23 My Protectors

My head really hurts and I don't ever want to wake up. But a little light makes my head ache so I pressed my face on the thing which I thought is a pillow. But that pillow hugged me and kissed me. The pillow always feel naked and I am really worried that Flame had get into my panty. I gently open my eyes and a pair of crystal green eyes meets mine.

"How are you feeling?" he asked sweetly. I am too curious on why he's with me. Why am I sleeping with him? Where am I?

"I feel like shit." I murmurs that amuses him.

He looked at me like a damn fool in love stupid guy. I just realized that I am pillowing on his arms and I am too closed to him. He's also half naked and a blanket is covered to us. When I looked at myself it really makes me taken aback and more on surprised. I am almost nude, but I am still wearing my bra and jeans. I cover the blanket up my chest to cover it. I sat up and looked around. We are under a tree and we are covered in twines like it was a small cave.

"Where am I?" I asked her.

"Forest, away from the Academy." He told and sat up with me. I saw Ruin running around and playing on the bunny who look terrified but the bunny is trying to fight. He gently kissed my naked shoulders.

"And my shirt?" I asked him. He stop and nods on the ashes and charcoals near us. I closed my eyes really hard and things flashes back in my mind.

It was really cold and he put me down the big tree. I lean my head back and watch him control the vines and roots of the tree to make a little tent or more like a cave. He sat beside me and I pull him closer to me and push him on the trunk of the tree. I don't know what I am really doing. I move my knees astride his lap and kissed him thoroughly. He did kiss me back. After the kissing session, I stare into his eyes while my fingers are pulling his hair, more like massaging.

"I love your eyes." I told him.

"I know you do." I gently run down my finger tips on his nose bridge and kissed his nose tips. He gently wrapped his arms around me with a gorgeous smile. Now, that really attracts me so much. My fingers goes down his shirt and pulls it up. "Isn't too aggressive for you to—" I tear his sweatshirt that really amuses him. I smirked at him and throw it behind me and I pull my shirt up too. I throw it away behind me and I started kissing his lips.

I gave him little suction but he respond in a deep passionate one. His warm hands crawls at my back and gently rubbed my sides. It immediately gives me heat. It arouses me like he was. His kiss crawls down my chin down to my neck. He kissed it with suction and wetted it with his tongue. His mouth traces down my chest and leaves kiss marks. I respond it all with sweet pleasurable moans. He stop that disappoints me. I frown at him but he respond a little chuckle and he gently caressed my face. His fingers traces on my shoulder gently following the spirals of my marks.

"Let's get dressed. It's cold."

"I don't want to." It amuses him more on what I said. "I'm still enjoying the view." I gave him a sly smirk like really seducing him. "Let's remove this." I gently caress down my fingertips down his abdominal towards the button of his pants. He shook his head. I raise my eyebrow on him.

"I am really craving on making love with you, but I wanted it special. A bed with full of rose petals and scented candles… then you are about to pull down your white wedding dress…"

"You wanted to marry me?"

"Sure, why not?" he asked cockily.

"Me or Adhiti?"

"What can I do? I cannot decide whether you or her." He gently kissed my nose tips. I throw a fire behind me where our clothes are. He was about to stood up but I corner him. He sigh defeated but laugh at what I did. "Okay, since you burn it all, I should pick up few woods to burn to keep you warm."

"Am I not hot?" I asked him.

"You are hot. It is just, I am cold since you burn our clothes." He gently lay me down on the grass and kissed my lips. I waited him to come back and stare on our clothes that is burning. Though, I can make fire, I still feel cold. The refreshing coldness of the night blows on my skin and I feel really cold without him. He come back and settle the branches of trees and woods.

He lay down beside me with a blanket with him. I don't know where the blanket came from though. I felt Ruin runs towards me and licked my face as I gently close my eyes. Ruin lay down beside me while his nose is pointed to mine. I stare at my wolf while I am unconscious around me. I just felt his warm arms wrapped around from my back. I felt his warm breathe blows at my nape. I felt his kiss gently pressed on my back.

"You don't know what happened?" he asked me that pulls me out from my deep thought. I was a little quizzical when he gently pulls the blanket that I am hugging. He pulls my face up and his kiss that I didn't expect gives warmth on my body. I immediately pushed him and pulls up the blanket to cover it to myself.

"What are you doing?" my sound gets a little aggressive for him to understand that I don't remember anything and I don't like to be kissed by him. But it is crazy because I wanted him. I am addictive on him. His lip sneer up like he knows something that I don't know.

"Your new task will start here." He stood and offer his hand to me. I look up at him and sigh indecisively as I took his hand and stood but I failed to stand with my own feet. He has to catch me for me not to fall. "I guess you need to take a bath first." He pulls the blanket that I am hugging and throw it somewhere.

"Hey!" I complains and was about to get it back. But he pulls my waist that makes me lean on his back. Skin to skin… it gives me shivers. But that felt so good.

