68. Calla

68. Calla
His hand trailed over my arm, creating goosebumps in its wake. He let it rest on my hip, holding me gently as we continued to dance. Slowly. My body moved closer into his on its own accord, coaxed by that little something that kept insisting that I touch him, and breathe him in. Another song started to play. I put my head on his shoulder again, inhaling his delightful scent. My hand lowered, moving to rest over his pectoral. I could feel him breathe, his powerful heartbeats. That foreign entity pressed forward. And then I felt it.
My cheeks heated, in sync with my body. I licked my lips, feeling a little thirsty. A little too warm. I did not dare shift, or even look at him. We continued to move slowly. Another brush. Another tingle. I swallowed, forcing myself not to think about it. I did not want to give in. I did not want to ruin this.
The song ended. He didn't make any move to step away from me, and neither did I. I couldn't. And I found that I didn't even want to. His hand caressed my back gently. I shivered again, dangerously close to letting out a weird little purr. It frightened me a little. I raised my gaze to look up at the side of his face, not really surprised to find that he was already staring down at me.
"Athos..." I uttered quietly. Tentatively. He let out a gentle hum in reply. I licked my lips again, conjuring up some courage to spill out those words. I couldn't keep avoiding it. I had to know.
"Why do I feel like this?" Was there something wrong with me? Or maybe he was feeling it too?
He did not utter a single word in reply. But I could see that look in his eyes. The pain and guilt that he felt. I continued to stare up at him, futilely trying to decipher what was going on inside his mind. I felt his fingers tracing through my hair gingerly, his gaze following the action. His jaw ticked, his saddened eyes meeting my own again. His lips parted, however not getting to say anything before his expression changed abruptly.
He looked...a little lost, his brows drawing together as he peered between my eyes. I grew confused as well, frozen in that moment as I stared right back. And then his eyes flashed, shifting to that glowing golden for the briefest moment.
I let out a breathless little gasp, my body startling in his embrace. His nostrils flared, his hold on me loosening. His eyelids screwed shut for a moment. "Fuck..." he swore through gritted teeth. He sounded like he was in pain, and my eyes widened as worry started to gnaw at me.
"That sneaky motherfucker..." he grunted dangerously, taking a covert glance over his shoulder before his attention reverted to me.
"What? What's going on?" I asked quickly, my hand fisting his shirt as I peered between his eyes with nothing but growing alarm and concern.
"He poisoned my drink," he answered, letting out a pained grunt. His eyelids screwed shut again, pulling me against him with a firm tug of his arm around my waist. I let out a small noise, my eyes growing wide again for a second as I felt his... That little entity mewled with delight, and I blushed so profusely.
His face was buried in the crook of my neck without a single warning beforehand, and I shivered as soon as I felt his hot breath caressing my skin, with every erratic exhale.
"We have to go," he murmured, sounding almost apologetic. My brows drew together, however, I nodded quickly in understanding.
He took another moment to draw a few more breaths in, my scent appearing to have a certain effect on him. He wrapped his hand around my own, and then we were making our way through the crowd, all the way outside. The sleek black car was already parked where we had left it, and he opened the door and invited me inside before climbing in himself.
I sat in the leather seat across from him, watching him tap with the back of his fingers lightly against that glass pane behind him. It opened just a fraction, and he uttered a single word, "Nightshade."
The glass pane closed and the car lurched forward with screeching tires, making my body sink in my seat. I let out a little yelp, my fingers digging into the firm and textured leather beneath me.
"You might want to put your seatbelt on," Athos instructed with seriousness, drawing my attention back to him. I stared at him oddly, noticing that he was already starting to look so uncomfortable. He looked like he was in pain. He was shifting constantly, his breathing growing more and more erratic as beads of sweat formed at his brows. The car took a sudden turn, making me grab onto the seatbelt with my hands and hold on.
"Athos, what's —" My words were cut short by a hitched gasp, as soon as I saw those claws extending from his nailbeds at one hand.
"That human server put deadly nightshade in my drink," he explained, his voice sounding so gruff. My brows furrowed. He put what? What even was that?
"It's a type of fruit that can blend very easily with alcohol, masking its taste and smell," he answered as if able to read my mind, letting out a pained groan. "Mmh...fuck..." The car took another sharp turn, forcing me to hold on again.
