Word Count: 1628

~Rosie

I sat in my room for the rest of the day, stubborn.

Night passed by exceptionally slowly, as my body refused to allow me sleep. Or my mind, rather, since I can't stop running through each and every word Time has said to me since he took me to this place. It's important for me to understand him, to find out this weakness I was previously warned about. Then I might be able to escape.

Naturally, my mind considered what it would be like to love him. I'm not too upset about not having a mate, since I never have truly craved one. I've always preferred my family over a lover, since fate can sometimes be cruel. Being mated to him is evidence of that enough.

It won't be easy though, admittedly, to ignore the flutter in my stomach when I see him. I'm assuming that's just a symptom of this bond between us.

If I could get rid of it, I would.

As the morning light glimmers through my window and my stomach starts to growl, I decide I need to come out of my room to face this issue. Time hasn't bothered me, thankfully. I'm sure he is still bristling after I stormed up to my room and slammed my door after he tried to tell me how badly he wants me. Little does he know, I don't care.

Slipping out the bedroom door, I still wear yesterday's clothes. I checked the dresser and there were plenty of feminine clothing items in there, which I refuse to wear. My clothing is the last hint of my old life that I have, and I'm not about to let go of that.

Through the hallway, drifts the sound of music. It startles for me for a moment, as I stand still, listening hard to the notes that pierce the silence that usually plagues this place.

Surprisingly, the music if beautiful.

Blindly, I follow the sound, letting it increase in my ears the closer I get. I'm not sure if Time is the source of the music. If so, he does have a wonderful taste, as the notes almost feel as if they are lifting me up off the ground. No one sings, it's just a simple flow of instruments that I've never heard before.

It leads me to another set of stairs I hadn't noticed. They sweep up to the next floor as I step up them, the music getting louder with each step. Finally, I come to a closed door, that isolates the sound. It must be in here.

Looking over my shoulder, I check to see Time isn't watching. For whatever reason, this music has drawn me in, luring me here without my consent.

The door, however, is locked.

The door handle jiggles within my hands, but it refuses to open. Having it not open almost seems to jerk me back into reality. I'm not sure what inspired me to follow the sound, but it's so beautiful, leaving me with no other choice. Knocking promptly on the door, I wait to see if anyone will answer. I'm hoping I'm not truly alone here.

I flinch, as the door creaks open. It's only slightly, as Time ducks around, looking at me. It seems I've taken him off guard, as he refuses to step fully out of the door. The music suddenly cuts short, a jarring silence following.

"Do you need help?" he asks, still not stepping out with me into the hallway. His hair looks dishevelled, a smear of something bright red is on his cheek.

What if that's blood?

"I'm hungry," I say. It's not wrong, and it's an excuse for trying to find him. I'm assuming he resides in this wing of the household. It's rather bare with its furnishings, other than a the odd painting strung on the wall. It's always of the night sky, the stars and the moon. I'm curious about his interest in the darkness, but maybe it's fairly self explanatory.

"There will be food downstairs in the dining hall," he tells me, before he closes the door right in my face. I blink a few times, before murmuring a few curse words under my breath at his rudeness. How am I meant to know where the dining hall is?

Thankfully, it doesn't take me long to find it. And as Time had promised, the table was laden with a variety of food, that still looked fresh and hot.

I'm assuming this is the work of magic.

Looking at all the food, I decide whether I want to delve into it. My trust in Time is next to none, and I wouldn't put it past him to taint the food to manipulate me. So, I hunt around for a kitchen. I doubt Time has had to do any cooking in his life, yet I still find a kitchen tucked in next to the dining hall. It's perfectly pristine, the fridge surprisingly stocked.

I only consider how convenient it is that everything in this place is so perfectly laid out or a moment, brushing it off as he was preparing for arrival. Even in my mortal life, I never lived in such a lavish place, so I'm making the most of what I can in this terrible situation.

My mind racks through for recipes I've cooked previously, deciding on an omelette, since it's quick and easy. I'm trying to distract myself, otherwise I'll freak out about my fate.

I'm not going to stay here for long, though.

"Do you always have to do everything for yourself?" I hear a voice from behind me. Putting down the shell of the egg I just cracked, I see Time leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen, watching me. He seems to have sorted himself out, that smear of red across his cheek now having been wiped away. I wonder what he was doing...

Turning around, I focus back on the assembly of my omelette. "My mother taught me you shouldn't expect anyone to do anything for you. You should only rely on yourself, letting people compliment your life rather than control it."

"Your mother was a smart woman," he says. I hear his footsteps as he comes into the room, making me bristle. I can't forget that Time is an immortal; I can't get comfortable around him.

"She is. She taught me a lot of valuable skills. Like cooking, among others," I comment, glancing over my shoulder at him.

He doesn't look intimidated at all.

"Maybe that's why you mortals are so stable. You have a parental figure unlike the rest of us immortals, who raise ourselves," Time muses. I don't know much about Time at all, but I do know he has caused trouble in the past. What kind of trouble, I'm yet to discover. What he has done to me already, his mate, suggests he's sinister to those he doesn't like.

I flip my omelette, thinking. "What were you doing in that room? And what was that music this morning? It was beautiful, but distracting, and I want to know if it was your choice. Did it help you with whatever you were doing?"

After my built my anger has released, I'm attempting a calm approach. Time isn't going to trust me if I'm aggressive. If he trusts me, it will give me room to escape.

My main goal, to get him to take me back to his village.

"The music is to fill the silence. It's gets awfully quiet here," he says softly. I have to agree, and I've only spent a small out of time here. When you live in between realities where no one else is, it would happen to get rather lonely. I doubt Time cares very much for that. He seems like the perfect creature to ensure a bit of solitude.

"Why don't you find somewhere else to live?" I ask. I'm genuinely curious about this, rather than asking to try gain his trust. Maybe he hates other people, which doesn't make much sense considering how often he visits the village in his territory.

Time sighs deeply. "Well, when a lot of people want you dead, there is only one place to be safe, and that's where you create it."

Of course. That makes sense.

"So why bring me here then? Why bring me here now, when you know I don't want to be here? Is there something you're not telling me?" I question. I know I'm asking a lot, but these are things I need to know. Time has been so obscure, and I personally don't believe he just wants me here because I am his mate.

"I was planning on making contact with you as soon as I could, however, I had to speed things up. Someone wants me gone, and the best way to get to me is to get to you. I couldn't have you out there with everyone else," Time explains.

My throat goes dry. There's no memory in my mind of ever being in danger from someone else other than the time I was poisoned.

"Who?"

"It's another immortal. He decided not long ago that he hates me, and wants my powers. And it might not be easy, but we are going to make sure he never gets them," he tells me firmly. "Because believe it or not, I want you to be my mate, and not someone named Sinful's."

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Hey guys! If you're enjoying the story, you can head over to Radish and read Time ahead of Wattpad!

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Hey guys! I've released Thought's own story on Radish, which is available now! I want to see by the end, which of the brothers your prefer

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~Midika 💜🐼