4. Rejection.

"What on earth are you-"

Faye jumped.

Before her legs could go out the window, Emris' strong arms reached for her; grabbing her by the stomach and pulling her in.

He staggered back and fell to the floor; his arm still holding her waist in a strong hold.

Emris' warmth enveloped her, unfamiliar and intoxicating. She wasn't ready to let go. His scent filled her senses up in euphoria, and she felt butterflies erupt in her stomach.

He smelled sweet, like cinnamon and vanilla.

She was more than ready to never separate from his body again, but to keep close to a feeling she had never experienced once in her lifetime.

But, her pleasure was cut short when Emris shoved her away.

She was knocked back to reality by the cold tiled floor, and she watched him stand to his feet; dusting her scent and the feel of her off his body.

His steely gaze met her stare, and she shot up from the floor with a gasp and stepped away from him.

She avoided his cold stare, then hands to her chest.

"I-I'm sorry." She all but whispered.

Emris' brows shot up in disbelief.

"So you talk afterall." His tone was sharp and menacing, and Faye moved further back, letting out another gasp as her back hit the wall.

She gulped, then struggled to steady her breathing and calm her nerves. Her hands trembled against her skin, and her heart dropped when he started towards her.

She had nowhere to run now.

Emris stopped just a few inches from her, his body towering over hers like a six o'clock shadow.

Her breath got caught in her throat when his scent washed over her in a wave once more, and he leaned his face close.

"There are no words for how angry and disgusted I am to see you here." His growl resonated from his chest and her knees buckled.

It took everything in her not to fall to the floor.

"And to make matters worse," his jaw clenched. " Fate made you my mate?"

Faye froze up.

What..did he say?

Two words she never believed in; fate and mate.

She let out a breath, and her heartbeat slowed.

"Y-you're my mate?"

She jolted at the darkening of his eyes.

He backed away from her, then tore his fingers through his hair as he let out a bitter chuckle.

Faye watched him pace around the room in distress, unaware of what could be going through his mind.

Then it dawned on her.

Her breath hitched, and her brows wrinkled as her lips parted to speak the word she dreaded the most.

"Do y-you want to reject me?" She held her trembling hand to her chest.

Tears welled up in her eyes before she knew it, and she felt a sting in her throat as sobs began to build up.

She spent no more than an hour in total with him, and no more than two minutes knowing that she was his mate, and she already lost him.

The rejection she spent her whole life living in caught up to her in the most painful way yet.

The tears streamed down her cheeks non-stop and she let out a whimper.

Emris paused, and when his blue eyes settled on her, they broadened.

Her tears had been replaced with blood.

"D-don't-" she choked on a sob. "Don't l-leave me."

Her cry sounded like that of a new born baby crying into the night out of hunger and need for it's mother.

Her sobs came out as whimpers, and her pale face was stained in blood.

Emris had never seen anyone cry that way before. She looked broken, lost and alone.

"P-please." Faye continued. "I'll be b-better. I'll be y-your dog- I'll be your d-doormat." She took a step towards him and her ears began to ring.

"You're worth less than rags, you filthy thing."

"Ahh!" She let out a groan in pain as the memories invaded her mind once again. She held her hands over her ears and looked to the ground as she writhed in pain.

Her body trembled from the memories of her skin being cut, slashed, punched and burned.

She imagined that it must be what rejection felt like; torture.

Emris' lips parted, but no words could come out. He felt his chest tighten at the sight and sound of her pain, and he heard Titan whimper within him.

"P-please!" Faye cried louder when his silence tugged at her pain.

"You cannot be loved if you're not willing to burn!"

And like the deafening effect of a heavy downpour, the world around her went dead silent.

A fragment of her memories pierced her heart, and she froze still as her cries ceased. The only thing that could be heard was her sniffling, and Emris watched as she slowly rose her head and met his gaze.

His eyes widened at the lifelessness in her golden eyes and the dead expression on her face. She looked lost in thought, or rather, like she'd just realised something.

And in a low, cold tone she breathed;

"But, fire hurts." Her hands fell to her side. "Fire hurts a lot.."

"Hey..." Emris called out, his voice laced with worry as he stared at her motionless form. Desperation gripped him as he reached for her shoulders to shake her awake—then, her eyes shifted to his hand.

"If I'm not willing to burn, then I must not want to be loved." Faye continued, meeting Emris' eyes again.

She let out yet another low breath as blood slid down her cheeks.

"I must truly not deserve love."

Her statement fell on Emris like a giant boulder to the head. He heard his heart shatter and fall to the bottom of his stomach, and his jaw clenched.

His eyes searched hers, and his heart drummed against his chest as he studied her blood shot eyes devoid of life, and her soulless expression.

He felt his heart squeeze once more, and a flicker of rage crossed his eyes.

Who would dare traumatise her this way?

He froze up at his own thoughts and quickly let go of her shoulders. Then he let out a loud groan as he combed his fingers through his hair.

Did I just feel sympathy for her?

How could her frail and trembling body affect him so? The look in her eyes were haunting and he resisted every urge to hold her tiny body in his arms and gently wipe the blood off her face with his thumb.

He looked at Faye as she stood still; staring back at him with trembling lips and blood stained cheeks.

She was waiting.

But, what exactly was she waiting for? She had no clue.

She thought maybe, just maybe he could hold her like he did when she jumped out the window, or tell her that he wouldn't reject her no matter how much he hated her.

Perhaps he would smile kindly at her.

She wondered just how beautiful his smile was. Was it similar to Gwen's, or was it just as unique as he was?

Or maybe, she was waiting for him to refute her statement. To tell her that she was worthy of being loved, not as a dog or his doormat, but simply as herself.

Their eyes remained locked for a few more seconds, and Emris clenched his fists, turned on his heels and stormed out of the room.