THIRTY-THREE

THIRTY-THREE

Link

Staring down at her pristine face, Link thought he never saw this girl look so rested like this before. The lines that were fixated around her eyes and mouth softened, leaving behind a face that looked at peace with everything.

He listed a finger, careful not to make any sudden movements which would lead her to jolt awake. What with everything she's been through, Link guessed her guard was not easily dropped. His finger hovered carefully above her face, millimetres awake from her cheekbones. Silently, he outlined the hollows of her cheeks, making sure not to touch her directly.

They were close enough as it was, close enough for Link to feel her body heat without any means of physical touch. A few strands of her hair covered parts of her face and Link, for a long time had imagined to feel her hair, run his fingers through it and see if it was as soft as he imagined it would be.

She breathed out.

Link dropped his finger and stared down at Orianna. She was asleep but her breathing was still heavy, the occasional exhale of air out her mouth vocalised. She was gone for the world. That much was obvious.

Link continued staring at her, his mind once again completely zapped away from his surroundings. At first it freaked him out, but soon enough he realised that being around Orianna and how just her presence made him forget about everything was a bitter addiction and he constantly needed to answer his craving.

He found that he just needed to be around her. Link found himself lost again, the quietness that surrounded them both truly welcoming. Orianna was fast asleep and he was not thinking about anything. He was lost, but content.

The idea of leaving her alone unsettled him mainly because of the events that had unfolded tonight. The phone call, the pure fear in Ori's voice still made his throat full, his hands clenching at the mere thought that she was petrified to her bones.

The phone call came sooner than he wanted and he let it ring for a while, the soft humming of the vibration filling his ears before he, at the last second, reached for his phone and answered.

"Yeah." He said by greeting.

The person at the other end of the line was someone that Link trusted. "They're coming now." Jared informed Link.

Link wasn't alright with that and without actually thinking about the reality of everything, he asked his friend for another favour.

"Stall them."

Jared was quiet at the other end which surprised Link since Jared was always the one talking. He met Jared through Cain. He was the best friend of Cain's brother, Quan and he was now working for Lucian. Link could sometimes call in a favour from Lucian's boys and more often than not, they were more than willing to help.

He thought of getting a few of the guys to keep watch on Ori incase the fucking bastard returned again.

"Sure." Jared said after a while.

"Thanks Jared." Link muttered before he hung up.

He didn't immediately place the phone down, and instead went to make another call, all the while sitting as close to Ori as possible.

His eyes were still locked on her face as he kept the phone pressed to his ear, waiting for Cain to pick up.

When he didn't pick up the third time Link rung the phone, he made a quick decision to go see him.

"Fuck." Link muttered, the idea of leaving Ori by herself not sitting well for him.

He made another quick call and soon enough, one of his men was outside. Link went out and greeted his friend. Mace, looking everything from scary to someone you wouldn't want to fuck with was standing outside, leaning against his Audi.

"Thanks for doing this," Link said. "She's sleeping and I don't think she'll wake up soon. Just keep watching the house."

Mace nodded. He wasn't a fan of speaking unnecessarily so he mostly opted to head gestures.

Link then quickly started to Cain's place, knowing that whatever was meant to go down had to go down now.

****

The drive to Cain's house from Ori's wasn't long. He lived less than twenty minutes away.

Spotting Cain's house wasn't that hard. Just look for a big estate with gates as massive as a building, and as dark as any house could look like, with shadows as deep and dark as coal. One look at Cain's place and you wouldn't question his taste in anything.

Link pressed the buzzer and whoever was in charge of the gate security that night opened the gates for him. He drove through, found around the dark fountain in the middle of the driveway. His house wasn't that big but it was the surroundings that did it for him. His signature car, an all black tinted limo was parked by the front.

Link got out his car and walked the short distance to the front door. They were big and tall but all Link had to do was knock a few times.

The door opened and Cain stood there. He was in his lounge clothes, plain black joggers and a black tshirt. Link looked at him closely and saw that Cain looked groggy and disengaged from his surroundings.

"This better be fucking important." Cain said as he let Link inside.

By the top of the staircase, Cain's woman Serena was leaning against the wall. She waved down at Link, a bright smile across her face and all Link did was nod back at her, hiding the small smile that he fought against his mouth.

Link didn't waste much time. He turned to Cain and just laid it out for him.

