Marley and the Tale of Two Souls / Book 0.1 ✔️
Four: Sawyer

It was supposed to turn out differently. She was not supposed to be there but she was, that beast was and Sawyer’s instincts went flying out the window the very second he picked up her scent. He had almost shifted, he had almost exposed himself then and there but then the knife went through his stomach. He should have seen it coming, ghouls are known to be stubborn assholes when it comes to killing them. Mostly because they were already dead but Sawyer still should have known.

He should have known a lot of things then and there all thanks to those stupid felines and the wizard but he ignored all three of them. His mission was not supposed to replace his mate, his mission had nothing to do with his mate and he did not care what they said, she was not supposed to be there! But she was, amongst that fog and darkness of the night he could see her and she was a light he has never seen before. Those green eyes captivated him so quickly that he had lost all sense of words, he had lost every rational thinking in him whilst she complained to the assassin felines.

But as they spoke he picked up on one thing in particular. She was human.

Humans are mateless, humans are not supposed to be on the main lands, to begin with, so why was she here? And why is she, his mate?

He wanted to ask, he wanted to know her name but words barely came out so, he stayed silent. Becoming dismissive of the idea of her travelling with him. His mission was dangerous and he had already completed his first task in this disgusting place of a city but the thoughts of ghouls and his mate coming in to put a twist on all of his plans was not something he expected.

That bastard was making his life harder, he should have expected those damn ghouls. He should have known that there were more only if her scent did not block his mind from thinking logically. Only if her little human scent did not drive him mad at the thought of her getting hurt because of him and for that Sawyer hated himself for allowing the mate bond to form so strongly, so quickly.

Mates have become rare for his species. Growing up he never thought he would ever get one nor did he ever think that he would leave the confinements of his own home but he had and now, an angel is in front of him in the shape of his mate. A sword strapped to her side made her body look small and the male clothing she had on caused him to smile to himself, she was adorable for a little human. Defiant by nature and he liked that but it also meant, she brought trouble to herself and he could not have that.

He turned his head to replace Figus still trailing behind them. His wound was already healed thanks to their potions. Assassins have some strong stuff and their healing potions (despite tasting fowl) worked in minutes. The feline caught him staring and glared. He knew that look, his first words to his mate were not the friendliest but her safety was the only thing on his mind.

“Mind explaining dragon boy?”

He scowled, pulling his hood closer to his face while they used the back allies. “I have nothing to explain!”

“Do not use that tone with me boy!” The cat hissed, his mate twitched her ears at the sound but kept the girl busy so she would not take notice. “I see the way you keep eyeing that girl and we told you, she is supposed to help you. This is fated and you know it!”

“Children’s stories do not come true!” He convinced himself. “If this were true her fate does not end -”

“Prophecies are not set in stone. Everyone changes their fate every single day and does not realise it. You have no choice but to let this happen just like she has to and both of you will have to listen to your destinies.”

Sawyer did not respond to that besides keeping a permanent scowl on his face. He did not want to think about those old bedtime stories every kid gets told. The tales are filled with lies and false hope but alas parents still tell their kids these stories and give them false hope for a life that is not as black and white as it seems. Instinctively his eyes landed on her again, the fog might have been thick but he could see her as clear as a sunny day. Her cloak dragged along the dirt covering her figure which he was grateful for, her eyes were captivating enough, he did not know what he would do if he saw what was underneath. She was already his by soul birth rights and the thought of another man seeing what was his already angered him.

He scowled at himself, allowing his mind to wander to her again was a bad idea. He had to save his family and the people of his town, she was just a distraction for now that he can deal with later.

The path widened by an inch, small cobblestone steps created a downward path to the sea below. His mind kept flickering to the thoughts of finally replaceing her, knowing that she was physically in front of him but he dismissed it every time the thoughts arose.

“Just a little further,” Pipèe spoke, her little body pausing to look around one of the buildings. “Red has gotten a small boat for you. All you need to do is get to The Land of Wolves. When you get there, a guild member will be waiting.”

The girl stared down at the feline in dismay but nodded and kept her mouth shut. She was scared and confused, he could see that. He could see many conflicting feelings running through that mind of hers and he wanted to know every little detail.

“You kids be safe now,” Figus said. “May we meet again.”

She nodded again, getting into the boat before he followed behind. His mind repeated over and over again ’I cannot believe I am allowing this to happen,’ but he was and never spoke a word of protest after the potion. She seemed to have just taken notice of this as well while he sat down, his wound was completely healed and the only reminding evidence that something had happened was the small hole and his dried blood.

Figus kicked the boat forward, The girl began to row blindly as he knew that he could have helped but watching her struggle was too entertaining. Her lips kept pouting as the weight of the water slowed her efforts down. They stayed in silence for what felt like a few minutes to him, he wanted to talk to her but did not know how to start.

“What are you?”

Her eyes bulged, her lips parting as if she was at a loss for words. “Seriously? You out of all things are asking me that question? Should I not be asking you that? If it was not for those cats, I would still be trying to think of other beings other than a damn dragon shifter!”

The girl talks too much. He thought to himself with a raised eyebrow. “Humans are incapable of speaking to Assassin companions.”

“Don’t you think I know that already!?” She snapped, her green eyes glaring at him as if he should be intimidated in some way. “I am human, I have always been human!”

He tilted his head, he knew that she would tell the truth but her identity is her truth, not the real one and he was going to replace out what she was on his own.