Rogue Spirits

Twenty-Four

Her chest rises up till her breath halts. Even if her body stops moving, her eyes are zeroed in on him, committed to watch everything he's doing and the tiniest details, from his eyes to his curling fingers as his fist lies next to her left shoulder.

A muffled voice wafts in and knocking ensues, pulling him apart from her. They both close their eyes and regain their leveled breathing. His eyes are first to open, his finger following everywhere they trail, imprinting her skin delicately.

Goosebumps erupt on the surface of her skin. She hates the feeling of being exposed, so she reaches out to stop him.

He merely sends her a toe-curling smile and she melts.

"We'll continue this later then."

She takes his offered hand and he leans in as he pulls her, her head landing on his chest. She feels a blush creeping on her cheeks at the sound of his heartbeat.

It feels intimate.

He wordlessly gets off of the bed and she follows, although at a rather timid pace. Walking down the staircase, he wraps his arm around her securely and she leans in, drawing in his fresh, manly scent.

Their walk feels like a blur and she hardly remembers where they are. She doesn't even know where they're going–not that she cares.

"I hope we're not too late." Chris says smoothly.

"You are." Wesley drawls out in an uncaring way.

"Thank you for the stay, son." Graham smiles pleasantly as he hugs Chris briefly, Mariose taking her turn next.

"Be sure to visit again." Helen says, frowning sadly.

"We will." Mariose responds warmly, cheering her up.

She sharply turns to face her mate, earning a confused look from him.

"Where's your boy?"

His mouth opens and closes until she shifts her gaze onto Heloise who arches a brow and shrugs.

"I'm not hiding him, if that's what you're asking."

"Who?" Jared silently steps beside her, causing her to bristle.

Once she recovers, she slaps him on the shoulder and glares.

"What?" He grunts, rubbing the sore area.

"Say your goodbyes, son. We're leaving." Graham says with a meaningful look.

"Bye Mom, bye Dad. I won't miss you too much."

Their eyes widen and their mouths open, staring at their boy in confusion and happiness separately.

"You're staying." Mariose states, her red lips curling into a smile.

He shrugs, ignoring Heloise's incredulous look, "It's actually fun here. Have a good time without me–but no siblings." He finishes with a warning stare.

Graham smirks, "And exactly who permitted you to stay? Did you even tell Chris about it?"

"It's fine, right?" He tosses him a nonchalant look and he nods, suppressing his smile.

"Well, I guess that's it then." Graham shrugs, walking away. "Goodbye, family."

"Answer my calls, Jared." Mariose gives him a cutting stare, pointing up to him.

He fakes a salute and forces his lips to smile until his mother's gone inside the vehicle they arrived in. His hand drops as he watches them drive away.

"Chris, Russel and Cyrus want to speak to you about your new recruits." Wesley says, showing the reason he's even there in the first place.

"And I'm off to the library." Heloise mutters under her breath, but Jared still manages to catch it and follows her coolly.