Tame Me by Jayda Marx

Chapter Seven

Evan

I smiled at Archie, who was still sleeping in bed beside me, completely encased in blankets. Throughout the night, he burrowed deeper and wrapped himself tighter until the only body parts visible through a crack in his cocoon were one eye and part of his nose.

As much as I wanted to feel his skin against mine, I wouldn’t unwrap him. For one, he looked absolutely adorable. But also, from what I’d heard about his den and way of life before we met, he didn’t have many comforts. I would never take any away from him.

I wanted to surprise him with breakfast, but I didn’t want him to wake up and find that I was missing from bed. Everyone abandoned my sweet Archie and I couldn’t bear for him to think the same of me, even for a moment.

I leaned in and pressed a few light kisses to his eyelid, which fluttered open to reveal his pretty green iris. His eye squinted up and I knew he was smiling even though I couldn’t see his mouth.

“Good morning, wee one.”

Archie stretched his neck and wiggled his head until the space in his blanket widened and his face popped through. “Good morning.”

“Did you sleep well?” I already knew the answer; my body only required a few hours of sleep to be fully rested, so I spent most of the night marvelling at my beautiful mate. He snoozed for eight hours straight, all the while nestling into the blankets, making cute little snoring sounds, and whispering in his sleep, though the words didn’t make any sense.

“That was the best sleep I ever got. This bed is so comfortable and warm.” His expression grew worried as he looked at my bare body next to him. “Och, did I steal all of the covers?”

I waved him off and replied, “I stay hot at night, so I usually kick them away.”

“Well if you don’t want them, I’ll gladly take them. I’m always cold when I sleep.” Visions of my mate shivering alone in his old bed made my heart ache, so I pushed them away. He’d never have to experience that again.

I stole a quick kiss to soothe the ache and asked, “Would you like some breakfast?”

“Oh, of course; I’m sorry. I’ll go collect some berries for us. Or do you prefer eggs? I might be able to find some.” My heart shattered again. Archie had always been expected to serve others and saw it as a part of life. He didn’t deserve the way his skulk took advantage of him, and I would spend the rest of time showing him his worth.

I caressed my fingers down his cheek and told him, “Archie, you are the most special and important person in the world to me. I need you to remember that we’re soulmates; partners. I didn’t mention breakfast because I wanted you to serve it to me. You’re not here to serve me; we're meant to support each other. I was only asking to see if you had a need that I could meet. I have plenty of food here and would love to cook for you.”

Archie blinked glassy eyes. “You want to cook...for me?”

“I do. I enjoy cooking and I know it will be even better to prepare food for someone I love.”

“I love you too.” Archie wriggled and wrestled with the blankets, trying and failing to free himself as he whispered, “Dammit,” under his breath. I bit my lip to keep from laughing and peeled the covers off of him. Once he was loose, Archie leapt on top of me, squeezing me tightly. His body was warm to the touch from his cocoon.

“If you enjoy gathering berries or hunting or fishing, I want you to continue to do those things,” I told him. “But as hobbies, not chores or duties. I’d also like to try them with you and experience them together if that’s okay.”

He hugged me tighter and nuzzled his cheek on my chest. “That’s perfect.”

I held my sweet mate in my arms, ignoring my growing hunger. But when Archie’s stomach grumbled, I insisted that it was time to get something to eat.

I dressed for the day in a pair of dark jeans and a gray jumper. Unlike most of the other vampires in my coven, I didn’t wear kilts on a daily basis, as they weren’t part of my heritage. However, I did wear them to special events as a sign of respect and unity to my coven.

Archie dressed in a pair of Brodie’s sweatpants and t-shirt from the bag of clothing that my friends provided for my mate’s comfort when he shifted. I loved the sight and scent of Archie in my clothes, but I wanted him to wear something better-fitting for the day’s plans.

I led him into the kitchen where he relaxed in a chair while I prepared our breakfast. He mentioned that eggs were his favorite, but that he didn’t get to eat them very often, so of course that’s what I cooked for him; I scrambled one dozen to make sure that he got plenty. I also fried bacon and made toast with raspberry jam.

“This smells delicious,” Archie exclaimed as I placed a full plate on the table in front of him. “Thank you.”

“You’re so welcome.” I put my plate on the table as well before realizing that I forgot silverware. I hurried to a drawer to collect two forks and when I returned to the table, I found Archie with a palmful of eggs, which he was funneling into his mouth.

He jerked to a stop when he saw the utensils in my hand. His cheeks flushed as he flicked his eyes between the forks, my face, and his plate, appearing confused and embarrassed.

