Earlier that day:
Cici was all smiles as she felt the happiness warming her darling's heart. It was strange for him at first, but he'd quickly grown to accept how this world worked. Make no mistake, Eli was her everything, and she would do anything for him, just as she knew he would do for her. That being said, she had always dreamed of having a big family, but she never thought she would truly find that. Never thought a man would be as wonderful as she had envisioned, but then Eli came into her life... and in other ways.
Sure, some Beastkin, like her parents, were content with just the one mate... despite how her mom tried to convince her father otherwise many times. He had always said that no one else could even compare to her, so why should he keep looking? That was how Eli seemed at first too, but he had very easily adapted to the idea of having more women in his life. It also helps that they were on the same page when it came to that. He was the romantic type, as was she, so not only did they all have to get along with each other, but they had to be loyal to, and love him unconditionally. She thought that was a simple task. Eli was far too loveable for his own good... that sweet, simple, ridiculously powerful man.
She was growing very fond of all of the ladies as well. She already loved Clarissa like sister by this point, which was good, since that's basically what they would be when she joined their family. A big, happy family, full of love, support, and hopefully in the future, plenty of children, of which they could all raise together. That was the far future, to be sure, but what a wonderful thought it was.
Right now though, she had another obstacle to tackle. The other woman she had quickly come to adore, Valerie. Despite Valerie being roughly a year older than here, she felt her older sister instincts kick in when she was around her. In some ways, she reminded her very much of Eli, but in others, not as much.
Eli has not had a great childhood, with the pain he was constantly in, let alone that horrendous man that had one dared to call himself a father. He had more in common with Clarissa in that aspect, having a terrible father who grew more cold and cruel as time had went on. Valerie, on the other hand, had no parents to speak of, at least from what they knew. She had been enslaved, locked away, and tormented basically her entire life. The thought sent a spike of rage through her mind that she quickly stamped out, lest Eli begin to worry.
All that being said, they both had issues with properly expressing themselves, although Valerie was much worse off. Sure, Eli had no issues expressing how he felt, whether it was telling her how much her loved her, to the more extremes, like beating an asshole to death with his own arm. That was a sight to behold. However, he didn't always think of everything, such as how this world worked vs what he could do that others could not. He also did not take praise or compliments very well, something that saddened her, as she felt he was one of the most deserving people of such things. He was such a kind, and sweet man, who had been forced to do terrible things out of necessity. She would safeguard and protect his heart at all costs.
Valerie though? The poor girl was traumatized by a life of abuse, being made to feel that she was worthless, and being forced to do things she did not want to do. That would never happen to her. Ever. Again.
"Cecilia?" Valerie asked, drawing her away from her thoughts. She almost laughed, as she was doing the Eli thing, her mind racing through everything at incredible speeds.
"Yes sweetie?" Cici asked, making Valerie pause and blush faintly, "Also, we're friends, Val. Please call me Cici."
"Right... Cici, are you okay? You looked like your mind was elsewhere." Valerie said, and this time, she did laugh. She was definitely doing the Eli thing.
"Yes. I was thinking." Cici said, thinking about how to word what she wanted to say, "I was thinking about Eli. And about everything. About you.'
Valerie froze at her words, her brain trying to piece together what what she could mean by that.
"About... me?" Valerie finally asked, and Cici nodded.
"Yes. I wanted this time alone with you. I know I mentioned this before, but it's pretty obvious at this point. My darling is a wonderful man, and as such, he is attracting a lot of attention. One of those things, or rather, one of those people, is taking his attention right now." Cici said, and Valerie's head drooped a bit as she nodded.
"Yes. Lady Clarissa." Valerie said, and Cici had to fight a frown. They were all friends, yet Valerie still gave them all titles like that... granted Clarissa was a Baroness, but she didn't like nor did she want to be called that by them.
"Yes. She will be a part of our family soon. Honestly, in my eyes, she already is. But I can feel something else, in this bond I have with Eli. Like... once she is bonded, her and I will be too, on a much deeper level." Cici said, pausing to stare into Valerie's eyes, "And... I see you as being a part of that family too."
Valerie eyes shot open, her mouth opening, yet no words coming out. Clarissa seemed to have some competition in the cuteness category.
"Me? But... I'm not..." Valerie said, unable to properly form words, but the moisture gathering in her eyes was all Cici needed to see.
"Tell me, Val," Cici began, giving the woman a smile as Valerie squirmed nervously across from her, "How does Eli make you feel? When he looks at you, when he comforts you, when he hold you close... what do you feel?"
