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It had all happened so fast. Samson had walked out behind the officer, his animal didn't like confined spaces and after being in the plane for so long, then the car, and then that tiny dorm room filled with the essence of death, he'd needed to breathe.
When he'd stepped out of the dorm, and into the warm autumn air he'd tilted his head back and taken a deep, cleansing breath. That was when his nose snagged on the most alluring scent. His head snapped down and his eyes locked on to a divine creature. She was petite, tiny really, and life seemed to bubble out of her as she bounced over to meet detective Jane. Dressed in a pair of deep blue skinny jeans, yellow tennis shoes, a Canary yellow shirt, and a cropped leather she was like sunlight and shadow. Her skin was a light brown that reminded him of the sweet bite of cinnamon, and healthy earth. Her hair was short, the dreadlocks reaching barely below her ears.
But her eyes were mesmerizing. They were molten silver, hot metal swirling with power. They captured him, enchanted him, he couldn't look away. He felt like he could lose himself in their depths and be happy to never be found.
He'd never been this distracted since. He never lost himself like this. Not when his hind leg had nearly been torn from his body during a duel, and the pain threatened to cripple him if the injury did not. Not when he first lost himself to the mating rights, the feeling of release like flying over the desert while being pulled underwater. And certainly not to the mere sight of a female. No, this was new, this was a surprise, and in Samson's long life, where surprises were rarely good things, this was the most beautiful exception.
He was enraptured with her, and that distraction nearly cost them both, because suddenly, Aliya's eyes, which had just been peeking at him from over detective Jane's shoulders. That beautiful silver gaze that had been tracking him just as intently as he was tracking her, rolled up into the back of her head just before she collapsed.
He didn't have enough self-control to be gentle as he shoved the detective out of the way, and captured the girl before she hit the ground.
Aliya.
The detective had called her Aliya.
and she was his now. And he would never let her fall. Never
That train of thought brought him up short.
Never? He'd just met this woman, why was he thinking about forever, why did the animal in his chest chant mine-mine-mine as he cradled her to himself.
But her warm body was in his arms, her scent like lavender, and rosemary, and crisp midnight air washed over him, filled his senses with, Aliya-Aliya-Aliya. Her name like a heartbeat in his chest. And when their skin touched, he knew.
Aliya was his mate. His to love, to cherish to protect. The other half of his soul.
She was his, and she was in his arms, and it had been nearly six centuries, and he never thought this day would come, and he wanted to weep, and shout, and never let her out of his sight, because she was his, and he would never let her fall.
"Where can we take her?" Sampson asked. Himself once more. Or perhaps, more than himself now that Aliya was a piece of him. He cradled her in one arm as he held out the other to effortlessly haul the detective to his feet. "My apologies, I did not show enough restraint."
Detective Jane just stood there staring back and forth from Aliya's face to Samsons and back before he seemed to shake himself loose of whatever holds the scene had on him.
"An Infirmary?" The detective said. Sampson just narrowed his eyes slightly before his expression smoothed out again. "I'm sure there's an extra dorm room here somewhere... Or."
"Um, maybe I could help?" A female voice squeaked from inside the building behind them. That's when Samson and Jane realized that been blocking the entranceway, the little scene gathering a small crowd of gawking students and onlookers.
Samson turned and saw a girl with pale skin and mousy brown hair who he assumed to be the owner of the voice. His thoughts were confirmed when she cleared her throat and said "there's an Infirmary, in the back, just here on the ground floor."
"Supe equipped?" Jane asked. Sampson shot him a warning look that the detective returned impassively. The girl flicked her eyes to the detective, then back to Sampson, before her eyes widened in realization. She struggled to school her expression as she responded.
"We have a witch on staff in the medical building, if the girl-"
"Aliya." Sampson gently, but firmly corrected.
"Right, if Aliya needs any, um, extra attention, we can call in."
"That shouldn't be necessary," Sampson said. "But thank you for the consideration." The girl just nodded once.
"Right," Jane said. "I'm just gonna go check on your... subordinates." He said the word like a question, and Sampson nodded.
"Let me know if you find anything, however unlikely that is."
"Will do," Jane said before heading off to the elevator.
"Cool, um, if you follow me?" The mousy girl said. Sampson nodded and readjusted his grip on his mate.
'Mate, mate, mate,' his animal chanted through in his chest. Sampson didn't hold in his deep rumble of agreement.
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