The Lycan Within

c. four

I groaned as I turned over in the silky sheets, feeling sunlight dancing over my skin. I lay still, breathing and relishing in an empty mind. I tried to hold on to the nothingness in my mind, but slowly memories of last nights events began to invade my mind. My eyes suddenly shot open and I sat up in the bed, grabbing the nearest object to me, backing myself into a corner as my eyes frantically scanned the room. I noticed a figure sitting in a chair, watching me with amused eyes. I squeled in fear, until I recognized the features of this figure. Dressed in a simple black dress shirt and dark trousers, he stood and slowly began to close the distance between us, his eyes full of mischief. I still held my weapon between my trembling hands, watching him carefully as he seemed to be so at ease.

"So," came his deep voice slowly, "if there was a genuine threat, your immediate choice of weapon would be..." he stops speaking as he seems to struggle to hold in a laugh, watching me with amusement in his eyes. I look down into my hands and I see a sleek black remote in my hand. I look back up at him, my face burning with embarrassment as I do. He lets out a breathy chuckle, and I can't help but offer him a meek smile, the sound of his laughter immediately lifting my spirits. He steps closer to me, his eyes trained on me as he takes the remote from my hands, throwing it onto the bed. His hand reaches up and cups my face and I subconsciously lean into the warmth. He picked up on the miniscule action, eliciting a small smile from him. He looked at me tenderly, his eyes scanning my own, although I failed to understand what interested him so much. As I began to lose myself in his eyes, I remembered again what had happened last night. I imagined his eyes turning black again, scurrying into the corner once more in fear. He became confused as I sank to the ground, shielding my body from him. I was mumbling incoherently and I heard him come over, kneeling infront of me. He still towered over me even on his knees, and he placed a gentle hand on my arm, prying it from my body. I had flinched at his touch, eliciting a frown from him.

"Y-your eyes," I managed to stutter out. He closed his eyes momentarily, looking down. He was breathing laboured breaths and he looked up at me once more, somewhat questioning, somewhat nervous and somewhere within his beautiful forest green eyes, was fear. Maybe he knew. The thought had me gulping, as flashes of lifeless brown eyes filled my memory.

"Come with me, and I swear to you I'll explain everything," he says, his eyes pleading with me.

"You have no reason to be afraid of me, I'd never hurt you Celeste," he says, and a distant voice in my head encouraged me to trust him. And so I did, for now at least.

He held out his hand towards me, his eyes searching mine longingly and I placed my hand into his and with ease he brought me to my feet. His hand left my own, resting gently on the small of my back as he lead me through the door and down the hallway. His scent filled my nostrils, and I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and breathe it in forever. He led me gently down a staircase and into a well decorated foyer. The warm creams and browns paired with plenty of natural lighting created an inviting environment, and I wished I'd have the liberty to call this place my home. I heard quiet mumbling coming from the kitchen and as the two of us stepped in, the eyes of Catori and Benjamin snapped up to meet us. Catori's face held a scowl, her eyes burning holes through me as she noticed Sebastian's hand on my back. Benjamin smirked up at us, moving from his chair slowly, his eyes trained on Sebastian as he moved. As he approached me, he took my hand into his own, pressing a long deep kiss to my hand. A few moments passed, and a loud snarl filled the room, Sebastian pulling my hand away from Benjamin. Benjamin erupted in a roar of laughter, and I shook from fear, but somewhere deep within me was satisfaction as Sebastian stroked his thumb across my hand. Catori sat deathly still, her shoulders shaking as they rose and fell with each breath.