Adrian's POV
I was walking through the woods headed to the region without a specific plan of remaining unseen. It looked like a good idea at first, but as I entered I figured it was actually quite a rush decision.
I seem to make a lot of those lately.
The train of thought was interrupted by a noise not far away. I slowed down and listened walking quietly through the gray looking grass.
"I don't seem to do anything right", the voice I was so eager to hear said, but the way that words were uttered frightened me making me feel a weird sensation. I rubbed the middle of my chest and walked slowly towards the voice. Among the slim trees I saw the strawberry blonde locks surrounding angelic face that held all the sorrow I heard just a few moments ago.
And I felt so much.
Unnatural.
Foreign.
"Rose", the words left my mouth. Her gaze found mine and I saw her eyes brighten up. She ran in my arms and as soon as my skin touched hers I felt at home. I closed my eyes and she snuggled closer. I frowned.
"You're stone cold, Rosy", I said taking her face in my hands. She was pale with purple bags under her eyes. Her lips were light pink instead of their natural red color, but her eyes were shining and not just because of our touch, but in some other way. I hugged her tighter and kissed her forehead wondering how I am ever going to leave after this.
"What..." I started but, out of nowhere, Kayden cut me off with his blabbing. I almost forgot about him, but that couldn't be tolerated as the little diva always had to be the center of all events. I glared at the Birdbrain as he grinned and walked off. I shook my head and returned all the attention to my girl ruffling her hair as she smiled.
"Your smile is heavenly, Angel", I whispered in hear ear feeling her shiver. She clenched the material of my shirt pulling me closer and looking up.
"I missed you", she said quietly. I smiled and kissed her nose making her giggle. The sound of her voice, her smell, beat of her heart, her tender touch...all of it â that was my drug. I've lost sight of everything I came here to say. There was her and only her. My thoughts confused me, so I took a step back looking around. Kayden was gone along with the little brunette. Well, she was old enough to take care of herself.
I looked back at Rose as she took off the winter jacket and a hoodie she had underneath leaving her in thin white shirt loosely hanging on her small shoulders. I blinked a few naughty thoughts away and focused on her face. Her eyes were faintly glowing and she was blushing. I tilted my head wondering if I imagined her sick before. I took her hand.
She read confusion on my face. "Something weird is happening", she said and took a step toward me. We intertwined our fingers and she focused on them as I looked at her glowing eyes. All of this would be so much easier if they glowed all the time. She looked up and cupped my head with her other hand. I leaned in.
"Aren't you cold?" I asked squinting my eyes trying to read her face full of emotion. She let her hand fall from my face on my shoulder and smiling sadly.
"Something weird is happening, Adrian", she repeated and started making little circles with her thumb on my shoulder, "I can't describe it, but it's not...like..."
She looked away struggling to find the right words. I placed my hands on her waist and pulled her closer. She moved her hand slowly from the shoulder to the back of my head and looked up at me climbing on her toes. As I lowered my head she closed her eyes. I lightly brushed my lips upon hers. Our noses were touching and I gripped her waist.
"You're making me feel too much", she mumbled, "I feel like my heart is going to burst"
Silence.
"Is that a problem?" I said finally.
She pulled me closer and kissed me passionately sending electricity through my veins but especially to one space a bit lower than my heart.
"No", she said breathlessly. I breathed in slowly and moved away so I could think with the right mind putting my hands in the pockets.
She looked away and then again at me.
"Can you cure the flu like you cure cuts?" she asked. I looked at her confused. She took a deep breath and started walking away from me. I followed close behind in silence.
"Tell me what's going on", I demanded and she slowed down hugging herself. She stopped and looked down as I closed the distance between us. I stood behind her and put my hands on her forearms bringing her back against my chest. She was so small. So fragile.
"Adrian, I don't know what to think", she said honestly, "It's the weirdest feeling I've ever had and I'm not exactly sure if it's real or I've just imagined it"
She was still tense. Slowly I removed hair from one of her shoulders exposing her neck.
"Tell me more", I said as I lowered my head to the crook of her neck that was begging for light kisses. She relaxed.
"I don't think anyone could understand the coldness I felt these last few days", she spoke slowly as I kissed her neck, "it crawled into my bones, but as soon as I saw you", she stopped and lowered her hand on mine that was resting on her stomach, "as soon as I saw your smile it all went away... forgotten"
She sucked in breath as I nibbled on her earlobe. I smiled and she playfully slapped my hand that she previously held. I turned her to face me and kissed the corner of her mouth.
"Maybe I tend to have that effect on people", I said looking innocently at her.
She rolled her eyes. "Maybe you do", she said taking a step back and checking me out shamelessly, "and maybe I've seen better"
I raised my eyebrows and she got close to me again putting her hands on my stomach and slowly bringing them up to my neck. She pulled me down and locked our lips together kissing me slowly as I slid my hand across her back to the perfectly rounded ass. She deepened the kiss and I let her take control enjoying her body freely and building up the tension that I knew was going to blow up in our faces. She bit my lip gently and I felt like I've lost my mind. It evoked sensations I thought I would never feel. I held her tighter and she lifted my shirt never looking down or breaking the kiss. I moved away for a quick second to take it off and quickly claimed her lips leaving her breathless.
"You don't look real", she said in between kisses. Once again I moved on her neck this time biting it delicately and hearing her rapid breathing.
"I thought you've seen better", I said as I squeezed her alluring behind. I let my hand travel under her shirt caressing smooth skin and leaving trails of tingles. She was melting in my arms and in that moment I knew she was only mine.
