A/N: You, funky monkeys, are so awesome, I wanted to give you a small treat. The story that Nathaniel is writing at the beginning of this chapter is an excerpt from a book I'm writing. Enjoy ;)

*****

Nathaniel's POV

Dead.

Everyone was dead.

My enemies. The dozen men patrol I came with. The people we were supposed to help. They were all dead.

All but the young woman, perhaps still a girl, who was now standing in front of me with a drawn sword, blood drops dripping from the blade to the ground and making a puddle there.

She was medium height for someone of her species – human - and had almost waist-long black hair. Her skin had an interesting shade - a healthy milky white.

She had a pretty face and an appetizing figure.

But what I found most striking about her appearance was the color of her eyes. They were such pale bluish-grey that they were almost white. And that rare shade seen in a human meant one thing: magic. The girl was either blessed by, cursed by or possessed magic.

I watched her during the battle. I saw her kill her attackers. She fought well. Better than some of my men. It was why she was still alive.

But who was she?

I voiced my question, but she did not respond. She just stayed there, looking me over with her unusually-coloured eyes slightly narrowed. When the girl was finally done with her assessment, she clenched the sword even tighter and repositioned herself so she could maneuver easily.

So she set her mind on fighting me, huh?

I put the pen on my desk and leaned back in my chair, musing on how to continue the scene. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine them both, but my attention was drawn to the demon Lord.

So handsome.

So powerful.

So cruel.

In times of almost constant war, he had to be the last of those. The world I had created was a cruel one, why shouldn't one of the best warriors in it be that way as well?

I did not have to make him handsome though.

I did not have to make him tall, muscular or with large shoulders. With beautiful lips, turned in a wicked, but enticing grin. With strong legs, with hard, chiseled abs...

I shook my head, opened my eyes and looked at my own stomach.

No chiseled abs were hidden underneath my dark green turtleneck. I pinched the part just below the belt, frowning at the layer of fat.

I didn't have the gorgeous body of Lord Alaric, nor the sexy, slim, but muscled torso that Hunter had.

I had fat.

I wasn't overweight, but I had fat.

And I didn't want it there.

I sighed.

I had never been this self-conscious about my body before I met Hunter. I had aimed to be fit, but I wasn't worried about extra pounds the way I was now.

Would Hunter still love me if I was fat?

He had the most amazing body and I... I was average.

He said he has fun with me, that he likes how smart I was, but in a relationship, there should also be physical attraction, right?

I was attracted to him; there was no question about that.

Clothed, semi-clothed, or completely naked - I was attracted to him. All he needed to do was to look at me with that naughty flame in his grey eyes, to give me that one-sided smirk of his and I was melting.

And when we fooled around...

Heat flooded my face.

We had not had sex yet, but he'd showed me plenty of other things he could do with my body. That he enjoyed doing with my body.

He'd enjoy that more if I was in better shape, right?

He'd like me even more, if I looked better?

I shook my head again and glided my palms over my face.

I should stop thinking about this now; I should concentrate on my story. I picked up the pen, clicked on its end to get the writing point out and re-read the last sentence.

So she set her mind on fighting me, huh?

How should I continue this?

Maybe he'll try to seduce her now; it's Alaric after all. Or should that be in the next chapter?

Maybe...

"Yo, bro." Vallery knocked on my door. "The O'Briens are going to be here any minute now. Come down for dinner."

Dinner.

Food.

More fat.

I sighed.

I wanted to lose weight, but I couldn't starve myself.

"I'll be right there, Val," I shouted, pushing the chair and getting up. I heard clacking as she stepped away; was she wearing heels inside the house?

I walked to a book shelf filled with note books and placed the one I'd been writing in with the rest. Each one was a project. Some were ideas for novels, others a compilation of short stories revolving around the same theme. The newer ones sounded bolder, freer. I no longer avoided same-gender couples and they sometimes engaged in more private adult activities, in exploration of each other's bodies, just like Hunter and I were exploring one another.

I wanted to go further, to try what we hadn't done before. But I was still scared.

I wasn't afraid that he'd hurt me; I was terrified that I would not be good enough.

I patted my belly.