"It's fatal for humans, and dangerous for us because it can force a shift within seconds, as our beasts will always rush to fix anything that goes wrong inside our bodies, regardless of the setting," he finished with an animalistic growl, sounding rather angry. I sank further into that seat as Dima continued to speed like a crazy shifter, my eyes wide and filled with worry, but most of all, with sinking dread as I lastly realized that Athos was most probably about to shift in my presence. His gaze fell on me, softening a little as he seemed to take in my tensed stance.
"We would never hurt you, Calla. I promise. You are safe with us," he murmured, almost pleadingly. I blinked, my cheeks warming. The car jostled, making me jump in my seat a little.
"B-but why... Why would that human do that to you?" I asked instead.
He shifted again, leaning back in his seat as the motion seemed to have disturbed him as well. "As you already are aware, there are some humans who know of our existence," he panted, and I watched his broad chest rise and fall, those veins bulging in his corded arms and neck. I gulped, letting go of the seatbelt to wrap my arms around myself instead.
"And as expected, some of them aren't exactly fond of us, so they are constantly trying to find ways to expose us for the whole world to see. What we really are," he grunted, his eyes shifting to that glowing golden again. The car jostled a few more times.
"Fuck... I will need you to stay close to me, Calla," he said with another groan, and my brows furrowed. "Why?"
"Your scent... It's calming him. And I really don't want to go back and tear into that asshole's throat," he growled. My lips parted. And then I was suddenly flying straight towards him as the car stopped abruptly, landing on my knees on the floor, between his parted legs.
My hands were planted on his strong thighs, as I had used them to brace myself, and only now did I finally notice how close to his crotch area my face was. I blew a rebel strand of hair away from my face, raising my chin timidly. I met his gaze, not failing to notice the way that his jaw ticked. His throat bobbed visibly.
"Dima!" he roared with irritation. I winced a little.
"Sorry!" came a voice from the other side of that glass pane. We sat like that for another moment, staring at each other. Until he let out another strained heaving sound, leaning forward as if he'd just received a punch in the gut.
"Sorry. I can't hold him back any longer," he murmured apologetically, peering between my eyes. I sat back and he sprang out of that seat as if it were on fire, almost taking the door with him on his way out. I got rid of those stupid, very uncomfortable high heels, then followed him outside. It turned out that Dima had actually driven us into the forest. Hence all the jostling.
I planted my feet in the damp and grassy soil, and my gaze landed on Athos' tensed form. He was standing just a few steps away, and he seemed to be struggling to unbutton his shirt with one hand, as the other was already sporting beastly claws.
"What are you doing?" I walked closer, my gaze shifting between his fumbling fingers and that concentrated expression on his face.
"I don't want to ruin my clothes. Can you help me?" he asked, peering between my eyes. I did not pause to ponder. I offered him a timid look, swallowing thickly. And then my hands took over from where he had left off, undoing the rest of his buttons with trembling fingers. His belt buckle was next, and I hesitated for a second, my cheeks growing so incredibly hot as I couldn't help but think about how this all must've looked like. But he let out another strained grunt and I blinked those thoughts away, springing back into action. I popped it open quickly, going for the button, and then the zipper.
I could see the waistband of his black underwear. Those prominent muscles that seemed to point at what was hidden underneath, and the glaringly visible outline of his...
"Calla?"
I looked up, meeting his eyes again. They were glowing fiercely.
"You should turn around now," he advised calmly. I wasted but a single moment longer, looking between his fiery eyes. I then did as told, walking a few steps away from him. My body was shaking so hard, and only now did I finally take notice of my erratic breathing. The desperate pounding of my heart.
I could hear the sounds of his clothes sliding down his body, landing on the forest floor. And then... A groan. A few pops. I placed my hands against my ears quickly, gripped by that fear that threatened to overwhelm me. Those horrible memories. That little something inside of me whined audibly, tucking itself away into a small corner of my mind. Another pop. A powerful growl. My eyes widened, seized by a stronger wave of panic. I caved.
My feet rustled in the grass, taking another set of steps.
"Don't run, my little one."
I froze. I stood as still as I could, considering the fact that my body was still trembling uncontrollably. I could hear his slow, powerful footsteps in the grass. I forced myself to remain where I was, fighting that urge that clawed at me so desperately.
He stopped, and I could suddenly feel him. I could feel that heat radiating from his body. His pleasant scent of rain and the woods. I heard his breath, his hearty inhale. I closed my eyes. His hot breath licked at my skin, eliciting a shiver.
"I will not hurt you. You're safe with me, Callanthea. I would never hurt what is mine... And you are mine, Callanthea. You were made from my blood." My breaths stilled.