Chapter 54 - I Will Mark You

(From Leandro's Perspective)

She came out of the shower and sat on the bed. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt that came down to her upper thigh. She was wearing her shorts, leaving her hairless legs in full view. There were scars on her knees, cuts on her thighs. But she did not seem to care for them, unlike those girls who would do anything to hide their scars. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why I liked her. 

"You don't have any body hair," I said. 

"No. I do waxing," she said. "You know what waxing is, don't you? Don't worry if you don't know. This Ella here will tell you everything. Well, waxing is a hair removal process by using a covering of wax to adhere body hair and then you have to pull it off. It's quite painful I have to say. But the pain is worth it. Hair won't grow back in four or six weeks."

"Do you have to go through that just so hair won't grow?" I asked tiredly.

"Of course. I hate body hair. They are tickly. And besides, they make me feel sweaty. It's better to be without them. I've brought wax with me as well. I don't know for how long I'll be able to use them. What will happen if they are finished? I won't be able to remove my body hair then. Oh no!"

"Don't worry. You can find them in the market here," I said.

"Truly?"

"I don't lie. You know that." 

"Great then! Anyway, you told me that you'll tell me about the marking thing. Now tell me," she said and sat crossed-legged on the bed. 

She was patting her thighs lightly like an excited little girl. She was so innocent, so curious... How could I think of doing those things to her? But I still wanted to do them. I thought of taking things slow. I would let her adjust to me first, and then move forward. 

I sat on the bed in front of her. She was so eager to know this, but I was not sure how she was going to react. After all, she was unpredictable. 

"So a shifter can mark a shifter as theirs, kind of like a warning for others to stay away."

"Is it kind of like the way werewolves mark? I mean, do you know werewolves? Those humans can turn into wolves. I read that they have destined mates chosen by the Moon goddess. Then they mate with their mates, I mean, have sex with them and mark them by biting or something like that. Then they become theirs. It's also like a warning for other werewolves to stay away from their mates. There are no werewolves in the world. They are just in the pages of books and in movies and TV shows. Now that I say this, I remember Teen Wolves. It's a TV show, you know, with seven seasons perhaps. I kind of like one of the boys there. Not like a crush, it was more like I thought he has a good face and that's all. Zoe likes Stiles there. He is this... Well, I'll tell you about it some other time," she said. "It's not the same case here, right? Wait, it can't be the same case! Oh my goodness! I can't have sex with someone. Oh no!"

"It's kind of like that. But shifters don't have destined mates here. They just make another shifter theirs and they are the only ones that can carry their children. It's like this in this world. Humans can't carry shifters' children here. And they can't get marked either. Only shifters can do this. But there must be something different in your world. If your father truly is a shifter, then because of the difference, despite being a human, your mother became pregnant," I said. 

"So what happens after someone is marked?"

"Then they can sense each other's emotions, they can sense the other person's presence when they are near, they can understand if the other person is in trouble or not."

"How does a shifter mark?"

"They mate and then bite into the other person's skin that leaves a permanent mark that even death can't remove."

"What?" She was horrified. "Mate? You mean, have sex with them? I can't do it. Oh no! It's bad, so so bad."

"This is the whole marking process. But have you forgotten that I've told you about being half marked?"

"Half marked?"

"Yes. It doesn't involve the mating..."

"Then I'll do it," she said excitedly. 

"Listen to the whole thing first. While marking it involves biting and mating, but half marking involves biting only. So, it's more painful and the effect of the marking is less in this case. Like, a shifter can sense the emotions of the other person, but not fully. The effect is less as I said," I explained. "A mark is permanent and will never be removed. It means even one of them dies, the mark will still remain. But a half mark is different. If one of them dies, the mark will be gone. And if the mark is gone, the connection is gone as well."

"So it can't be removed before the other person's death?"

"No."

"Will it hurt too much?" she asked. 

"I won't lie to you, but yes, it will hurt a lot. You still have time. You can say no," I said. 

"No. I want to do this. But well, if the shifter bites me, his saliva will surely get on my shoulder, right? It will stink. It's disgusting," she muttered. 

I could not help but laugh. Why was this girl so silly and adorable about everything? Did she not know that she was driving me crazy with her adorable acts?

"Ella, let me ask you something. Will you want someone else to do this?"

"What?"

"I will mark you," I said. 

"What?"

"I told you already. I will mark you. Or do you want someone else to do it?"

"I just... Why would you want to mark me? Or is there any way to remove the mark?"

"Do you think I'm not worthy of marking you?"

"No, it's not that. I think I'm not worthy of being marked by you. I mean, I'm so weak and pathetic. Why would you want to mark me?"

"I've thought this through, Ella. I never had any plan about marking someone. But now... Better be you than anyone else," I said. It was half true. I never wanted to mark anyone thinking that no one would care for me anyway. So what was the point? Everyone feared me. But that was before I met her. She was different in every way possible. And she did not fear me, rather she embraced me as someone very close to her and she even admitted that she liked me as myself. What could I ask for more in a partner?

"You hate others that much?"

"You have no idea," I chuckled.

"I'm glad you don't hate me," she said. 

"Hate you? How can I hate you? I like you. I like you more than anything else. Silly girl! You've no idea what each of your words means to me. Now, wait and see how I make you trust me with your heart. That day, you will be mine fully."

"So, are you sure you want me to mark you? I'm sure that I want to mark you, but I need your consent as well."

"Yes, I want you to mark me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Good. I'll make lunch then."

"I want to help you."

"You don't know how to cook."

"How do you know that?" she asked, surprised.

"You told me the first morning I cooked for you," I said. 

She smiled down at her lap. I wondered what she was thinking. Was she thinking how I remembered? It was the same thing that I had been thinking as well. How could I remember her every word so clearly? It was like even though I would be doing a lot of things if she talked, I could grasp her every word. 

"You remember," she mumbled. 

"You didn't take my brain to be dull, did you?" I said. "Anyway, remember one day you asked me about my favorite hobby?"

She nodded. "But you said that it's none of my business."

"I know. But I think I know what my favorite hobby is now," I said. 

"Drawing? Cooking? Or is there something else that I don't know of? You got to show me more of your hobby."

"You're going to regret saying that. I'm giving you a chance to take it back."

"Why would I? What's your hobby? Tell me."

"Kissing you."