Not wanting him to feel uncomfortable, I shrugged and said, “It’s here if you want it,” as I placed the fork next to his plate. He still looked uncertain when I sat across from him, so I winked, picked up a fluffy chunk of egg, and tossed it into the air before catching it in my mouth. Archie beamed and went back to funneling.

He devoured every bite as he raved about how delicious everything tasted. I never felt more appreciated than when my wild man lifted his plate from the table and licked it clean.

“Would you like anything else?”

Archie groaned as he rested his head back on the chair and settled a hand on his stomach. “I’ll pop if I eat another bite. That was the best thing I’ve ever eaten, though. Well, except for maybe those sweeties your friend made.” He scrunched up his face in thought before shaking his head. “No, this was better because you made it.”

I chuckled as I stood up and collected our dishes. “Thank you, and I’m glad you enjoyed it.” I gathered all of the dirty pans and utensils from the kitchen before piling them in the sink to worry about later.

When I turned back around, my mate still looked pleasantly miserable as he rubbed his stomach. “When you’re feeling up to it, I’d like to take you to my glass shop to show you around.”

“And make another fox?” Archie asked excitedly. When I nodded, he leapt from his seat, seemingly forgetting about his too-full stomach. “I feel great. Can we go now?”

“Sure. Let’s grab some shoes and we’ll head out.” He followed me back into the bedroom where I sat on the mattress and pulled on a pair of boots before realizing that I didn’t have any for Archie. I hadn’t thought to ask my friends for shoes with the borrowed clothing, and I could tell by looking at my mate’s feet that mine would be much too large for him. “What size do you wear?”

Archie shrugged and replied, “I’m not sure. I’m usually barefoot.” I tended to forget just how different his life was before we met.

“Well then, I think our first stop will be a shop where I can buy you some boots.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Archie insisted. “I don’t mind being barefoot and you won’t have to spend money on me.”

I sighed and patted the bed next to me, and he took a seat. “First of all, I want to provide for you and make sure you’re taken care of. Mates take care of each other, right?” He gave me a shy smile and a nod. “Besides, if you’re working with glass, you’ll want a good pair of steel-toed boots.” We both were fast healers, but molten glass on skin would not be a nice feeling.

Archie thanked me with a kiss and then I collected two pairs of socks from my dresser drawer. I rolled a pair of thick wool ones onto his feet to protect him when he walked outside, and stuck the second pair in my pocket so that he’d have clean ones to wear with his new shoes.

We left our home hand in hand and began our walk towards the center of town, where all of the shops were located. On our way, we passed many other members of my coven as they were out enjoying their day.

At first, Archie stayed glued to my side and I could feel his nervousness about the new faces, both as emotions rolling off of him, and the tightness of his hand holding. But as more people smiled or waved as they passed, my mate relaxed and eventually even waved back at a few people. By the time we reached the clothing boutique, he was smiling brightly and totally at ease.

I bought Archie a pair of boots and some trainers, making sure they both fit him well. He walked a little funny when he first tried them out, but he quickly got the hang of them. I also bought him several new outfits so that he could have clothes of his own, and I will never forget the beautiful smile he gave me in return.

“Here we are,” I announced when we reached the front entrance of my glass shop. I unlocked the door and followed Archie inside before locking the door behind us. I didn’t want my time with my mate to be disturbed, and anyone in the coven would understand that.

“Oh, wow,” Archie whispered as he looked around the shop. “You made all of this?” he asked as he walked down a long aisle which held glass figurines, vases, and jewelry on every shelf.

“I did.”

“It’s all so beautiful.” He stopped walking and lifted his hand to touch a small pink elephant, but jerked it back before mumbling, “Oops, I better not.”

I insisted, “It’s okay; touch anything you like,” and placed the animal figure in his palm.

Archie raised it to his eyes and inspected it carefully. “You’re so talented.” Pride swelled within me; many people had complimented my work over the years, but praise had never meant so much as when it came from my mate. He replaced the delicate figure back on the shelf and asked, “Where do you make them?”

“Come with me and I’ll show you.”

I led him through the back door to my outdoor workstation. It wasn’t much to look at; just a furnace, a long table with cabinets beneath it, and a collection of tools, but Archie surveyed it all with wide-eyed wonder.

“I’m already impressed just looking at this stuff,” Archie admitted, making me smile. “I can’t wait to watch you actually use it.”

“You can do more than watch if you like. I’ll show you how to use everything while I remake your fox, and then I’ll help you make some things too.” I grunted when Archie slammed into me for a tight hug and I smiled into his curly hair. It meant the world to me that he was excited about something I loved.

