L'INCONTRO

CHAPTER THREE

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CELINE felt it. 

She knew he was there, she could feel his energy in the air. She had sent Faye to bed early in hopes that she could get a few moments alone with her Mate before he snatched her daughter from her forever. 

KNOCK. 

KNOCK. 

Two loud pounds against the door made her jolt. She looked up the stairs but no movement came, meaning that Faye was (hopefully) fast asleep. She trudged her way to the door before slowly opening it. Behind the door stood a tall man with a dominating aura, tattoos ran up and down his arms, and piercing eyes bore into hers. 

He wore dress slacks and a slightly unbuttoned shirt, showing her even more coverage of his intense tattoo collection.  He narrowed his eyes at the woman at the door. 

"You must be him," Celine sighed. "Faye's beloved." 

Faye, he thought. So that is her name. Gorgeous, and oh-so fitting. 

"Come in," Celine opened the door wider and stepped back inside. 

Deimos walked in, looking around the small cottage home. He peered at the images of his beloved as a child, dirt on her cheeks, digging in the Earth. She placed her clothes down on the bench at the entrance. 

"She loves to garden. Well, she loves nature completely. I just pray that you can fulfill that for her." 

Deimos looked at the woman. "I can guarantee you that none of her needs and desires will be unmet. I would kill to keep her happy." 

Celine just remained quiet. 

"Have you told her?" He asked, fluttering his eyes around the small house. 

"About you? Only the basics. She knows you're her Mate and you will..." 

Deimos looked at her expectedly. "I will what?" 

"Take her from me." 

Deimos rolled his eyes at the dramatic affair. "I'm not ripping you apart, I'm her Mate-,"

"And I'm her Mother!" Celine raised her voice, interupting him. 

"Mom?" A voice called from the top of the stairwell. It's her, he could tell. "What's going on?" She asked, only her small fuzzy socks-clad feet showed on the stairs as the rest of her was still in the dark. 

Deimos took a step to get to her but Celine rushed over, pressing her hand against his chest and holding him back. 

"Nothing, baby, go to bed." 

"Let me meet her," he whispered to Celine. 

Celine only glared at him. "No, she is tired and not ready." 

Deimos glared back. "Not ready? She's my Mate, she has been ready for years." 

"Mate?" Faye whispered from the top stairs. "He's here?" 

Celine glared at Deimos angrily, knowing he purposely wanted her to find him. 

"Yes, he's here," Celine answered, dropping her hand from his chest. 

Slowly, Faye climbed down the steps. 

Deimos watched as his angel appeared before his eyes. First, her feet, her legs, her torso clad in her romper, and finally her face. 

She was...Breathtaking. 

"Wow," Deimos whispered, looking at her. 

Faye blushed under his intense gaze but did the same to him. 

He was...Breathtaking. With his large figure, he nearly towered over her mother. His dark hair glinted against the light of the kitchen, his eyes were glued to her. 

"Hello," she whispered. 

"Mio angela (my angel)," he whispered back. She blushed at his voice. He looked to be formed from the gods themselves. 

She remained silent, not knowing what to say. It was quiet for a while, both just analyzing and staring at each other. Celine stood to the side, watching the entire exchange. 

"It is late and you should be asleep. May I bring you back?" he whispered. 

Faye looked at her mother for permission while Celine reluctantly nodded. Although she was fully grown, her habit of looking for her mother for reassurance never left her. Faye walked back up the stairs, as Deimos crossed the room and followed her. She opened the door to her room, the light pastel pink room filled with drawings of hers filled his vision.

"Come now, it's late," he gently pressed his hand to her lower back. She felt the warmth of his palm through her romper, making goosebumps rise on her body. 

She nodded and got into bed. Deimos walked over and knelt, pulling the covers up and tucking them under her chin. He gently laid his fingers against her cheek, tracing her skin. Close up, she could see each hair on his face, the dark hair lying against his forehead, and his skin shone in the moonlight. 

He gently placed his hand over her eyes, blocking out her vision. "Dormire (sleep)," he spoke lowly. He watched her face as one of her eyes peeked open, seeing if she was still there. "Sleep." He raised an eyebrow and commanded her. 

He let out a huff, making her blush and quietly laugh.

"Piccolo marmocchio (little brat),"  he whispered. "Sleep now." 

Faye let out a frown. "But, I want to stay up with you." 

His heart sagged at her confession. He wanted nothing more than to stay up and talk with her through his life, now that they were complete. But he knew her overprotective mother wouldn't appreciate a stranger crawling in bed with her daughter tonight. 

"We can spend all of tomorrow together. You can show me your garden and take me into town and give me a grand tour, yeah?" 

Faye only nodded eagerly. 

"Now sleep, and tomorrow the day is ours," he stood and towered over her, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she closed her eyes. 

"Sognami (dream of me)," he whispered. 

He closed her door and made his way downstairs. He was content, he was at peace.