The next morning, I slept in for the first time ever. It was different, as I was used to early mornings, but since Zaire convinced me to stay overnight, he kept me trapped underneath him until just a little bit ago. I liked the feeling of security that his warmth and weight brought, though.

"How'd you sleep?" asked Zaire with a yawn, as he came out of the bathroom with a clean pair of boxers on and a pair of sweatpants hanging low off his hips.

My cheeks warmed. His lean-muscled body was beautiful. I was drawn to his slim neck and and the defined curve of his jaw, but I saw a few patches of scales along his waist, right hip, above his belly button, and I think he had some on his back.

"I slept really well," I choked out, my mouth dry from staring at his form. "I slept in for the first time ever, so thanks for that."

"Really?" Zaire dropped the towel around his neck. He couldn't see me staring at him, because he was drying his long hair.

I shyly raked a hand through my hair as he stared at me incredulously. "Um, mmhm. I've never slept in. I heard about it from my old classmates, but I never had the chance to try it."

Zaire plopped down next to me on the bed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. His fresh scent cloaked me, and I nuzzled his throat. He tightened his arms around me, so I looked up at his face.

"Well, I will definitely help you sleep in more." Zaire grinned at me, making me giggle and hug his neck.

"I'm looking forward to it, Zaire."

"How about you use my shower for now, if you need to as part of your routine?"

I hummed. "Okay, but I don't have clean clothes."

"You can borrow mine."

The way he said that made it sound like he had an ulterior motive and I'd fallen into the trap he so nicely laid out. But I trusted Zaire, so I agreed and was shooed off into his bathroom.

It looked just like mine. There was a single sink with a decent stretch of marble countertop on the right, which led to a toilet, and a glass shower with pretty tiles along the back wall. It was big, so I really felt small in there while I took a few extra minutes to wash up. It felt nice to just soak my back in the heated water for awhile. I'd never had that luxury before.

I stepped out of the shower and noticed my clothes were gone, but a towel was resting on the countertop. I grasped that and wrapped it around my like a dress, slowly drying myself off.

I was always thankful that my tail never soaked water up like a sponge. It would take ages to dry it off, and I'd have to wring it out first, so my mom wouldn't beat me for dripping water on the floor. But it's not like I could explain how the water got there, and I never had time available for drying my tail.

Even now, my tail was just a bit damp. I liked that, and had always found it handy-dandy.

I held the towel up and peered out of the bathroom. Zaire was playing with his phone again, sitting on the edge of the bed. He was about to say something when he looked up, but the words died in his throat. His caramel eyes swirled with a similar emotion to Angel's and Briar's eyes when they're aroused.

I blushed as shuffled into his room. My tail curled around my legs. "U-um, thank you for letting me borrow your shower, Zaire. And your clothes."

Zaire's cheeks turned a bit pink. "Y-you're welcome. Here you go," he mumbled, shoving the clothes into my arms. "You should change in the bathroom."

"O-okay," I whispered, then turned around and heard a hiss. I glanced back to see Zaire covering his face, then I noticed my towel and slipped. "Eep!"

I hurried back into the bathroom and closed the door. My face was on fire as I leaned my bare butt cheeks on the door, then realized what I was doing and hopped away. Sure, my tail covered most of my butt, but the side profile was so embarrassing.

Once the towel was on the countertop, I looked at the clothes Zaire gave me. There were sweatpants and a shirt. I pulled on the green t-shirt, but it hung off one shoulder. I bit my cheek as I pulled on the sweatpants. It felt very breezy without any underwear, and the bottom hems pooled around my feet.

I puffed my cheeks out, staring into the mirror. I look like a little kid trying on my big brother's clothes, when it's actually kind of the opposite. It was embarrassing, but I took a deep breath in and opened the door again, just enough for me to peer out.

Zaire had his back to me while he took care of Beanie, so I switched off the light in the bathroom and silently stepped back out onto the hardwood floors.

All of the bedrooms had wood flooring, while the bathrooms and everywhere else had marble. It was a nice change and kind of comforting. A twisted throwback to my life in my mom's house, too.

I walked over to Beanie's terrarium, silently inspecting her lavish quarters. There was a fake log, real plants, a sandy area, tiny pebbles in another, and even a small watering area that seemed to clean itself. Zaire was feeding Beanie frozen whole mice, so I watched with a weird fascination as two lumps appeared in her body.

