Project Servile : Defect [Book #1] ✔ Complete!

➽ T w e n t y : Defects

"Love doesn't just sit there like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new."
-Ursula K. Le Guin

Life granted us a few days of normalcy. There were plans in motion to welcome the pack leaders with a small ball like the Prince had speculated. Though we spent a lot of time together since coming home, he had never brought up the question he asked in the car before we were taken. I also didn't have the courage to bring it up myself. Instead I threw myself into routine while I was able to. 

I would wake up an hour before the shutters closed, officially marking me as a night riser. Becca would spend time with me during my breakfast before heading to bed, as most of the work she did was best for day time. I missed her, but she still tried to meet me as often as she could. After eating and daydreaming about what it would have been like to continue my work for Evan, I would patrol the grounds. Every member of the guard was required to complete at least one hour of duty before being able to do other things. Unless of course, something dangerous or special was going on. I liked to overachieve, to do as much as I could for the community that took me in. I walked for three hours, keeping my attention to every shadow in the area. 

Jaxon would find me somewhere in those three hours. Always seemingly by 'accident' but we both knew better, yet wouldn't speak of it. He would accompany me for whatever time I had remaining and then he would invite me to the dojo for training. 

Tonight, he found me walking the perimeter of the greenhouse. I always made a point to check Becca's workplace. I wanted her safe the most. He caught me peeking through the glass at the new mounds of dirt that I knew she had just planted. 

"Thinking of changing your line of duty?" Jaxon's silent steps caught me off guard, sending my hand to my chest to try and calm the pounding. His smirk managed to send a different kind of flutter to my already uneven heart. 

"Why do you always have to sneak up on me?" The joy in his eyes answered my question. Yet he spoke it out loud anyway. 

"I like hearing your heart." His tone was soft, the honesty catching me even more off guard. We've been meeting like this for days, him becoming increasingly bold with his intentions and me falling for them each time. 

We walked the walls in silence, him so close that our arms kept brushing against each other. I finished my last round, thanking the stars that it was over. I didn't think my heart could take much more of his touch softly teasing me. 

"Are you up for training today?" He knew the answer but always asked anyway. 

"Yes. I need all the practice I can get. You're the only person I can train against that give the whispers in my mind a challenge," I admitted, albeit a bit sheepishly. I didn't want to sound condescending. 

We parted ways after he walked me to the female changing rooms inside the dojo. As much as I loved the guard uniform and how warm it kept me outside, it was entirely too stifling inside. Since winter started, the entire manor had all of its fireplaces lit at all times. I switched out the fur-lined leather and cowl for a form fitting tank top. Since discovering the magic of leggings through Becca, those were all I ever wore, no matter the situation and I kept that true for training. I removed my boots and exited through the door with bare feet.