Valerie's mind was already racing from what Cici had said, but she wanted to answer the woman as honestly as possible. Eli had been making her feel different than anyone else before him, but she was finding it difficult to properly make sense of it in her own mind.
"I... well... he makes me feel... warm." Valerie said, and contrary to what she thought, she found these words coming out of her quite easily, "When he looks at me, my chest feels warm, and my heart beats faster. I feel my face become hot when he gets closer to me. When he... puts his arms around me, and holds me... I feel safe, like I don't have to worry about anything anymore. My chest feels like it's going to burst. He's so nice to me... he makes me feel good. You all make me feel like a person, but he makes me feel... like..."
"Like a woman?" Cici asked, and Valerie paused, thinking about it, before slowly nodding.
Cici just smiled. She knew what Valerie was feeling, even if the woman couldn't put it into words properly, and she would do everything she could to help her.
"I know that feeling all too well, Val. He made me feel the same way when I first met him, although I knew why. One more question," Cici said, and scooted forward, giving a smile to the woman across from her, "When you see him giving his attention to me, Clarissa, or any of the other girls, what do you feel?"
Valerie felt the heat in her face again, but she pressed on. She knew Cici was trying to help her somehow, and in a way, whatever she was doing... it was helping her in a way she couldn't properly describe.
"It makes me feel... sad." Valerie said, but paused, as that didn't seem quite right, "No, not sad exactly. I think it's... jealousy? It doesn't bother me, not quite. It makes me feel warm inside to see how kind he is, and how he treats those close to him. I just... when he does that, I want it... to be me."
Cici gave the woman a gentle smile.
"He truly does care about you, you know. I don't want to speak for ny husband, but I just want you to know that he wants you to be happy, and safe. We are connected, and the feelings he has for you are very real. That warmth you feel with him is how he feels about you." Cici said, and Valerie paused, her mind beginning to rush through the possibilities of what that means.
Cici was about to continue, when she suddenly felt a surge of sadness, and off feelings from her darling. She excused herself from the conversation with Valerie, much to the woman's confusion, as she addressed whatever was happening.
What Eli told her had saddened her as well. They had met a woman who's daughter had been a victim of that wretched man, Delvin. She was truly glad that Eli had removed such an evil man from existence. He had definitely unsettled her as well, but now, he couldn't hurt anyone anymore.
Eli, the wonderful man that he was, listened attentively to everything she told him, and everything she said to him was spoken from the heart. She loved the man dearly, and was truly proud of the man he was, and the one he continued to be. As the conversation with him ended, she couldn't help the smirk on her face. He didn't understand it himself, but the way he acted was just so darn cute sometimes, even if he'd never admit that. Besides that though, Cici was eager to continue her talk with Valerie.
"Is everything okay, Cici?" The Dhampir asked, and Cici smiled at the woman.
"It is. Eli needed me for a moment. Mental Communication and all that, but everything is fine now." Cici said, and Valerie just slowly nodded.
"I see. Is his time with Clarissa going well?" She asked, and Cici chuckled.
"A little to early for that, but yes, it is, and I know it will." She replied, and Valerie nodded, accepting the answer, although there was that odd look again.
"Val," Cici said, which made Valerie's pretty red eyes lock on the cat girl's, "I was about to address something before that happened. I want you to understand it, and to know that's it's perfectly fine, and in fact, I encourage it."
Valerie listened to the woman with baited breath, as Cici simply smiled at her, her gentle eyes and serene face making her feel a similar sense of warmth and inner peace that Eli's did, only in a different way. Not the same, but similar.
"What is it?" Valerie asked, her curiosity peaked.
"It's about that feeling you have inside of you. There are many different variables that lead up to it, but it all culminates into the one you are experiencing, and you might not even understand it yourself. I have some questions for you, and I want you to say yes, or no to them. Okay?" Cici asked, and Valerie only hesitated a moment before nodding.
"Okay..." She replied.
"Okay, so first question. Do you like when Eli looks at you?" Cici asked.
"Yes." Valerie replied.
"Do you like when Eli is around you?" She asked again, and the answer from Valerie was the same.
"Do you like when Eli touches you? When he holds you?"
Her yes that time was instant, and it made the Dhampir blush, and it made Cici giggle. She was adorable, Eli was right about that.
"Now, one more. Do you want Eli to do more than he has with you?" Cici asked, and Valerie paused.