I have to remove my pants when we are in front of the river. Good thing that I am wearing my really hot bikini. I am sure that he's drooling on the view. I jump down the river and the refreshing cold of water makes me really new. When I pop out my head I felt a massive arms wrapped around me. I squeal and I felt his kiss on my naked shoulder.

"Let's forget that I am your mentor. Let's just be together while we are away the academy."

"Where are we?" I just let him hug me. I look down on my chest and I saw a few red marks. "Did you do this to me?"

"Hmm." He murmurs and kissed the crook of my neck. "Do you have a romantic relationship with Flame?" he suddenly asked.

"What if I have?" I challenge him his arms tightens around me. It had a big effect on him.

"I don't care." I heard his teeth gritted. "Just don't make out under the apple tree. Do you know how that tree means to me?"

"I don't and I do not care." I told him cockily enough for him to get mad. But he still remain calm and it annoys me.

"Really?" he challenge me. "Then, let that weed grow." He told me and pointed on the weed in front of us where Ruin is playing around together with a bunny. The bunny tried to escape but I guess Ruin wanted to play and play and he doesn't want the toy to get away.

"How tall?" I asked him. I stealthily enjoys his embrace and his chin rested on my shoulder.

"Ten feet tall or if you could grow it up to twenty feet." I lift my hand gently as the water comes along with my hand. I focus on the weed that I am staring and it grows together with weeds near it. I immediately drop my hand with a sigh of unsatisfied. Ruin whimpers and runs away the weeds and the bunny, so the bunny got a time to escape. "Not bad. Since you know how to grow it, your assignment is to learn how to control it."

He moves away from me which makes me a little uncomfortable without his warm embrace. He pull down himself under the water. I wonder what's he's doing down there. It startles me when he hold my sides and pull himself up until his wet mouth pressed on mine. I grimaced on what he did but he just ignores it and he lift a stone with mosses around it.

"We, Eriāns can make a boulder from a living stone."

"Living stone? You mean, that stone is alive?" he nods at me. He stare at the stone and I stare at it too. I have to blink and shook myself when the stone grows a little together with the mosses. "Did it gets bigger?"

"Precisely. Erā, is the Goddess of earth who manipulates and creates the living things. That was her name, before she reborn down the earth. She gifted my great, great grandfather until to our bloodline. As one of the member of Royal Family of Erā, I know how to control the nature or grow things."

"That's cool." That is all I can say. I know it is cool or more than that. The first thing I learn is to control the Earth and healing. But I deny it from myself and hid it to those prying eyes for my protection. He handed me the stone and sign me to do it. I sigh and concentrated but nothing happened.

"Concentrate and put a little energy on it."

"How do you put 'little energy' 'on it'?" I asked him in a little sarcastic way.

"Find it out from yourself."

"Unbelievable." I murmur to myself stare at the stone. If you won't grow, I will throw you to his handsome face. I am hungry and I hate this guy but I wanted to kiss those lips too much. Do you understand? All I can do is to threaten the stone with a stare. And the thing that I didn't expect is it grows much bigger than he grows. Because it is heavy, it slipped off from my hand. "Seriously?! You take that threat?" I murmurs. Nicholas is looking at me weirdly because I am talking on the stone. I looked up at him which is; I wanted to take back the time for not threatening the stone.

"What did you do? Did you put 'little energy on it'?" he asked me. I shook my head. "You didn't do nothing except?" he waited me to answer his question.

"Except of threatening the stone through my mind." I blurted on him. It makes him gape a little and very quizzical.

"Threaten?" he asked again to make sure that he heard it right.

Because I am really hungry, he told me to grow the peach tree and for it to give us fruits. I did. I always do it so it is just a piece of cake to me. He pick up few peaches and he gave me one. I take a bite on it. It is really juicy and so sweet. Good thing that he let me cover myself with the blanket because I am too exposed on him. I also don't want anyone spy on us and saw my mark at my back.

He told me that he will just get water. Then he came back with round leaf and few green apples. I am sitting under the peach tree while hugging my Ruin who also ate peach. I didn't expect that he would like fruits too. I look up at Nick who gave me apples and a leaf that is rounded to handle water. I drank on the water and feel relieved. If I drank water after I am fully awake it would be great but he didn't gave me any.

"Let's get ready, you are going to attend few on your next subject."

I come back to my room and glance on the wall clock. It is already ten in the morning so I hurried up and drink an orange juice from the fridge. After I had taken a bath and put my uniform on, I pour one scoop of his meal on his bowl and pour another one on his other bowl for his milk.

"I am so sorry buddy, but you have to drink alone without the baby bottle." I patted him. Ruin still needs to drink milk from the bottle of baby. He's still an infant and he need a good care.

I was about to head to my class when I got a call from the Head Mistress. I did not expect that there are Mr. and Mrs. Patterson, Patrick and disciplinary officer of the Academy. I think I know what this means. Nicholas was there too.

"Do you know why you are here, Ms. Canfield?" Leona asked in very formal tune. I blink once and look directly into her eyes.

"Because there's a complaint about me?" I answer which is more like a question. I don't want to play with guessing games.

"Not exactly, do you know that a teacher-student relationship is prohibited—"

"To be precise?" I asked her in very formal.

