Cursed To Be With You

Chapter 11 (Part 3 ~ ONC #5)

It was amazing, but Constantino was asleep. I expected some death like trance with his crossed arms over his chest but he was sprawled out on his stomach, and he was on my bed. There was no other choice because I didn't have another bed.

Taking the time to deal with the mess on the table, I packed away the professor's notes and his computer and wondered what to do with them. There was now the threat of his ex-wife coming here when I was out, so I had to assume that my house would be searched.

I didn't have a safe, but I did have a hidey-hole. This was a genius move on my part, getting an ex-boyfriend who happened to be a builder install it for me. In the kitchen, under the bottom board of the cupboards was a place to stow my things. It was just a matter of pushing the kickboard in, and the drawer would slide out. He even made sure it didn't scrape on the floor, the man was a legend.

So, I gave it a good push and watched it slide out. Placing the items into the shallow drawer, I made sure everything fitted and then stood up with a feeling of superiority. Glancing at the table, I saw the stack of papers that we'd been drawing on. It was either burn them or stow them with the other things because I couldn't risk leaving them on the table and putting them into the trash was just as dangerous. They joined the drawer of hidden items, and I pushed it back, making sure it clicked into place.

With everything safely tucked away, I did a little housework and then stretched out on the lounge to watch television. I was distracted though, wondering where I'd find clothes for Constantino. A thought occurred to me, and I got up and rushed into the bathroom. His old clothes were neatly folded and left on the vanity. They were a little musty but in reasonable condition. Curiosity got the better of me, and I searched for a label. There was nothing, much to my frustration. Cleaning instructions would be helpful.

The shirt and long pants felt like cotton, and the jacket had a velour feel to it. Taking them to the utility room, I decided that hand washing them was probably the safest choice. I would only do the pants and the shirt.

The process took about ten minutes. I hung the pants and shirt on my internal line after giving them a good wringing out. The jacket was hanging on a coat hanger next to the window. Hopefully, a little airing out will be enough.

Wandering out to the lounge room, I was surprised to see Constantino sitting on the lounge watching the television. He stood when he realised that I was near, murmuring something.

"You can watch it if you want."

I sat down, nodding at the seat where he'd sat.

"Go on, sit down."

Something emerged, a soft whisper as he sat down. I don't think that I was meant to hear it.

"Something wrong?"

His eyes darted to mine, and again, he said something that was so quiet that I almost didn't hear it.

I shifted closer, it probably wasn't the wisest thing to do, but I had to put a little pressure on him; otherwise, he wouldn't tell me.

"Say it in my language."

He pulled the shirt, frowning as he spoke. Constantino seemed to spend a lot of time scowling. I suppose this entire situation was frustrating for him.

"Clothes? Shirt? Pink? Help me here."

"My-eh."

His hand pressed to his chest.

"Are you worried about your clothes?"

Taking his hand, I dragged him to the utility room and showed them to him.

"See? I only cleaned them."

Well, hopefully, I cleaned them. I didn't want to ruin his clothes. Constantino pulled down the jacket and rummaged through the inner lining. Relief washed through him when he pulled out a key. Then I got a lecture. I think. It was hard to say, he was giving me a stern scowl while jabbing the key at me.

"Okay, so I wasn't to know, alright? All I did was try and stop you from smelling like the walking dead. You've worn those clothes for how long? They stank, and I'm sure the penguins in Antarctica could smell you."

My hands were on my hips, defensive and a little angry. I understand he had every right to be worried, but I didn't wash his jacket, and I checked the other items. But again, he didn't know. So, my anger was a little unjust. As for my defensiveness, I guess that was because I'd only tried to do the right thing and I can now see that I should have checked first.

"But okay, I understand. I promise to check first before I wash your clothes. What's the key for anyway?"

Constantino looked at me, casually he said something and put the key back into the pocket.

"My language."

His head turned, looking over his shoulder.

"Dohr," He sounded out.

"A door?"

That was a kind of duh moment really.

"A door to where?"

He gestured to the room, I doubted that he meant it was a door to his laundry, so I guessed the other obvious choice.

"Your home?"

A soft smile crossed his face.

"Ho-me?"

"Yeah, home. Do you want to go home?"

Constantino shook his head, and I was honestly shocked.

"Why not?"

He pointed to the space over his head.

"Oh," I said dryly. "Because they tried to kill you? But you're a king, right? Don't you have to be there?"

With a shrug, Constantino tried to sidestep me. Taking his wrist, I stopped him.

"How much of what I say can you understand?"

"Smahl."

"Okay, a small amount. You're learning, so, that's good. Maybe get back into the videos. The proper videos, not those naughty ones, yeah?"

My heart raced as he leaned in, this time it was on the cheek. The kiss was so light and delicate, I would have missed it if it weren't for the warm breath on my skin. Looking up into those dark eyes, I knew that it was only a matter of when, not if. We would, he was a temptation that I could not refuse. Feeling drawn to him was now a part of my life, wanting more was a craving that was building.

"Is this the curse?" I whispered.

He was still close, a breath's distance from me, looking into my eyes. Constantino shook his head slightly, a tiny grin curled into one corner of his lips. As the smile deepened, it pushed his cheek higher and narrowed his eye a fraction.

Curiosity got the better of me, I reached out and ran my fingers over the smooth jaw. For a moment, I hesitated. I didn't want things to turn bad, and I feared that they would. The problem was, the temptation was too strong. Leaning forward, I kissed him.

It was deeper than the previous, an intense moment that started to grow. Smoothing my hand over his jaw, it curved down the back of his neck. Soon joined by my other arm, I held him close. As the kiss progressed into a heated, passionate embrace, his hands slid over my body and settled on my back.

I'd wanted to go slow, but all thoughts were lost to the need that would not stop. It didn't matter that I worried about the fangs in his mouth, I didn't even care that I was all but seconds from possible death by his hunger. All that I wanted was right here in my arms.