The thought scared me. Not the thought itself really, but the feeling. Never in my life, not even as a child, was I dependent on another person. I've never felt so...possessive? With her, everything was different, everything was heightened and so intense. Completely new. I felt so...
Earthly.
I heard ruffling in the distance before I heard the most annoying voice.
"I hate to break this little shenanigans", Kayden said lazily breaking my nerves, "but we have a few things to discuss"
Rose was blushing and she hid her face in my chest. I raised my eyebrow at the Birdbrain.
"Make yourself presentable, Loverboy", he added.
"I'll punch in the face"
"I'm waiting outside"
"It's a fucking fact"
He blew me a kiss and disappeared. I shook my head and looked down at the shining green eyes. I took one lock of hair and pinned it behind her ear.
"The school will open in a few days", I started, "and Kael is thinking of opening the region"
"What do you mean", she asked with her lips swollen from the kisses. The look of them made me want to resume from what we started but I knew that this time I wouldn't be able to stop.
"He is not a dictator", I continued, "He doesn't want anyone to be afraid"
At least I thought so till today. But I couldn't get myself to tell Rose about my brother potentially trying to kill her. I couldn't even think about it. It must be a mistake.
Her face lit up and she smiled. "That's so great", she said excitedly, "if only everyone made that kind of effort everything would be so much easier"
She was bouncing and I smiled. "Just imagine that kind of a world", she bit her lip and closed her eyes, "There would be no fear or poverty and in some time everyone would adjust forgetting about the rough start"
I took her face in my hands and gave her a quick kiss on the lips and one on the nose.
"I love you, Rosy", I said hugging her.
Before she could say anything I left.
Kayden's POV
The speed had me feeling free. The wind blew away thoughts I didn't want to analyze. I was so conflicted, confused. My brain was always flooded with different notions, images, flashes, pain...darkness. Always so busy, never focused. Sometimes I just had to mute it, make it go away somehow. I wanted tranquility, I wanted it to be blank. There was only one way to achieve it. I knew. But I couldn't do it. Not yet. Drinking, smoking, drugs, women. It was all temporary and not even that simple lately.
I knew Adrian was close behind.
We'll talk at my place. I had to take these few moments to clear my mind up a bit. If I couldn't handle it, how could he?
I speeded ahead jumping over feces, even doing fucking flips, just to let the way of overcoming physical barriers become the only thought on my mind.
I neatly pushed myself from the ground and reached the window of my room. Gracefully I lifted my weight and slid in. I took a deep breath in calming my senses. I felt chills. Something's wrong.
Floor squeaking. So lightly.
I closed my eyes.
Feather-like steps were closing in. Five men. Professionals.
I chuckled. Exactly what I fucking needed. I took off the plaid shirt just as I saw the first man in the corner of my eye coming through the door.
He was maybe the fastest one I encountered in a long time. In the matter of milliseconds he was by my side with the golden knife aimed under my ribs. Before it could touch me I smashed my elbow straight in the middle of his throat quickly taking his gurgling head in both of my hands and bringing it down to my knee. Bones cracked and blood burst out as animalistic scream left his body that fell down on the floor.
I didn't even have time to blink before I felt whip wrapping around my neck. It carved itself deep into my skin letting little leaks of blood down to my shirt. It burned with familiar sting of gold making it hard to breathe. I gripped the whip and tugged it towards me making the tall blondie stumble a bit, just enough to loosen the pressure round my neck.
I heard the sound long before I felt blade sliding down my back, but I couldn't move away as I was busy with the new giant in the room trying to crush my scull with his bare hands. Grasping his large forearms I gave myself enough balance to do a simple knee strike to his groin. It did not do the damage I hoped for but it gave me enough time to partly turn around and catch the hand with the blade midair just before it landed on my back once again. Swiftly I forced it ahead of me straight in the eye of the giant. He growled and fell on his knees as I caught the leg of the blade boy coming towards my head. I flipped him over and he fell on his back. One foot strike to his head and he was out of it. I felt another impact of the whip cutting deep into my bloody back. I ignored the black flash before my eyes and placed myself behind the giant taking his head in my hands and cracking his neck. His body dropped down with a loud thud.
Lash to my face. Bright flash before my eyes.
I snapped my head to the blondie with the determined facial expression. She lifted the whip and again swirled it towards me. I took a hold of it before it touched me. It slashed my hand deep to the bone. But the pain was welcomed. I tilted my head. With the other hand I ripped it up and took a big step towards her.
Suddenly among all the grunting, heavy breathing that was even harder due to the air filled with blood and gold, among the ache from every part of my body and my mind I felt sharp, piercing pain just above my heart. All the air was pushed out of my chest and I stumbled down with my knees buckling. All I heard was an echoing, ringing sound of a gunshot. Everything slowed down.
I blinked.
Only the gun aimed dangerously at my head could be seen from the dark of the hallway.
I looked around seeing blurred colors, and then back at the murderous machine. Fingers holding it were yellow and hairy. I saw them so clearly pulling the trigger. Golden bullet flew through the air in slow motion with waves of energy radiating from it.
I blinked.
It hit my shoulder bringing me forcefully down on my back.
I tried to breathe in. As soon as the air made its way to my lungs I started coughing out metal-tasting liquid. It was leaking around my teeth and over freshly cold lips. Dimly lit bedroom was phasing out slowly.
Floor squeaking.
Loud thud.
Darkness.