Forbidden Heat

Reiner – Finally Home

I woke up, feeling quite lazy but strangely very satisfied. As my brain transitioned from the dream world

to reality, I remembered memories of how I made love with Reiner yesterday before we fell asleep

together. I bolted up in bed as I felt around the bed with my hands. Reiner, he’s not here.

Did he leave? Where is he right now?

A sense of illogical paranoia started to fill me up inside. Although, I knew that it was irrational, I couldn’t

stop myself from panicking.

“R! Where are you?” I called out loudly.

I heard the sound of a door closing before I heard his reply.

“I’m here. Sorry, Natalia. I thought you were still sleeping so I went to peel you the apples that Laura

got from yesterday…” Reiner replied before smiling comfortingly at me.

“Oh…” I said softly.

“You don’t need to panic,” Reiner said calmly.

“I thought you had left…” I admitted.

“Well, I haven’t. Some apple?” Reiner said as he came to stand next to my bed. I could sense his

presence nearby before his hand reached out and patted my shoulder.

“Umm…let’s go see the doctor soon. I want these eyepatches removed,” I said impatiently.

“We still have time before the appointment time,” Reiner pointed out.

“I can’t wait…to see you…” I mumbled, voicing my honest desire.

I heard Reiner heave a sigh before I felt him leaning in closer to me and I lifted my arms. His arms

circled my body before he lifted me up and led me to the wheelchair. Smiling a little to myself, I enjoyed

the feel of his arm around me. So, Reiner decided to do as I wanted in the end.

Reine helped me into my wheelchair before he pushed me along the hallway and on the path to the

doctor’s office. It was the first time in many that the ride there wasn’t in silence. I could talk to him now

and it made me silently wonder if it had been him behind my wheelchair all along.

During the short ride to the doctor’s office in the wheelchair, I had a chance to reflect a little. I was still

uncertain about many things, my feelings included. However, there was one thing that I was now

certain of.

I’m still in love with Reiner. I’m just as in love with him as before…or even more so…

…

“It’s going to feel uncomfortable. Your eyes haven’t been exposed to light for many days so please take

it slow…” the doctor warned as he began to remove the eyepatches away from my eyes.

It felt very exciting to get my eyesight back. I didn’t care much about the pain of discomfort that I would

feel as long as I could see once more. Also, I couldn’t wait to see Reiner’s face. There were so many

things that I wanted to do with him once I could see him and when we returned home from the hospital.

“How is it? Let me know if it hurts?” the doctor said, caringly.

He was right, it felt uncomfortable. The light felt blindingly bright. Too bright.

However, my eyes slowly adjusted and although things were blurry at first, my eyesight adjusted and

soon enough, everything seemed decently sharp and well-focused.

“Welcome back, Reiner,” I said before I smiled brightly at him.

Finally, I can see him again. He hasn’t changed at all and the face that I saw before me was exactly the

same as the one that I had pictured in my mind all this time. It was a pleasant surprise when he smiled

back warmly at me.

“Let’s go home, Reiner,” I said invitingly.

Reiner just nodded simply but for me that was more than I could have ever hoped for.

…

The one who was waiting for us when we arrived back at the mansion was none other than a very

stern-looking Lucien. Reiner and I were both invited to his study where I knew we would be taking

Lucien’s instructions.

The incident had left Lucien extremely paranoid about my safety and I could sympathize with how he

felt. Lucien had always been very worried about me and my safety, to the point where Edward felt thatnovelbin

he was too overbearing and too controlling. I knew that he was doing everything he could for my own

good but the incident that had just occurred disturbed him more deeply that I thought.

“Welcome back home, Natalia,” Lucien said from his seat behind his worktable when we entered his

study.

“Thank you,” I said softly.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Much better. I feel completely healthy and normal,” I said before offering him a smile hoping that it

would help ease his worry.

“That’s good to hear,” Lucien replied simply.

“Thank you, Lucien,” I thanked him.

“In light of the recent incident, I have no choice but to put some restrictions on you for your own safety,”

Lucien announced.

It wasn’t surprising. I had expected something along these lines. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t

see this coming.

“I understand,” I replied obediently as I nodded my head.

“You will be required to have a bodyguard with you at all times…even while you sleep, you will be

guarded. You are not allowed to leave the house without a bodyguard. You will not attend any public

events without my explicit permission. You are not allowed to make any new acquaintances unless I

have explicitly allowed you to do so. Is that clear?” Lucien stated his conditions firmly.

“Yes, Lucien,” I replied obediently.

It wasn’t like Lucien was going to take no for an answer. I knew Lucien very well so I knew that no one

could negotiate with Lucien right now. His terms are firm and final.

“You refused to take on a new bodyguard the last time that I offered and look what happened. Now that

we’ve managed to get Reiner back from the Elders, I hope that you will be obedient under his

observation,” Lucien said, clearly upset.

“Yes, I will be. Please do not worry,” I replied.

“I am worried for you because you don’t worry enough for yourself,” Lucien said bluntly.

--To be continued…