it out of the speeding car’s path.
"What the hell, Callon," she yelped, unwilling to hold her tongue in the face of the possibility of people being harmed."Those are your pride members, in case you forgot."
"I'm well aware," he snapped.
"Do you usually nearly run over your own people?"