"Having a romantic relationship with your Professor to be specific." Leona told. I remain calm, monotonous and clueless. "There had been lots of witnesses about you and your adviser, Mr. Gregory. Are you aware of that, Ms. Canfield?"

"Firstly, I wanted to stand my right not to remain silent for the truth. Secondly, I am truly aware about that. But may I asked, am I the only one who seemed like stepped in the court as a suspect?" I asked her monotonously. "To be specific; Am I the only one here having an affaire de Coeur with the adviser?"

"Head Mistress, my apprentice here is innocent. She was clueless on my actions." Nicholas speaks. Leona just glance at him and ignore him.

"You might get suspended, Ms. Canfield. Or worse, kicked out the school." Leona said her last sentences with a little pressed on it. But her voice is still calm.

"I am not worried on getting suspended or kicked out of this school. As long as I get out of here alive." I said it to her directly like I was implying something. Nicholas stood from his seat while Patrick and Mr. and Mrs. Patterson are beside him.

"Catastrophe Canfield, is my responsibility. I was the one who enrolled her in this school for my own desire. I wanted the Board consider it since I am her guardian. She will never going to be kick out of this school nor suspended if I am still in this Academy."

"Head Mistress, it is a matter of pasts, since Catastrophe is identically look like our daughter. We all know that Nicholas and Adhiti are sweethearts and known as their great love. So it will be hard for him to be around her and pretend not to get attached or attractive." Patrick speaks who is a psychologist of the school also one of the counselors.

"I got your point, Patrick, however, it isn't right in their positions."

"I thought that I am a victim here not a criminal." I speak which makes them all looks at me.

"For this to stop, what about let's stop their mentor-apprentice relationship. We are going to assign somebody else as her mentor." One of the Board Members said. He glanced at me and winks and I wonder what he meant about his wink. I don't know him but somehow he look really kind.

"We can't assign new mentor for Ms. Canfield," Mr. Kraig Patterson interjected. "Mr. Gregory is helping her to control her gifts and it is very confidential."

"Besides, he is perfect about her gifts. She's fast on catching up because of the daily routine that he is giving." The Head Mistress doesn't seem alright about it. The Board can't even speak because of the powerful thing about Nicholas. "It would be hard for the new mentor to adjust on her knowledge and skills." She sigh indecisively and looked at me. I remain calm, and impassive. Catastrophe is not easy to show expression. She's a cool-cold person.

"I wanted to ask a question, if you all don't mind." They nods at me to give me permission to ask. "Why should the student get suspend or kick out of the school when the teacher is the one who is seducing the student and harass her?" I blurted which makes everyone stop and looked at Nicholas. My lack of sensitiveness makes them drops their jaws. "That would be truly unfair though, Mr. Gregory holds a big share in this school, if ever he's one of the stockholders."

They all look quizzical on what I said. Then I guess it is true that Nicholas is holding a big share in the Academy. So it is easy for him to fool around and make the Head Mistress agreed on things he wanted. It is inappropriate for a man to have a female apprentice.

I got a chance to talk to Nicholas, Mr. and Mrs. Patterson and Patrick privately. I was in front of them staring down the paper that is in front of me. All I have to do is to sign it for Nicholas to be my legal Guardian.

"I can call somebody to be my guardian." I told them and look directly to Nick.

"You mean, Mr. Sander?" I nod at him. "Did you ever think that he will be in danger if he will become your guardian?" he's really giving me reasons for him to be my guardian. Of course I cannot put Marcus in peril. And because of my situation, I can't make him my legal guardian.

"You really wanted me to be your responsibility?" he answer me a lopsided smile that makes my left eyebrow lift. "What about Mr. and Mrs. Patterson?" they both looked at me. "If I was Adhiti would you agree on this thing?"

They both looked at each other like asking for each other's answer. I looked at Patrick who shook his head then I look back at Nicholas who is really challenging me. Since I won't get kicked out or suspended or he won't get suspended or kicked out, I have to sign this thing for my Protection. But how long will he protect me?

"I just wished to be your Guardian but it is just…" Mrs. Patterson's voice faded and hold on her husband's hand.

"Alright," I had decided. I don't want to see those lonely eyes and pitiful scenes so I sign the paper using my new penmanship. "I guess this ends this meeting."

We all headed to the corridor and I stop when he hold my hand with a paper on his hand and he told me to walk with him like he's dragging me. We stop on the corner and he face me.

"Thank you for being considerable about yourself. You see, I would do anything for you to complete your gift. You will be an outstanding student of this school." He told me which is really unusual, although, he's talking that way, I think he is implying something. "Also, don't forget to clean Artemis's quarter."

"How would I clean it? I never clean horse's quarter and clean them."

"Someone will help you about it." He looked directly into my eyes and I immediately understand what he means.

I walk back to my room and locked it. Then I looked at my hand that has a crumbled piece of paper. I unfold it. My heart stopped from reading it.

They can't be your guardian. The monsters had come to kill everyone who will become your guardian. They are like shadows behind you. ILY.