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Artem

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"Do you feel better now?" I asked her once we were done eating.

"Yes, I hadn\'t realized how hungry I was. Thank you so much." The smile she gave me melted me into a puddle right there on the floor. She was just so beautiful,

Just then there was a knock on the door and Chay called out to us.

"Delivery." Her voice was playful and I could smell Toby and Kent on the other side of the door.

"Come on in." Star smiled as she called out toward the door. Had she smiled like that when she told me to come in? Considering she had been tearfully scrubbing the couch I\'m going to assume not.

Chay opened the door and then stood to the side to let the others inside ahead of her. When she came bounding into Star\'s space she went right to her side.

"So what did my brother do to your couch?" She questioned with a curious smirk.

"No, he didn\'t, it was my, no." Star was nervous again.

"It was no one\'s fault." I assured her. "There was just some of Lisa\'s blood on it from earlier."

"What?" Chay seemed to be very confused about what she had heard. "How the hell did you get her blood on the couch?" She knew that I had taken a shower after having killed the female wolf so I shouldn\'t have had any blood left on me when I came to Star\'s room.

"It was on me when we sat there earlier." Star hung her head as she answered Chay\'s question, her voice sheepish and quiet.

"Oh." Realization finally hit my sister like a ton of bricks. She raised her left hand and smacked herself in the forehead, hard, when she finally figured it all out. "I\'m so sorry, Star. I should have paid more attention when I came in earlier."

Star smiled at Chay\'s apology, I think it was because Chay was taking the blame and that made her feel a little better.

"It\'s fine." She smiled at me. "Artem said we can replace it. And I am trying my best to stop blaming myself."

"GOOD!" Chay\'s exuberant response made us both jump in surprise, but we also both laughed afterwards. "I am glad you\'re finally realizing that absolutely nothing was your fault."

"I\'m trying." Star blushed then at Chay\'s intense smile and crazy attitude.

While we were talking Kent and Toby switched the couch out without saying a word. Kent waved to me before the two of them silently left the room. And it all happened without Star even realizing that they had done anything. That was evident by her surprise at them having already left.

"Where did they go?" She wondered with a start.

"They already left." Chay answered her. "Didn\'t you see them carrying the old couch out of here?"

"I guess not." Star giggled then, a soft chiming sound. "I guess I was too caught up with the two of you."

"That means you were comfortable with us." Chay smiled.

"I guess I was." She may have been responding to Chay, but her attention was all focused on me. The look in her eyes, to me, spoke of love and longing. What was she starting to feel for me?

"Well, I\'m off." Chay didn\'t wait for a response, she just snuck away while Star and I stared at each other.

I knew I wanted to talk to Star all night, to make her feel better about today, but that also meant talking about today. I hoped she didn\'t think I was intentionally trying to bring her down.

"Hey, Star, are you doing OK?" I wondered aloud after a few moments.

"I\'m fine." She answered immediately, but she also hung her head a little like she was trying to hide something.

"Are you sure? You can tell me anything you know."

"I know." She put her hand on top of mine then. She had just reached across the table and laid her tiny hand over my much larger one. "And I am really glad that I can talk to you about things like this." The smile that she finished with was the prettiest one I had ever seen.

"So you\'re certain that you\'re OK?"

I think I am. I\'m pretty sure that I am really. At first all I wanted to do was to hide away, to never leave this house, no this room, again."

"What changed?"

"Honestly?" She looked a little shy now as she pulled her hand back and squirmed in her chair. "To be fully honest I would say it was you, and Chay too, but mostly you."

Was that a chorus of angels singing just now? Did I just have every dream come true, every birthday wish granted, and every prayer answered all at the same time? It felt like it.

Here sat my mate, staring at me so contentedly, telling me that she was overcoming a traumatic experience just because she had me. What was this about? I didn\'t know, but I hoped I could be there for her in more ways.

"How did I help?" I had to ask, I had to know.

"You saved me, again. You stopped Lisa from taking me away. You stopped her from hitting me. And most of all, you stopped me from having to go back to Uncle Howard. For all of that I will be forever grateful to you." Her soft, kind eyes were crinkled into a look that matched the smile that she was giving me.

"I will save you anytime you need me. From the smallest nuisance to the biggest enemy. I will always be there for you Star." I sounded like I was giving some made up wedding vows, but I didn\'t care, I only cared about her and her happiness.

"I know. And that\'s because you love me, right?"

"That\'s right. I love you, more than anything."

"That makes me happy." She hadn\'t said it back, but she hadn\'t tried telling me that I was wrong and that alone was progress.

I just stared into her eyes for a few moments. The color of blue seemed to shift, almost like my eyes did with green. Right now, her eyes were a very light shade of sapphire blue. To me, those eyes and that coloring looked really happy.

Subconsciously I reached my hand across the table and took hers. I only realized what I was doing when I felt her hand squeeze around my fingers as she held my hand back.

Star had been looking at me so lovingly as we held hands. The room had been silent and nothing seemed like it could ruin the moment. But then she seemed to think of something that brought some of her fear back.

"Wait, Artem, won\'t Lisa tell my Uncle where I am? Won\'t they know where to come and find me?"

It was like she had been trying so hard to be brave, to not let her family win, but then the thought of them coming here for her made that progress immediately come crashing down.

"No, they won\'t know where you are, that I promise you." I didn\'t want to tell her what I did, and I hoped I would never have to.

"How can you be so sure though? Won\'t she tell them who you are? Or who Chay is? Or Kent, since he is the one who took her out of the mall? What will happen when she goes home?"

"Don\'t worry, Star, no one is going to come here looking for you. And even if they did, all of us here would do anything and everything we can to protect you. You don\'t have to worry, Star, you\'re safe with us. I promise."

"Promise?" She smiled when she heard that word.

"Yeah, I promise."

"I\'ve never really had anyone promise to protect me like that. No one except you."

"You will never need anyone\'s promise except for mine. I will never leave you."

"I hope not." That brought a blush to her face, I saw the redness start down near her chin until it spread across both her cheeks and her forehead. Look, even her ears were pink. That was the sweetest thing I had ever seen.

"Hey, Artem?"

"Yeah Star?" She had broken the silence while looking at the floor in embarrassment.

"Did you kill Lisa?" She didn\'t beat around the bush did she?

"Do you want me to be honest with you?" I didn\'t want to lie to her, ever, but was she ready for this answer?

"Yes, I can handle it."

"Then yes, I did. She would have come after you again. And she would have brought the others. I can protect you from them, but I want to spare you from even having to see them again."

"You really do care for me don\'t you?"

"I love you."

"I-I-." She stuttered for a second then swallowed hard. "I don\'t know if I love you, but I think I like you, a lot."

Nope, this beat the glory of just a little bit ago. This one was almost enough to let me die a happy man right now. My mate was starting to like me, a lot.