Chapter 73 When fur meets fire
Chapter 073
RAVENNA
I felt his weight first on me before I could properly understand what was happening.
The sensation overwhelmed every other thought in my mind.
His warmth enveloped me completely like a blanket on a cold night, surrounding me from all sides.
His hands gripped my waist firmly, the touch sending electric shocks through my entire body.
His breath fanned across the sensitive skin of my neck, warm and rapid, sending involuntary shivers racing down my spine that had nothing to do with fear.
Something like desire pooled low in my stomach, hot and unfamiliar and absolutely terrifying.
I had never felt anything quite like this before, this overwhelming need to be closer to someone who drove me mad with frustration every single day.
I shifted my weight slightly, trying to ground myself in reality, and the movement seemed to break whatever spell had fallen over both of us.
Darius cleared his throat awkwardly and released me, his hands dropping away from my waist like I had burned him.
The warmth disappeared instantly, replaced by cold air that felt wrong against my skin.
The happiness I had been feeling crumbled into dust, leaving behind an aching emptiness that made my chest tight.
I wished for nothing more than to be back in his arms, even if only for a few more seconds, even if it meant absolutely nothing to him.
But I could not say that out loud.
I dared not voice the thought because doing so would mean admitting I felt something for him, something real and dangerous that I was not ready to examine too closely.
He bent down and picked up the object that had fallen from the shelf, turning it over in his hands.
It was a massive leather-bound book, easily heavy enough to cause serious damage if it had hit me directly on the head.
He reached up and fixed it back onto the high shelf where it belonged, pushing it firmly into place.
That was when I noticed the red staining the folds of his brown hair.
Blood.
He was bleeding from where the book had struck him whilst he was shielding me.
I reached out without thinking and touched the spot gently, my fingers coming away wet and crimson.
Darius jumped at the contact and spun around to face me, his expression guarded. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I am sorry," I apologized quickly, holding up my hand to show him the blood on my fingers. "But you are hurt. Look."
He relaxed slightly when he saw what I was pointing at. "It is just a wound from the book. Nothing serious."
"It needs to be treated properly," I insisted, worry creeping into my voice. "You could get an infection or—"
He laughed, the sound genuine and warm in a way that made my stomach flip. "Do not freak out about this, Ravenna. I am fine. Wait, watch me"
Before I could ask what he meant, he stepped back and grabbed the hem of his shirt.
In one smooth motion, he pulled it over his head and tossed it onto the nearby table.
My eyes went wide as I took in the sight before me. He did not have a six pack.
No!
He had a perfectly sculpted eight pack, each muscle defined and hard under skin that looked like it had been carved from stone.
There was a tattoo covering most of his upper body that I had never seen before, an intricate design of a wolf in mid-run that started on his chest and flowed down one arm in beautiful detail.
I realized with a start that this was the first time I was seeing him shirtless.
The thought made my face heat up considerably.
But then his body started transforming right in front of my eyes.
Black fur sprouted across his skin, spreading rapidly over his chest and arms.
His fingers extended and twisted into deadly sharp claws.
His face shifted, bones restructuring themselves with sounds that should have been painful.
His eyes, which had been dark brown and black just seconds ago, turned brilliant golden and seemed to glow in the dim library light.
He stepped towards me slowly, and every instinct I had screamed at me to run, to get away from the predator approaching.
But I stood my ground, rooted to the spot by a mixture of fear and complete awe.
This was the first time I was seeing his wolf form up close, properly seeing him instead of just catching glimpses during fights or practices.
My fingers reached out of their own accord, drawn to touch this impossible creature standing before me.
I traced the thick fur on his arms, then moved to his chest, feeling the muscles shifting beneath my hands.
The fur was softer than I expected, warm and surprisingly comforting.
He pulled me into his arms suddenly, and I gasped in surprise.
Now I was scared, properly terrified of being held by something that could tear me apart without any effort at all.
I wanted to move away, to put distance between us, but his voice stopped me.
"Stay still," he rumbled, the words coming out distorted and rough through his transformed vocal cords. "I will not hurt you. I promise."
Something in his tone made me believe him.
I forced myself to relax in his hold, though my heart was still racing wildly in my chest.
I stared up at him whilst he cocked his head to the side, studying me with those incredible golden eyes that seemed to see straight through every defence I had ever built.
I wanted desperately to touch his face, to trace the shape of his muzzle and feel the fur there.
But before I could work up the courage, he moved back suddenly and released me.
His transformation reversed itself quickly, fur receding and bones shifting back into human form until he stood before me as Darius again.
But the expression on his face was furious.
He was glaring at me with an intensity that made me take an involuntary step backwards.
"Fuck you, Atlas," he snarled, though I had no idea who he was talking to or what that meant.