"What do you mean?" Valerie asked, but Cici stayed silent, just waiting for an answer.
Seeing no clarification forthcoming, Valerie thought about the question. About what she had seen Eli do that he hadn't done with her yet. As she did, she thought about many things, such as when he said sweet words to Cici, how he held the girl's hands, how he... kissed them.
"I..." She said, hesitating, before she just let her feelings on the matter be known, "Yes."
"Do you want him to press his lips to yours?" Cici asked, and Valerie choked on nothing.
"I... well..." Valerie said, wondering if the woman had read her mind.
"Do you?" Cici asked, and Valerie's face turned pink as she thought about just that. Why was her face so hot?
However, she would not, nor did she think she could ever lie to this woman. She liked her, and respected her a great deal.
"I... yes." Valerie said finally, and Cici's answer was a gentle and caring smile.
"Well, then you've confirmed what I already know, even if you don't quite understand it yourself." Cici said, and then added, "Hearing the admissions from yourself will help you understand it a bit better."
"And.... what is that?" Valerie asked, and Cici smiled tenderly at her.
"You are falling for Eli. You might have already, you just don't realize it because you've never felt this way before." Cici said, and that made Valerie freeze.
"Falling for him...?" Valerie asked, and Cici nodded.
"That feeling I mentioned. It's a very simple, and very wonderful thing. It's love, Valerie." Cici said, and that made Valerie pause, her eyes growing with some sort of realization as the gears turned in her head.
"Love?" Valerie asked, the word almost foreign to her, yet it sounded right as it escaped her lips.
"Yes. There are many different stages of it as well. Whether it is growing inside of you, or it is already firmly planted itself in your heart, I feel enough of it to realize it when I see it. You see how Eli and I are together? How close we are. How he treats me, and how I do my best to take care of him. We love each other very much. That's what people who love each other do." Cici said, and her words made Valerie sit back on the couch she was on, her mind racing.
Was it love? She knew the word, and she knew what it meant, or at least she thought she did. However, this conversation with Cici made her truly stop and think about if that had truly been the case. She certainly knew she liked being around Eli, and that right now, she wished he was here. She wanted him to look at her, to smile at her, to hold her, and... more.
Cici watched the realization slowly dawn on Valerie's face. While she was certain it would still be more time before she fully embraced the feeling, she couldn't bare to see the poor girl struggling with a feeling that she barely understood. She knew she could help, so she did. Her darling always praised her way with words, and it seemed she could do more than just help him. The thought filled her with pride.
Cici didn't want to be mean, but she felt that one final nudge was needed to fully let the conversation sink in, to make Valerie truly think, and to clear her confusion.
"Tell me, Val. What if you just left?" Cici asked, feeling bad as she said it, as Valerie's eyes locked on her with actual distress in them, "You are free. You could just leave, and start a brand new life. We could even bring you somewhere safe. We could-"
Cici was cut off as Valerie suddenly shot up in a panic, and tears fell from her eyes.
"NO!" Valerie screamed, feeling a sharp stabbing pain in her chest, "I DON'T EVER WANT TO LEAVE! I DON'T WANT TO BE APART FROM HIM! I..."
Valerie clutched at her chest, the pain not physical, and then felt at her face, feeling the tears as they poured from her eyes in running streams. The thought of never seeing him again, of being away from him... no. She didn't want that. She never wanted that. She wanted to remain by his side, she wanted him to tell her nice things, she wanted his protective arms around her. She wanted... him.
During this time, Cici had stood up, and walked around the table that separated them. Valerie looked up, wiping at her eyes, just in time for Cici to wrap her arms around her, and hug her close. She came up to around Valerie's chin, so Valerie felt a slight tickle as one of Cici's ears brushed across her nose. Still, the gesture only caused more tears to fall from Valerie's eyes.
"I'm sorry I said that, Val. I just wanted you to fully understand your own feelings. That will never happen, by the way. Eli cares about you too much to let you go, as do I. If you ever tried to leave at this point, I know Eli would chase you down and bring you back." Cici said softly, and her words caused a small sob to escape Valerie's lips as she embraced the slightly smaller woman.
"I don't ever want to leave..." Valerie said through her tears, "He makes me feel like I'm worth something. He makes me feel wanted. He makes me feel..."
"Loved? Or at least, cared for?" Cici asked, and Valerie slowly nodded against Cici's head, making her smile.
