(AJ's POV)
"Why'd you insist on – aw! – doing this? I'm perfectly clean!" AJ protested as William started the shower, afterwards pulling his shirt over his head.
"I know, dear. It's just…a precaution. If we're to create this imprint, I don't want…interruptions." He replied, turning and locking the door as he said the last word.
"What d'ya mean by-" he put a finger to her lips, kissing her forehead.
"I was afraid if we did this the traditional way, you're all the boys would hear. If we keep the shower running, the water can at least drown you out, no pun intended."
"So you think I'm a screamer? That's mature." AJ scoffed, biting her lip as she looked at the floor, turning to look anywhere but at William.
Sensing her discontent, he put a hand under her chin and raised her face to look at him.
"I don't know that for sure, but I don't want to take any chances. Adeline, look at me."
She blinked, looking over him.
"I wouldn't even be doing this if you hadn't found me first. Now show me you meant to start our game,
like I meant to end it."
She grinned, slipping out of the jeans she wore, the button peasant top coming off with ease. She looked at him, nodded, and then turned.
"Be a gentleman, won't you?" she teased, voice cracking slightly with her nerves.
Gently, his fingers brushed her shoulder blade and along her spine before he unclipped her bra, leaving her only in underwear, the kind that sat just below her hips, where sharp curves defined her body into the lithe hybrid that she was.
She shuddered as he moved her hair to one side, pressing light kisses along her neck and jawline, his other hand resting on her hip, rubbing in small circles that caused her to moan softly and sent her eyelids fluttering.
For the longest time, she couldn't remember having something like this happen when she was sober.
"I'm c-cold." she stuttered, 'wait, could she even get cold if she was half lycan?' she thought, not able to think straight with the way he was touching her, let only that she knew what was going to happen sooner or later.
"Well, we can fix that, go on." He said, pulling back the shower curtain, watching her step over the divide before following after.
"I love how you haven't noticed we're both not even fully undressed," she added with a giggle.
He shrugged, "Just waiting for you to get comfortable."
In the end, neither would realize exactly how comfortable AJ would get, or how right William had been about the idea of the hybrid being a screamer.
But later on, as the two lay in the bedroom across from his office, AJ's head on his chest, she grinned at the sound of one of the boys walking into the bathroom. And then,
"WHY THE FUCK ARE THERE TEETH MARKS ON THE TOWEL RACK?!"
She giggled, pressing her face into the silvery, downy wolf pelt at her side to muffle her laughter. William smiled, one hand running through her curls.
"What's got you so smiley?"
"Looks like one of the boys found what we did," she admitted sheepishly, turning against him, his cloak warm against her barely clothed body.
He kissed her head, sighing.
"They'll figure it out soon enough."
AJ nodded, falling quiet. It seemed as soon as they'd laid down, something had began to bother him.
"William?" she asked, turning to look at him, one of his hand moving to rub her back, anything to remind himself that this had been worth it, the years of being alone had come to an end.
"What is it, love?"
"I can feel you thinking…I mean, something's bothering you, tell me. You don't have to suffer alone."
"I'm not suffering. It's just about that demon girl, and her friends…first they show up in MY city and go after us because we just happen to be there when the other girl wasn't, and now that girl gets away. I just have a feeling something bad's going to happen with this many people involved. We should have kept things small, I shouldn't've gone after your friend. It's my fault we're in this mess."
AJ only offered a nod in agreement, "But there's nothing you can do now, right? I mean, isn't it out of your hands?"
"Well, now it is. Only thing we can do now is go after them."
"Go aft-"
"I'm taking the rest of the Dandies with me, rest assured we'll find wherever the lycan and his friends are. You have to stay here."
"But why do I have to stay?" she whined, pursing her lips.
William smiled, ruffling her hair.
"There must always be a Dandie here to prevent someone from taking over, Adeline. Do you know how bad it would look if this mansion was home to someone else? Just as there must always be a Dandie here, there must-"
He paused, motioning toward the old paperback copy of George R.R. Martin's A Game Of Thrones sitting on the bedside table. Knowing what he meant, AJ smiled.
"Always be Stark in Winterfell." She finished the phrase, laughing, "Leave it to you to quote a book that's just a good as Lord Of The Rings to get a point across."
"That's not a bad thing. Now, if I asked, you could probably quote the entire-"
"About three things I was absolutely positive. First, William was a vampire. Second, there was part of him — and I didn't know how potent that part might be — that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."
William sighed, "Exactly what I meant. And please, love, don't ever reference that terrible book series again. Even with the adjusted circumstances, there's better quality examples out there. But for now, sleep. I'll stay here until you wake tomorrow and then-"
"You'll take me hunting?" she wagered, kissing his cheek as his eyes widened in surprise.
"I'm the mind reader, not you, so, c'mon, stop doing that. It makes me look bad if you say what I think you're gonna say before I know you're really going to say it."
She only smiled, "Better get used to it. And earlier…thanks. You weren't as…you weren't anything like the others, back when I'd get slammed and the guys would invite me ov-"
She blinked; he leaned in and took her lips once again, pulling back with a smile.
"I know."
(William's POV)
"Adeline, love, up." He smiles at the huff he's able to hear, he already knows she's too comfy to move.
Head buried under a pillow, arms cradling the wolf pelt, cloak tangled around her form, she lies.
"Five more minutes, baby?" She calls, voice muffled from her position.
He laughs, shaking his head even though she can't see it, "It's six thirty, doll. I let you sleep almost all day."
Her head lifts and she throws the pillow at him before reaching to wrap the cloak around her shoulders, "After what you put me through yesterday, I needed that. Here's hoping everything- fuck. My shoulders….I'm sore."
"That's probably because-"
"I didn't sleep wrong, William. And don't tell me that's still from the impact of the wall falling. I know better than that," she cut in, getting up and standing on the bed only to walk two steps and trip, being the cloak had tangled itself around her feet.
"Woa-" She starts, she doesn't have time to finish the word before William's arms are around her waist,
"Gotcha."
She smiles, kissing his nose.
"Put me down now? I'm hopping in the shower, getting dressed, and then I really really want to go hunting. I have a feeling this time it'll be a little easier to track something now that I'm with you. 'Course, now I can't just jump in, I suppose now I'm going to have to be all reserved and stuff, I mean, this is the Dandies we're talking about."
He only smiled, carrying her toward the bathroom, setting her down before the door.
"Leaving sometime tonight would be nice, Adeline."