Title: Learning To Hunt
Chapter: Section 18
Fandom: The Tribe
Author: PinkTribeChick
Summary: Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . .
Extended Summary: An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.
Rating: Teen
Pairing: Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.
Author's Notes: Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!
*PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS SECTION IS CONTAINS A FLASHBACK AGAIN – IT IS IN ITALICS!*
Disclaimer: All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.
Learning To Hunt
Section 18
Liliana looked at him incredulously, as though he'd suddenly sprouted an extra head or arm. The room started to spin again, and he had to put a hand on the wall to hold himself upright. Her mouth moved for a few moments in a vain attempt to form words, to put them into comprehendible sentences, but nothing came out.
"Huh . . . wha . . . who do you . . . you lo . . . WHAT?" she finally exclaimed, her cheeks turning red. He pushed himself off the wall, cupping his hands around her chin. His emerald eyes gazed intensely into her steely blue ones.
"I . . . love . . . you," he repeated himself, slowly, emphasizing each word. Before she could say anything in response, he captured her lips with his own, pulling her body close to his. She responded to his kiss for a few seconds before harshly pushing him away, putting a hand to her now red lips. Both were now panting heavily, out of breath.
They just stared at each other. Liliana looked confused, as though she wasn't quite sure what to do next. After what seemed like hours, she suddenly lunged at him, both of them falling to the floor as she kissed him again. They clung to each other as if trying to keep from being separated by some invisible force. He rolled her over to where he was on top, then pulled back momentarily, looking over her beautiful face and into her eyes.
"I . . . love . . . you . . . too," she said in between short gasps for air. That was all he needed to hear. Getting to his feet, he gently helped her up and led her, her tiny hand clasped in his, to one of the bedrooms.
She kissed him gently as he opened the door, and they backed into the room. There was a click as he locked the door behind them. Pulling her to him again, desperate to feel the warmth of her body against his, their lips met once more. She began to pull at his clothes, as he did hers. Both quickly disrobed, and he lay her gingerly down on the bed, as another wave of dizziness swept over him, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He began to kiss a trail down her neck as she spoke once more.
"I love you, Pride . . ." she whispered as everything went black again. "I love you . . ."
Pride shot up from the mattress, hand to his chest as his heart raced and he struggled for air. He looked around the room, quickly remembering where he was and who was really lying beside him. He looked over to see that May was still fast asleep, snuggled under the covers with one of her bare shoulders showing. As his breathing slowed down, he looked out the window to see that the storm had passed and that it was barely even daybreak.
He sighed sleepily, knowing there was no way he was going to be able to get back to sleep, not with the dream he'd just had. The dream . . . He could still hear Liliana's last words echoing in his mind, and something about them warmed his heart, though he didn't know why. He'd never once given a damn if she loved him like that, and besides - it had just been a dream.
But as he began to wake up a little more, it occurred to him that the dream had picked up almost exactly where the first one he'd had about her had left off. Was that even possible? It had all been so vivid - her words, the feel of her lips against his, the warmth of her body, the soaring of his heart. He needed some fresh air and a cup of tea to clear his mind, he decided. Sliding out of the bed, he pulled on a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt and crept to the door. Opening it as quietly as he could, he stepped out into the dark hallway.
As he closed the door and looked down the hallway to the kitchen, Liliana's door opened, and she stepped out of her room. Their eyes met, and suddenly, as the memories of the previous night flooded back through Pride's mind, he felt that familiar hurting ache sweep over his heart. With that and the dream still fresh in his mind, he felt a bubbling kind of rage churning up inside of him. God, she looked beautiful standing there, her hair loose, her feet bare, and her white nightgown sliding off of one shoulder. He closed his eyes momentarily, trying to regain his composure before he swept past her toward the kitchen without so much as a word.
That's all for now, folks! Thanks again for reading, now please go and tell me what you thought of what you read! I love reviews – they keep me going! Toodles until later . . .