Chapter 18 Or Maybe You Can't

Chapter 18 Or Maybe You Can't
My eyes slowly opened to dim lights and hushed voices that were a little far off from where I was. My brows furrowed as I slowly turned, trying to make sense of where I was.

It was too dark, and for some reason, I was pretty sure I had never been here. I let my hands feel up the space around me. It was a massive bed, and I pulled myself to sit up.

The drapes were partly open to let in a speck of golden sunlight, and that was the only source of light.

I turned to my right, and that was when I saw it. The sunset rays was lighting up the wall, and the wall itself was adorned with a large portrait.

My eyes squinted as I took in the portrait. It was a full face, and it was easy to recognize half of it. Alpha Eros. The red hair, the eyes, everything.

I swallowed hard, shifting my gaze to the other half of the portrait. A single rose was dividing the faces, but I knew I had seen that face somewhere. I was sure I...

Wait.

My lips slowly parted as I leaned closer, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

The second half of the portrait... it was me.

Not Kian. Skylar. With the long hair, the double ear piercing. It was me.

"You are awake."

I turned sharply, my chest heaving. Alpha Eros was now leaning on the door, his hands tucked in his loose pants, the jacket he was wearing offering a glimpse of the necklace he was wearing, and the shirtlessness underneath.

I looked up to his face again, my lips parting, but no words came out of it.

Silence reigned between us for a long minute, and neither of us seemed very inclined to break it.

I turned back to the portrait, and without thinking, jumped off the bed. I knew I was trapped, however, since he was blocking the path with his body, and I was absolutely no match.

"What... what am I doing here?"

He raised a brow. "You live here."

I bit down on my lips. "I don't recognize this..."

"Your room is the other way."

"Then why didn't you just take me there? Why am I..."

"You fainted," he said, his eyes falling to the tray of medicines sitting on the bed right next to where I had woken up. "How else was I supposed to keep an eye on you?"

"You didn't have to keep an eye on me. Besides, you could..."

"What the fuck is your problem?" He suddenly asked, straightening, his eyes darkening almost instantly. 

I immediately took a step back, my hand resting on the drawer by the bedside.

"One minute you are risking your life to be my roommate and you are kissing me, and the next thing... you are fucking talking to me like that. What the fuck do you want?"

I blinked, my lips slightly wedged between my teeth. "I don't want to be involved with you."

"Why?" He asked, stepping into the room, his brow raised. "Am I that loathsome?"

I didn't say a word. What could I say? Oh sorry, I want to stay away despite my body and my wolf begging me to do otherwise because I believe you may or may not have killed my twin brother who knew I was your mate? And yeah, I am the girl in that portrait?

"Speak to me, Kian." His voice was a low growl now, like he was starting to lose patience. "Who the fuck do you think you are to not want to be involved with me?"

"A person," I snapped, my eyes wide. "And I do not have to be involved with you. I can choose who to be involved with."

His eyes darted across both of mine. "So why did you want to live with me?"

"I had nowhere to stay. It is just for convenience, and I would have it any other way if I could."

He nodded slowly. "So why did you kiss me?"

I swallowed hard, my hands tightening into fists. "I..."

"You what?" He stepped closer, his eyes holding mine. "Am I a fucking plaything to you?"

"A plaything? Of course not. The mighty Alpha Eros wouldn't be a plaything to anyone, much less to an omega man."

Something flashed in his eyes, and before I knew it, he had covered the distance to me. I took a step back, but it was useless, as my back hit the bedside drawer, and I found myself stuck between him and the furniture. 

"Let me go," I said, my heart beating so wildly that all I could hear was the beat pounding in my chest. 

"I never touched you," he said slowly, his voice low. "You are the one who keeps getting in my radar. You are the one who keeps trying to make me look at you."

I met his eyes, my fists tightly clenched.

He leaned a little closer, his hand slowly reaching for my neck. I stood there, part of me needing whatever this was, and the rest of me absolutely dreading it.

His fingers gently wrapped around my neck, and he pulled me to him, forcing my head up to maintain eye contact.

It was probably the most dangerous situation I had ever been in, yet the most erotic. Hell.

"What do you want?" He asked again, his voice low. "Do you want me to beat the shit out of you every Thursday because you can't stop getting on my nerves, or do you want me to have you like this in my bed every day because you can't seem to decide what you want?"

My eyes held his for a minute, and hell, I wasn't sure what sounded more dangerous. I wasn't sure what sounded worse.

He slowly let me go, his eyes cold, unreadable. The worst part about Alpha Eros, was probably how nothing about him made sense. Was he kind? Brutal? What does he want? Why is he doing this? What was with him and my twin brother?

"You can go," He said, without moving, his eyes still holding mine.

I turned and started to walk towards the door, my heart beating wildly as I reached for it. I was barely a second away, an inch away from letting myself right out when the door slammed shut in front of me.

I gasped and fell back, my head hitting Alpha Eros's chest, my eyes wide.

"Or maybe you can't," he whispered, and I felt my heart sink to my feet.

Hell.