I should lose some weight. Work on my stamina. I'd be able to satisfy him better that way.

I'd already worked out in the morning, but I could do a few crunches before going to bed tonight. I was kind of tired, but I could do that.

To please Hunter, I would do that.

*****

Vallery's POV

"I'm so digging this jacket," I told Keiko as she put the short, black leather clothing on the hanger.

"I'm so digging these shoes." She nodded to the bright pink high-heeled pair on my feet.

"Just breaking these babies in." I shrugged and gave the short woman a hug. With the heels on, we were pretty much the same size.

"I've heard you've been cooking." Brady stepped next to his wife.

"Don't worry, I'm not the one who prepared the dinner," I reassured them.

"Oh, good," Keiko exclaimed. "I'm too young to die and too pretty to get food poisoning. Right, boys?" She looked back at her two sons who were just coming in. Liam stopped on the porch, with his phone in his hand.

"Sure, mom," Raiden muttered, his gaze moving from her to me... And then over my body, pausing at my exposed legs. When his eyes finally returned to my face I met them with a grin.

"Isn't is a bit early in the year for shorts?" Avoiding me, he headed for the living-slash-dining room, his hand tousling the back of his hair - a nervous habit he'd inherited from his father.

He froze at the door.

"Vallery, why is your living room decorated as if we are celebrating St. Patrick's Day?"

"What on Earth do you mean, Ray-Ray?" I asked innocently.

He grabbed me by the hand and pulled me further into the room and away from our parents.

"Why is everything green?" He hissed.

"It's a fresh and relaxing color." I smiled.

"Vallery!" He growled as quietly as he could so the others wouldn't hear us. My brother had joined dad and the adult O'Briens at the table. Liam was still nowhere to be seen.

"You promised you wouldn't talk about Liam and his... green problem."

"Technically, I'm not talking, Ray. I just bought a green tablecloth and green napkins, and took out our glasses with the green polka dots on them."

"And you just happen to be wearing a green tank top that definitely does not go with bright pink shoes?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm the hostess; my attire should suit my environment. As for the shoes - they make my legs look amazing, don't you think?" I teased. The truth was I really just wanted to break them in and didn't care much that they didn't go with my top. I was at home after all; there was no one I needed to impress here. Well, except for Raiden. I liked it when he was checking me out. It made me feel good. And he looked so cute when he was trying to hide what he was doing.

"Vallery..." He groaned, his cheeks slightly flushed, and his hand darted up again, this time grabbing a fistful of his hair. "This is too much. Liam will panic, mom will realize something is up and then she'll start asking questions."

"And you think Liam is actually going to say 'The green is bothering me because a girl sucked me off at the party last night and I got a green dick'?" I laughed. "Doubt it. He'll just quietly suffer and I'll sneakily enjoy watching him sweat." I clapped my hands. "It's going to be a fun night, Ray-Ray."

"I don't know, Val." He seemed a bit calmer now, but still unsure.

"Oh, come on, Ray-Ray; you were angry with him earlier. Don't you want to take your revenge?" I fluttered my eyelashes. "Like a good friend, I'm helping you to do that and you don't even have to do anything; everything is already set up."

He snorted.

"So I'm supposed to believe you are doing this all for me?"

"Not all," I took a step towards him, tilting my head back a bit to capture his gaze, "but partly for you."

He didn't move, his lips turning into a slight smile.

"Come on." I grabbed his hand and his arms uncrossed, the left one falling beside him. "Let's sit with the others."

I led him backwards to the table, keeping my eyes on him, letting him go only when we were about to sit.

Liam picked that particular moment to walk in, pausing at the door, his eyes going round, sliding from one green item to the next.

"Well, don't you just stand there, O'Brien," I summoned him. "Dinner's getting cold. We've got green peas. And you should try the soda; it's apple flavored. Green apple."

"Way to be subtle, Val," Raiden whispered, shaking his head.

But he was smiling.

*****

A/N: What do you think about Nat's thoughts on his body?

Would Hunt still love him if Nat was fat?

Please support this chapter with a VOTE if you enjoyed it and tell me what you think of the excerpt in the beginning!