“Okay, the first thing we need to do is make sure that we’re safe.” I opened one of the cabinets to retrieve two pairs of safety glasses; I’d also learned over time that getting glass in the eyes wasn’t a fun time either, no matter how quickly it healed.

When we both had our goggles on, I pointed to the large structure next to me. “This is the furnace which I use to heat the glass until it’s molten and pliable. It stays on continuously because it takes about six days for it to heat up to its highest temperature.”

“How hot is it?”

“Over a thousand degrees Celsius.” Archie’s eyes widened and he took a step back. “So please be careful.” He nodded and I continued on with the lesson, lifting a long, thin steel bar. “This is the blowpipe. We’ll use it to collect and shape the molten glass.” I placed my hand on the handle of the furnace door. “And this is called the glory hole.”

Archie laughed into his hand and repeated, “Glory hole,” making me snort. I was surprised that he knew of the naughty term, but I figured he heard it from one of his old skulk mates.

“Trust me, nobody would want to stick a body part through this glory hole.” Archie laughed again until I pulled the door open, revealing the glowing orange belly of the furnace. Then his chuckling turned into a gasp.

“Come a little closer, wee one.” Archie stepped up behind me so that he was a respectable distance from the heat while getting a better view. “See the molten glass along the bottom?” He nodded. “I’m going to put the end of the blowpipe into it and turn it until a gob forms on the end.”

I spun the pipe as I dipped it into the sticky liquid until a ball of clear, glowing glass collected on the end. “That should be plenty. Now I need to take it over to the table.” Archie leapt out of the way, giving me a clear path to the workbench after I closed the furnace.

“Now I’m going to roll the gob against this metal slab on the table to give it some shape.” I rolledthe blob back and forth until it stretched and elongated. Every time it began to firm up, I stuck it back in the glory hole, which made Archie snicker. Once it was the shape I was looking for, I told him, "This is my favorite part."

I lifted a hinged portion of the table, revealing several metal pits filled with tinted crushed glass. I dipped the gob into red glass shards, which immediately adhered to my piece and gave it color.

"Okay, that was awesome," Archie agreed.

I heated up the glass once more before propping the blowpipe on a stand. "Now I just give it a little more shape." I lowered my head and blew into the end of the pipe while twirling it, creating the fox's head and belly with air.

"And for the final touches…" I used long metal pliers to pull the hot glass, molding the animal's ears and tail, and then to place black pigmented glass for the eyes and nose. I held it up for Archie to inspect and asked, "What do you think?"

"It's even prettier than the first one," he gushed as his eyes tracked over the little animal. "I love it. Thank you so much, Evan." It filled me with pure joy to make my mate so happy.

"You're so welcome. Would you like to help me get it off of the pipe?"

"Sure!"

"Okay, open that cabinet and put on the glove inside." Archie pulled out a long silver heat-resistant glove and when he put it on, it covered him up to his elbow. "Now just cradle the fox while I use this tool to-" the glass made a pop sound as it detached from the blowpipe, landing in Archie's hand.

He marveled over the little fox as I put my tools away safely. He asked, "Can I put it in our bedroom?" and my heart swelled; not only because of his excitement for his gift, but from hearing him refer to the room as ours. He knew we belonged together.

"Of course, but we can't take it home today. We need to put it in this oven to bring its temperature down slowly. If it gets too cool too quickly, it will shatter." I led him to a short, squat oven near the furnace and Archie carefully settled the figurine inside. "Would you like to make some pieces now?"

He ditched the thick, padded glove and clapped his hands together. "Yes!"

And so for the next several hours, I helped Archie blow, mold, and shape glass of every color. He was attentive to my every word and gave his all to every step.

He became frustrated a few times when he busted a piece or his shapes were lumpy. He worried that he disappointed me, but it couldn't be further from the truth. When I explained how proud I was of him and how much I was enjoying my time with him, he covered my face in kisses.

I also told Archie that he was catching on to the art much quicker than I had. Glassblowing could take years to master, but my mate was more talented than he knew.

We worked through lunch and had a pizza delivered to the shop for dinner because Archie was having so much fun and didn't want to stop crafting. By the time darkness fell, the oven was packed full of (mostly) round ornaments, wobbly figures, and lumpy vases, and every last one of them was beautiful.

"Thank you for doing this with me," Archie said as he caught me in a tight hug.

"Thank you. You made my favorite hobby even better."

My stomach flipped when he replied, "You've made my life better. I can't wait to see and try everything with you."

"I promise to show you the world and do anything your heart desires."

"Right now it desires to go home and snuggle in bed together."

I chuckled and squeezed him tighter. "That does sound pretty perfect."