Zaire stepped back with a satisfied smile, then released a startled yelp when he noticed me standing next to him. He clutched his chest, bending over as I petted his hair.

"Damn it, Anwyll! You weren't kidding last night. No wonder you startled Gavin." he sighed, straightening again while he raked a hand through his thick dark green locks.

I carefully hugged his waist and looked up at him with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Zaire. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I know," replied Zaire, his chuckle making me smile. "Anyway, let me take a look at you."

I stepped back and almost tripped on the bottom hem, but steadied myself without a moment to spare. I lifted my gaze to his now darker caramel eyes. He bit his lip and swallowed, his pupils forming slits.

The hunger in his eyes made me blush. I covered my face, but Zaire gently pried my hands away as he leaned down. I tilted my head back to hold his gaze, but Zaire pressed in and pulled me close, his lips brushing my cheek. I cuddled closer, nuzzling his cool skin.

"Anwyll, may I kiss you?"

I pressed my lips to his jaw. "Please do, Zaire."

He drew back and cupped my cheek, thumbing it. His caramel eyes burned with a passion—as for what, I'm not sure—and he began to lower his lips to mine. It was slow, I was eager, so I pushed up on my tiptoes and met his mouth. Zaire gasped, but pulled me closer and gripped my waist. I mewled softly, slowly sliding my tongue over his and sucking on it.

He deepened it further, and I felt his right hand slide around to my nape, then his fingers gripped it. I went limp in his arms with a low moan of pleasure.

"A-Anwyll? Are you okay?"

I mewled in response, squeezing his biceps. "Mmhm," I managed to say.

Zaire sighed with relief and hauled my body back to the bed. I remained limp, relaxed, and happy as I lay in Zaire's arms. I managed to get the tingles to leave in my limbs, then snuggled closer.

"What was that?"

"Mm, I think my nape and the spot at the base of my skull are sensitive areas. Instead of getting all weird and predator-like, I feel so good that my limbs turn to jelly and I feel really tingly all over." I explained, curling into him.

Zaire hummed. "That's interesting. I guess it's a more pleasurable spot for you, like my scales are for me, and Angel for his horn."

"Uh-huh, that's what I think, too." I grinned, kissing his jaw.

"Still, I would have expected that your tail was more of a stimulant than your neck." mumbled Zaire, carding his fingers through my hair.

I giggled. "True, and it is very sensitive in a different way to my nape. It makes me tingly in one area."

"Hmm," he hummed, then kissed my forehead. "Did you like the kiss?"

"Yeah, I really liked it. Wanna do it again?"

Zaire laughed, sliding his right hand to my lower back. "Sure, Anwyll."

I scooted higher and planted a firm kiss to his lips, which made me blush a bit because of my crazy boldness, but Zaire happily reciprocated. I slipped my hand into his hair and played with his dark green locks. Zaire shivered a bit, tugging me even closer and deepening the kiss even more.

He rolled me onto my back and I felt his fingers slide up my sides. It tickled, so I squirmed with muffled giggles bursting out between breaths. They blended and changed into a soft moan when he touched my nipples.

Zaire hissed as he lifted my shirt. "Damn it, Anwyll, you're too cute."

Again, my cheeks burst into flames. "A-am I?"

His dark caramel orbs had slit pupils. "Yess..." he hissed, his forked tongue flicking out and tasting the air.

"Really?" I asked softly, searching his eyes. "Am I, really?"

Zaire paused and dropped his hand to the bed. He remained over my smaller body, just staring at me. I blushed again and lowered my ears along with my gaze. I felt my tail brush over my knees when Zaire kissed me again. It was slow, but I liked the warm tingles that permeated my body while our lips were connected.

A small kiss occurred as Zaire drew away, which made me grin and made him a bit surprised. I giggled and cupped his jaw with my left hand, looking into his eyes.

"I like you, Zaire."

He blushed a bit. "Th-thank you. Not many people do."

"Then I am honored to be one of them. I think the others will like you eventually too, but don't forget about me." I grinned, pecking his lips.

Zaire rolled his eyes. "Like that would ever happen."

I poked his cheek. "To what is that directed?"

"Both." responded Zaire, a sigh on his lips. "I doubt the others will like me and there's no way I'd ever forget about you."

