Devil's Plaything

Necktie

The first sense to return to Mira was scent; she easy recognized the piney aroma of Noah's bedroom and the way her heartrate elevated as she took it in. Next, she felt the softness of his sheets enveloping her and heard the soothing sound of deep breathing nearby.

Her eyes opened and quickly adjusted to the dim, evening light in the room. Noah sat a few feet away from her in his desk chair, his arms crossed over his chest and his head leaned to the side. His eyes were closed, she realized as she examined him more closely. He had gone to sleep while watching over her.

For a moment, she felt sympathy for how exhausted he must have been to fall asleep in a chair, but then the memory of what had happened before Mira fell into unconsciousness slipped into her mind. Noah had gotten into her head—he was the reason she had blacked out, and he did it so that he could make decisions on her behalf without her interfering. Her jaw clenched in irritation as she watched him sleep peacefully.

Just because she knew less than he did about Aiden didn't mean that he had the right to control her access to him. He probably felt justified in his actions; or maybe he didn't care about making himself feel moral, and he simply thought the end justified the means.

Maybe the end was justified on some level. But if Mira wanted to risk herself, that was her own damn business. No matter the potential consequences.

She had the overwhelming instinct to express her anger somehow. She wanted to yell at him for taking away her freedom, to make him realize that she was not going to stop fighting against Aiden. But, for once, she was in a position of advantage. Finally, Noah was distracted while she could roam around unsupervised.

If Aiden was here, she would find him.

As quietly as she could, she pulled Noah's sheets off of herself and rose. She made her way to the door in absolute silence, and rested her hand on the knob. Before she turned the handle, she took a deep breath, preparing herself.

As soon as she pulled the door open an inch, a large hand emerged from behind her and pushed the door shut in an instant. She jumped back, and found herself pressed against a firm figure behind her. Noah moved her forward with his body and put an arm on either side of her, effectively caging her in.

The air was charged with tense energy, and Mira felt the temperature in the room drop

"I was going to the restroom," she said, too defensively. She could feel his breath hit the back of her head. The sensation spread goosebumps throughout her body.

"Why can't you trust that I will keep you safe?" He demanded, his voice hard. Predictably, he was not fooled by her lie.

She tensed, anger building in her stomach like fire. "It isn't about trusting you. Or safety. It's about finding out—" Her words escaped her before she could finish. There was a long, tense pause. She could hear her own breathing and feel Noah's quick heartbeat against her back.

"What?" He asked, softly this time. "Tell me." The tenderness in his voice was impossible to Mira to miss. His hand reached for her shoulder, but stopped just before he made contact.

Despite herself, she wanted him to touch her. But she remembered what it had felt like to have him in her mind, and how frustrated she was with him now. It infuriated her that he had so much influence over her. He could tempt her to change her approach within seconds. All it took was a sweet voice and near-physical contact. His influence over her was especially difficult to bare considering that she had never once succeeded in making him budge.

Her thoughts prompted an instinct to fight him again, but she managed to restrain it still. Acting impulsively wouldn't help her now. And losing against him again wasn't an option.