Cici knew very early on that she loved Eli. He was just too damn wonderful not to fall for, but she had been scared. Too scared to reveal herself, scared of what he would think of her. She had waited, and in that time, had nearly lost him. Not only did he accept her, not only did he love her unconditionally, but he gave her back everything she thought she had thought she lost, and in the process, she had gotten the most wonderful and caring husband in the entire world. She would not deny any of these amazing women the chance to experience the same thing, especially when all of them showed far more interest in him other than his looks, what he could give them, or his power. Truly, they were a rare sort amongst those in this world.
"I can't make your decisions for you, but I want you to know that it's okay. You can approach this at your own pace, and you have all the time in the world to sort out your feelings." Cici said, and then her voice grew softer, "And the rest will be up to you, Val. Eli is too good of a man, so he will not force anything. He will be respectful with you, and will keep things the way they are until you give him a reason to be... more. Just know that I accept you, and should you decide it, you have my full support to be more to him. He is very protective of those he cares about, and a little possessive, so you have to be sure it's what you want, because once that happens, he won't ever let you go."
Valerie just nodded as her tears keep falling. If this truly was what she was feeling, if she truly did have these feelings for Eli, then... she didn't want them to go away. This feeling had come so suddenly the day he had taken her from Delvin, but it grew larger each moment. The feeling had then transformed into something larger, something she didn't want to be without when he had given her freedom. So, whether this feeling was love, or even something else... she dreaded it going away.
"If I need help...?" Valerie began, and Cici just held her tighter.
"Then you can always come to me. For anything, Val, just talk to me. And when you feel the time is right, then you know who to go to." She said, and Valerie nodded again, her lips trembling.
"Thank you, Cici. Thank you for everything." Valerie choked out, and Cici just smiled as she reached up and began to stroke her hair.
"Eli was right. Your hair is incredibly soft." Cici mumbled, and slightly taller woman actually nuzzled her face into her hair, making her laugh softly.
They sat down together after that, Cici continuing to comfort the other woman as she let out the emotions she had bottled up, as well as letting the new ones take root in her mind. This woman had spent so long being alone and afraid, but now, she and her darling would make sure that never happened again.
Just as she settled in, she felt a huge surge of anger from Eli, but did her best not to interrupt Valerie as she reached out to Eli. She was a little surprised that as she did so, he pushed aside the mental connection. He wasn't denying it, but more so, it was more of a sign that, while he was upset, it wasn't anything to worry about, and she knew that he would not leave her in suspense for too long.
The strong protective feeling she got was centered around Clarissa, and she understood. While she didn't know exactly what had upset him, she figured someone probably did or said something bad to Clarissa, and from her own experiences with her darling, she knew that was very ill advised. That warmed her heart, knowing he cared about her so much.
Still, after everything that had happened today already, and with what had just happened earlier, she couldn't help but worry a little bit. She was also a little annoyed that Eli and Clarissa couldn't just enjoy their damn date without something happening, so when Eli finally accepted the link between them, Cici had to hold back a sigh as she asked.
"Darling... what happened now?"
He had told her, and while a spike of anger wekt though her at first at someone having the nerve to insult their Rissa, that had quickly turned to amusement, and then it actually actually a small burst of laughter to escape her mouth. She personally loved how protective he was, and this was no different. The conversation was more brief than the last, and she sincerely hoped that now they could finally just enjoy themselves with nothing else interrupting them. Knowing Eli though... well, she could only hope.
"Is everything okay?" Valerie asked, and Cici blinked, and then just smiled at the woman, as she began to rub her back.
"It is." Cici said, and Valerie nodded as she leaned back into her, making Cici smile even more.
Even if something else did happen, it would be fine. The reason? Eli was there, so of course it would be fine. As the time passed, she felt Eli's excitement, and how impressed he was with Clarissa. However, the most important thing to her was how much fun he seemed to be having, and how happy he was right now.
She had to hold back tears of joy, as Eli being happy truly was one of the most important things to her. It also made her ecstatic to feel that he was accepting how smitten he was quickly becoming with Clarissa. That made her smile, and then look down at the beautiful woman resting against her side, and she chuckled softly as the woman seemed to have dozed off.
"Another reason for my darling to be happy." She mumbled, joy filling her heart.
Cici just sat there, gently rubbing Valerie's back as the woman rested, smiling warmly, and content with the way things were going. Life for her and Eli felt like it was still just beginning, and no matter what happened, no matter how hard life became, she knew that together, they could get through anything.