I twirled one of his dark green locks around my pointer finger, just playing with it while I listened to him.

"I'm happy about the latter part, but I think the others will like you a lot once you open up. I mean, you're so cool and sexy, y'know?"

Zaire huffed and tucked my head against his neck. "Only you think that."

"But what about you?"

He snorted. "Of course—!"

"Not." we answered together.

Zaire squeezed me a bit tighter and I carefully wrapped my arm around his back. I tucked my nose into his neck, pressing gentle kisses to the column of his throat. Zaire shivered, but began to tremble when I started speaking.

"Zaire, you are so much more than you realize or truly believe. Underneath all that pain and anger is someone who has a soft heart filled with love and compassion, but for years you had no way to express it. By keeping it tightly wrapped up, you have been suffocating yourself. Zaire, your true self was dying to the pain you held in your heart. And I can honestly say that you are starting to heal. Talking is some of the best medicine, but hugs and kisses are really good as well."

Zaire's fingers curled in my hair and he tensed, but I had been feeling wetness on the cheek my ear was pressing against. I smiled to myself, hugging him back. Zaire inhaled deeply, but his breaths were choked and ragged. I kissed his throat, then left my lips on his skin while he silently cried.

My tail swished over the both of us as we lay on our sides, cuddled in each other's arms. It was peaceful. With each breath, Zaire began to relax and his grip slowly loosened. At some point, Zaire had fallen asleep. I placed a barely-there kiss to his lips, then slipped out of his arms for a moment to grab a shirt for him.

I maneuvered his t-shirt on without accidentally touching his scales, then climbed back into his arms and rolled the bedding over us. Zaire settled down with a soft sigh on his sleep as he rolled onto me. I closed my eyes, tucking my forehead back under his jaw, my mouth on his neck.

The heat lulled me to sleep while I hugged Zaire, one of my precious family members.

_________________________

I twitched when I felt warmth on my cheek. I reached up to rub my eyes, but my hands were swept up in a light grasp. I peeked at Zaire, who was kissing my cheeks to awaken me.

My jaw dropped. Why was he so affectionate all of a sudden?

Zaire laughed at my expression. "I'm just happy, Anwyll."

I beamed, my tail wagging on the bed and against his legs. "I'm happy, too!"

"I can see that." snickered Zaire, his cocky grin making me giggle.

"How's your ankle?" I asked softly, sitting up to tap his left leg with my hand.

Zaire's stance shifted. "Almost back to normal."

"Really?"

My skeptical expression made him laugh again. He grinned, raking a hand through his long hair to pull it over one shoulder.

"I think it wasn't serious. There was very little pain after I awakened the second time."

"I'm glad." I giggled, then my face burst into flames when a deep growl was heard.

Zaire was frozen in shock, but his cheeks puffed out from trying to keep his laughter in. I rolled my eyes and played with my tail.

"It s-seems like the o-only m-menacing p-part of you is your stomach!" he stammered, as he did his utmost best to speak through his muffled laughter.

"Oh, really? Well, I'm a ferocious wolf. Rawr!" I exclaimed, merely to make him laugh more. It worked.

Once Zaire calmed down, he knelt down and rolled up the bottom of his sweatpants and tied the string a bit tighter. He returned to his feet and held out his hand.

I grasped it, feeling his fingers lock into place between mine. I hopped off the bed and cuddled into his side.

"Well, let's go face the others." sighed Zaire, rubbing his face.

"Are you nervous?"

"A bit." Zaire bit his lip when he saw my disbelieving gaze. "Okay, I lied. I'm really nervous. Won't they beat me up because I monopolized you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why would they do that? It's not like you kidnapped me. Besides, I chose to be here."

Zaire blushed again and pressed a quick kiss to my lips before he opened the door. We stepped outside, then I looked around while he shut the door. No one was around even though it was already lunchtime. I guess they were in the dining area.

We began walking, but I could feel his hand getting sweatier as we got closer to the dining room. I stopped, which caused him to do the same. Zaire chewed on his bottom lip, so I hugged his waist with my left arm and nosed his chest. He wrapped his right arm around my shoulders, his left hand squeezing my right.

"It will be okay, Zaire. I won't force you do to anything."

