Loving Merritt Forever

2

Him

"I think you should come to Dusk" Asher had texted me practically in time with my alarm to mark sundown going off.

"Work or play?" I responded. Asher, like everyone else who knew my contact information, only messaged me for one of two reasons. Almost every call or message for decades had been from someone who needed help with a body, making or removing. There were rules for my particular services though.

I dared to hope he had someone interesting instead of a corpse to deal with one way or another. To fulfill my own never changing request. The downside of eternal life was how boring people became after a while. Most were the same when you got inside their heads, conversations grew tedious. A long standing bet that if someone found me someone fascinating, my other services would be free for their natural lifetime. Only had to honor the request once, more than a century ago now.

"Well either you find her fascinating or the virgin bride in my bar is going to end up mated to a puffed up lion trying to build himself up a harem." was the reply.

I was dressed and heading to Asher's bar in under two minutes. Lions were the worst. All ego and no substance behind it. I'd go just to put a lion down for sport. Checking out who Asher thought might be interesting would just be an extra perk. Chances were this bride would bore me like everyone else anyways. I walked into dusk, not expecting to actually find her attractive. There she was, sat at the bar, and it was like the fates had sent me a vision from my very distant childhood.

Long ago in a rural part of England in a village that no longer existed, the people celebrated may day each spring. With girls announcing their intent and eligibility for marriage by wearing white and as much lace as they could tatt by hand over the long winter, the girls I had dreamed of marrying when I still walked in sunshine would braid flower crowns to wear with their lace. Each flower a symbol of all their hopes and dreams for the future as they danced with long ribbons around the maypole in the town square.

As a boy, I had loved the romantic nature of the first spring holiday before the hard work of sowing and peak farming season crushed everyone under the weight of the challenging, grueling work. A wistful smile almost turning my lips as I looked at the pretty thing at Asher's bar.

Asher was using that annoying Alpha Wolf Aura to keep the patrons mostly back from the bar. Away from the little bride. Only releasing his protective bubble as I took the seat next to the lovely vision beside me.

I didn't need a dragon's ability to read minds to know the little drunk and lonely bride was heartbroken. She had started staring at me the moment I sat down, I could tell she liked what she saw. Then she blushed, so sweet and innocent looking as I caught her staring. She whipped her head to look back at her drink. It was very strange the small human woman wasn't affected, she should have felt an overwhelming urge to get away from the aura surrounding her. It was how Asher controlled his bar, most were here at his pleasure, and they all knew it. Not a traditional pack land, but this city block was his.

But there the little bird had sat, unaffected. Damnit, Asher might have actually found someone I was interested in. She had moved her head so quickly to avert her eyes, some of the pins from her hair were knocked loose, I heard small metal pins clatter to the floor, as I watched the intricate flower crown start to slip, hanging on her head unevenly. Pulling her hair with the weight of the flowers.

I watched as her emotions caught up with her. She was trying to find the pins in her hair to take the flowers off, but wasn't able to, it also seemed like she didn't want to crush the delicate flowers as she tried to move her fingers over her head to find the other pins. Her distress was instant, obvious and so endearing. I liked her face when she was distressed she would look beautiful if I were to hunt her in the night. Should she prove uninteresting I could still have some fun tonight.