Chapter Three: Who Are You?

Eros stands at the tail end of the bed, his hands slipped into his pocket as he watches the doctor and the young woman with the curiosity of a cat, his brow furrowed. 

The young woman in question sits at the edge of the bed with a wild look in her eyes, eyes that speaks of the horror she has been through. The walls feels as if they are closing down on her, and the only thing Ara craves is her freedom. 

She has been locked up enough, and the idea of not being free to go makes her heart pound in terror. 

“Please let me go,” she pleads with the doctor, tears streaming down her face. Of everyone in the room, he alone possesses kind eyes that she could trust. 

The doctor quietly closes the distance between him and his patient, his expression relaxed, and reassuring. His movement careful so as not to spook the young woman. 

When he gets close, Ara watches him closely, her green eyes following every miniscule of movement any part of his body makes, while Eros stood behind watching them intently. 

His piercing eyes tries to figure the girl out, but nothing comes to him. And the only conclusion he has so far is that she is young and scared. 

He wishes to know her name. 

The idea of assigning a name to the creature that has piqued his interest became something of an obsession. He grew inpatient and decided to try and figure out a name in his head. 

Rose

Is the first name to hit his head. The girl is certainly as beautiful as a rose, but for some reason  he moves on to the next name. 

Lily.

While he occupied himself trying to place a name on the young woman, the doctor tries to coerce his patient into telling him her name. 

John doe isn’t a good fit, especially when he is trying to gain her trust. 

“What is your name, darling?” He questions, his voice low and calm, while keeping his eyes directly on the girl. 

It is written somewhere that when you stare at someone directly in the eyes, it shows them that you have nothing to hide, and the doctor is trying to passage the message across to his very much terrified patient. 

That he has nothing hide, and she could trust him. 

Ara’s wary eyes, wet with tears and etched with great sadness lifts up to meet the doctor’s grey eyes. Once again, they search the ash pool for glimpse of something she could hang on to and she finds them. 

“A-Ara,” she stutters, her throat feels dry and hurts. 

Noticing this, the doctor asks. “Do you want water?” 

While Ara nods her head, Eros narrows his eyes at her. She doesn’t look like an Ara, he thinks, smirking inwardly at how off he was with the names he believed suits the blonde better. 

“Ara,” he tastes the name on his tongue inwardly, and realizes how much he loves it. 

The doctor promises Ara he would get her something to drink, but in the mean time, there was something he needed to do. 

He turns his head back at the imposing man standing like a guard at the tail end of the bed, and calls out. 

“Mr Helix!” 

Eros snaps out of his thoughts and looks at the doctor, his expression impasive. 

As soon as he gets Eros attention, Ara stiffens, fear crawling back into her eyes. She watches him with wary eyes as he approaches the bed at the beckoning of the doctor. 

He terrifies her only because he reminds her of the man she is running from. 

Who is he? 

Once again the question crosses her mind. She knows his name already. “Eli.” the blonde shakes her head to the name that appeared in her mind, knowing that wasn’t quiet right. 

“Era.”

Once again she dimisses the name as soon as she thinks it, realizing again that it doesn’t quite suit the imposing man or sound right. 

She is certain it is a three letter word, and sounds powerful just like the man that wears it. 

“Ara, I want you to meet Mr Eros Helix,” the doctor formally introduces the two. 

Eros, Ara confirms in her mind, barely paying attention to the doctor’s words. 

“Ara,” the doctor gently calls out when the blonde doesn’t respond to his introduction. 

Ara blinks, but instead of looking at the doctor, her eyes shifts to the very much taller man beside him, as if drawn by a magnet. 

As soon as their eyes meet, her heart leaps to her throat, a small gasp escapes through her lips, an indication of shock that sweeps through her body at the connection she felt when she looked into his eyes. 

The connection sends a wave of panic through Ara and she immediately hides her gaze from the piercing blue eyes watching her as if they could peer into her soul. 

Eros frowns when he feels the stir in his heart when he looked into the young woman eyes. He doesn’t understand the attraction–not that he is attracted to her, at least not in that way, he quickly denies to himself, his frown deepening. 

It is mere curiosity, he rationalizes with desperation, eager to place a name on the crazy emotion stirred up by the creature that fell into his lap. 

Suddenly, his line of thought derails into something dangerous. Something that could explain their meeting. Is the girl a spy sent to spy on him? He wouldn’t put it past those fur creatures. 

“Who are you?” He barks, his voice dangerously low, but nonetheless threatening or less powerful. 

Ara and the doctor jumps, and turns to look at Eros with shocked faces, Ara’s eyes bearing an additional fear in hers. 

Why does he want to know who I am? Would he take me back to Rex if he knows? 

Ara is aware of how powerful her mate is, especially among her kind, and far his reach is. Escaping him tonight was a thing of chance, which she is sure has Rex infuriated. Should she be sent back to him, it would be her death, because as a proud man, Rex would never forgive her for embarrassing him like this. 

Fearing the likelihood of being sent back to her mate, Ara swallows her pride, her fear, and gathers the courage to plead with the stranger named Eros. 

She quickly rises to her knees, her action clouded with desperation and need for survival. “Please don’t send me back to him,” she pleads with Eros, her green eyes beseeching him to yield to her plea.