He nodded, then inhaled deeply with his nose buried in my wavy hair. "Okay, Anwyll."

I rubbed his thumb with mine, then stood up on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He hummed, and I noticed his hands weren't as sweaty as before. Even his nervous trembling had ceased.

Zaire kept going, so I fell into a steady rhythm of walking at a pleasant pace. I peered into the dining room with Zaire peeking over my head. A tap on on our shoulders made us yelp with fright. I turned with a pounding heart, clutching onto my shirt while I slowly turned around.

Alexandre stood there in his nobleman glory, a hand on one hip with a smirk playing on his lips. Zaire cast his eyes down, but I grinned while I rested my head on his chest. He seemed calm enough for now.

"Alexandre!"

"Yes, little wolf?"

"Hehe, Zaire let me sleep in his room." I giggled, wrapping my free hand around Zaire's waist. "He's so awesome, Alexandre!"

Zaire nosed my hair, a barely audible laugh on his lips. Alexandre cocked an eyebrow, but his eyes were filled with astonishment. I grinned again and hugged Zaire.

"Are you going to have lunch with us, Alexandre?"

His honey-gold orbs sparkled with amusement. "Yes, it is lunchtime after all. I was wondering if you were going inside, since you were loitering outside the room."

"O-oh, yeah." I smiled sheepishly, my tail wagging despite my obvious embarrassment.

Alexandre ruffled my wavy hair, then stepped into the dining room. "You are welcome to hang out here, but the food may run out."

My stomach growled again just as he began moving away, so I heard his laughter echo in there. I huffed when I heard Zaire's muffled snickers, but I wasn't unhappy.

"Do you want to go in, Zaire?"

He slowly nodded. "I may slip back to the way I was before, so hug me if I try to run."

"R-run?" I stared into his eyes. "B-but you could make your ankle worse!"

Zaire rolled his eyes. "And that could be your excuse for hugging me."

I frowned. "Why would I need an excuse, Zaire? I like you."

His cheeks lit up with a pretty shade of red. "Well, o-okay, if you're that sure."

"I am."

"Then let's go, I guess."

We stepped in together. I tried to ignore the stares, but it was hard when Gavin slammed his hands down on the table and stood up. Zaire tensed, but I squeezed his hand. He let out a low sigh.

Gavin strode over and reached for Zaire in what I first thought was a hug, but I noticed the intent in time and moved in front of Zaire. A fist landed on my cheek and the sheer force sent me sprawling. I bit back the pain to notice that Zaire had kept his hold on my hand, so he was standing next to me with a furious scowl on his face.

"What the hell are you doing!" he shouted at his cousin, then crouched to help me up.

Gavin was staring at his fist with a blank expression. His gaze slid over to my worried one, and his face paled when his eyes focused on my stinging cheek. Gavin's head shot up and he stared at the stunned faces of everyone. He cast his eyes down and dashed out of the room while Zaire helped me to my feet.

I wanted to run after him, tell him that I wasn't upset, but I was so hungry. I hadn't eaten much the last night because I was worried about Zaire.

"Anwyll?" asked Zaire, his face full of worry while he cupped my cheek that was sure to bruise. "Did it hurt?"

"Mm, but I'll be okay." I smiled, then winced when I noticed my lip was split. I could taste blood in my mouth. "Um, Zaire, thank you."

"Why are you thanking me? You took that hit for me!" he shouted, which caused me to lower my ears and pout at him.

"I'm never gonna be sorry." I clearly stated, then smirked at him. "Besides, you can nurse me back to full health."

Zaire blushed, but clenched his jaw. It ticked, so I calmed down and gave him a hug.

"I can't believe Gavin did that. You were right, Anwyll. He has definitely changed." he spat, gently hugging me to his chest.

"Zaire, Gavin was shocked, too."

"Yeah, because he was aiming for me and you stupidly took the punch on my behalf."

I sighed, then reached up to cup his cheek. "Zaire, after lunch I am going to find him. Is that okay with you?"

Zaire grunted, but then shrugged with a heavy sigh once my firm gaze bored into his face. "Ugh, fine. I think he needs you right now."

"I'm still gonna come 'round for cuddle time later today." I managed a grin, which made Zaire smile back.

"All right, sounds good. Now, let's get some ice on your cheek."

I giggled. "Okay, Zaire."