accent certainly made his question valid.
His knowing eyes met mine and a grin tugged at the scar on his cheek. “Okay , that answers that question. So you’re not running from the law. What were you doing at the club last night then?” He stared at the strange braids that tied my hair out of my face and the tattoos on my neck.
“I have a job to do, but I am afraid I have already failed,” I replied.
His eyes narrowed on the neatly folded dress I had set on the nearby table. “You sure ain’t packing much for that kind of work…” Turning his attention back to me he shifted onto his left foot. “So what do you do for a living?”
“I live to fulfill his wishes.” The words stuck to the roof of my mouth, were poison on my tongue. Even though I loved Seid still, my loathing was just as great now as it had been then.
“Crap, are you in some kind of troub le? Did you run out on your boss… or…” He glared at the hardwood floor, as though blaming it for his poor articulation. His arms fell to his sides, fists clenched when he lifted his eyes again. Yet when he opened his mouth to speak, the words faded, and his hard mask shifted. Finally he said, “You can stay here long as you need to. I’ve been through some tough times myself.” Shrugging his shoulders indifferently, he lifted a hand to point to the scar on his face.
He’s letting me stay?
I had never needed a place to stay before, never needed shelter from the cold or slept through a night for that matter. All of these things were new to me. And this small kindness from a troubled man whom I had already failed, who wore his face, pierced me more than I could express.
His smile fell when I unraveled my legs over the edge of the bed and stood. His chest stilled as I came to him. Keeping my eyes locked to his, I took his fist in my hands and spread the fingers open and pressed his palm over my heartbeat. With my free hand I reached up to cover his. My clan only used this gesture in the most intimate of settings, between family members and—lovers.
His touch burned against my skin. Within the center of his black pupils, I saw my reflection, how the curse lit my eyes with shades of the dawn. For one infinitesimal moment our hearts raced in time and then slowed as one.
Pain flashed through his face and made him wince as he tore his gaze from mine, pulled his touch away. Mumbling some excuse under his breath, he fled to his room after.
A s I sank back onto the magical bed I listened to the sound of the water pounding over his bare skin.
Tweaking the curtain’s layer aside, I watched the storm blanket the outside world in a snow so fine it floated like flour. Here I could almost feel the cold again, rattling against the glass and crawling across it in icy patterns.
Cain had yet to emerge and as I waited and watched the storm ensue, I was ever more convinced of the solidity of my curse. What better punishment could he have given me, really? To be forced to remain inside this enclosed space with a man who wore his face? Cain could never know what torture this was for me.
He should never h ave seen you in the first place.
Taking my lower lip between my teeth to bite back the sudden chill, I wrapped my arms about my chest. It was still too cold. I was cold and determined to find the cure for my current weakness. If Cain did not look the mirror image of Seid then I wouldn’t be so distracted, off balance. How much easier it was to forget humanity but how much simpler the job? I could be rid of Cain and the terrible reminders of my past he wore like a mask.
Behind me the radio crackled into life and I listened to its low electric hum. Without turning I knew he was there, turning the old knobs and adjusting the volume. Buzzing gave way to a monotone voice on the radio, spouting off facts about the weather that I could have already told Cain.
Touching my chin to my shoulder, I watched him lean forward in concentration. Water matted his black hair
His knowing eyes met mine and a grin tugged at the scar on his cheek. “Okay , that answers that question. So you’re not running from the law. What were you doing at the club last night then?” He stared at the strange braids that tied my hair out of my face and the tattoos on my neck.
“I have a job to do, but I am afraid I have already failed,” I replied.
His eyes narrowed on the neatly folded dress I had set on the nearby table. “You sure ain’t packing much for that kind of work…” Turning his attention back to me he shifted onto his left foot. “So what do you do for a living?”
“I live to fulfill his wishes.” The words stuck to the roof of my mouth, were poison on my tongue. Even though I loved Seid still, my loathing was just as great now as it had been then.
“Crap, are you in some kind of troub le? Did you run out on your boss… or…” He glared at the hardwood floor, as though blaming it for his poor articulation. His arms fell to his sides, fists clenched when he lifted his eyes again. Yet when he opened his mouth to speak, the words faded, and his hard mask shifted. Finally he said, “You can stay here long as you need to. I’ve been through some tough times myself.” Shrugging his shoulders indifferently, he lifted a hand to point to the scar on his face.
He’s letting me stay?
I had never needed a place to stay before, never needed shelter from the cold or slept through a night for that matter. All of these things were new to me. And this small kindness from a troubled man whom I had already failed, who wore his face, pierced me more than I could express.
His smile fell when I unraveled my legs over the edge of the bed and stood. His chest stilled as I came to him. Keeping my eyes locked to his, I took his fist in my hands and spread the fingers open and pressed his palm over my heartbeat. With my free hand I reached up to cover his. My clan only used this gesture in the most intimate of settings, between family members and—lovers.
His touch burned against my skin. Within the center of his black pupils, I saw my reflection, how the curse lit my eyes with shades of the dawn. For one infinitesimal moment our hearts raced in time and then slowed as one.
Pain flashed through his face and made him wince as he tore his gaze from mine, pulled his touch away. Mumbling some excuse under his breath, he fled to his room after.
A s I sank back onto the magical bed I listened to the sound of the water pounding over his bare skin.
Tweaking the curtain’s layer aside, I watched the storm blanket the outside world in a snow so fine it floated like flour. Here I could almost feel the cold again, rattling against the glass and crawling across it in icy patterns.
Cain had yet to emerge and as I waited and watched the storm ensue, I was ever more convinced of the solidity of my curse. What better punishment could he have given me, really? To be forced to remain inside this enclosed space with a man who wore his face? Cain could never know what torture this was for me.
He should never h ave seen you in the first place.
Taking my lower lip between my teeth to bite back the sudden chill, I wrapped my arms about my chest. It was still too cold. I was cold and determined to find the cure for my current weakness. If Cain did not look the mirror image of Seid then I wouldn’t be so distracted, off balance. How much easier it was to forget humanity but how much simpler the job? I could be rid of Cain and the terrible reminders of my past he wore like a mask.
Behind me the radio crackled into life and I listened to its low electric hum. Without turning I knew he was there, turning the old knobs and adjusting the volume. Buzzing gave way to a monotone voice on the radio, spouting off facts about the weather that I could have already told Cain.
Touching my chin to my shoulder, I watched him lean forward in concentration. Water matted his black hair
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