"He's fucking with her and you got to do something about it."

Cain looked surprised for a second before the usual blank face of his returned. "And what am I meant to do?" He drew out the words.

"I don't know," Link exclaimed, the thin thread of patience he had slowly slipping away. "Tell me what to fucking do or get Noelle on him. I don't fucking know."

Cain didn't take anything from Link's outburst and instead answered him calmly. "Why you not going to Lucian?"

Link stared at Cain as if he was another person. "I don't want Lucian to know about this."

"Why not?"

"It's better if he doesn't."

Cain raised one dark eyebrow at him. "Why is that?"

Link breathed out, frustrated at all these questions but he knew he had to answer them to get Cain to say yes. "He doesn't agree with what I'm doing."

Cain nodded. "Even I don't agree with it."

Link shrugged. He didn't care about Cain's thoughts. All he wanted was Cain to call his step mother and sort this fucking shit out.

"But.." Cain stared to say. "Didn't you want to fuck her up for what she's done?"

Link shook his head. "It's different."

Cain was like a spitting fire with all the questions, not giving Link one moment to catch his breath. "Why do you suddenly care about her so much?"

Link shook his head again. "I don't."

"Then why-"

Link interjected Cain with a snap. "Call it fucking forgiveness. The time of the year for all cold hearted hearts to melt has come and I suggest yours should be added to the list."

Cain didn't have a reply to that peculiar comment that came out of Link. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at him.

"How do I know this isn't one of your plans to get back at her?"

"Because there's a limit I have and he's actually scaring her."

Cain processed the new information. "But you were hell bent to fuck her up." Cain said slowly.

Link just let a scowl play across his face. All the questions where fucking tiring him and he didn't have to explain himself to anyone, especially Cain.

"Fuck you Cain. Just do something about it." Link said through gritted teeth, nearly there by the edge of the cliff. He couldn't hold on to the fury and frustration that was cooking up inside of him.

"Consider it done." Cain said, the finality in his voice.

Link, unsure of how to express his gratitude gave Cain one nod that said everything he couldn't say. Cain, understanding where his friend was coming from nodded back.

He walked to the front door and opened it up. "I'll see you soon."

Link walked out through the double doors and he just started the steps down when Cain called him back. He turned around to his friend.

"If it's any use, my fucking heart is ashes inside of me and it's all because of the woman I love waiting for me upstairs." Cain said, not afraid to openly admit that he had fallen so bad for his woman and he was too happy about it.

"Good for you."

Link turned on his heel to carry on the walk to his car.

"I hope you find the one that melts that steel heart of yours." Cain called over his shoulder.

Link had to turn around because something hilarious dawned on him. "If yours got melted, then there's no chance for any of us. You have the ultimate steel persona."

Cain's face, a true rarity, broke down into a smile.

****

Link knew the moment he got in his car that he wasn't going where he was supposed to. He drove the car back to where it all started tonight and parked it by the curb. Mace was still there, this time inside his Audi.

Link got out his car and knocked on the Audi window. Mace looked up, not jumping or anything. Knowing these boys, they could see you before you even got in their line of vision. They just favoured acting oblivious about everything around them over standing stoic and watching everyone.

And because of this, they were all good at their job.

Mace rolled down the window. "All's good."

"Thanks." Link turned around and walked inside Ori's home, hearing the Audi's purr over his shoulder before it drove away.

Ori was still sleeping on the sofa, her hand tucked underneath her head and her whole lower body curled into her chest. She was breathing lightly, long gone into dreamland.

Link didn't want to wake her up but her parents were coming soon. He didn't want anything to look out the ordinary expect that their daughter had come back. Carefully, making sure to not wake her, Link put his arms under her and with one swift move, he had her in his arms and was walking up the stairs.

He put her down on her bed when he got to her bedroom. He tried his best to tuck her in, and when she was under the covers, Link dropped down next to her.

And that's when her eyes flew open.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him, her voice scratchy but alert all together.

"I'm being a pest," Link tried, and ultimately failed, to crack a joke.

She blinked a few times, fully taking in her surroundings and what was happening. She sat up slightly, her eyes open and all sleep erased from her.

Ori scrunched up her brows. "What are you doing in my bed?" She asked, hostility inking her voice. Link welcomed the hostile wall Ori put between them because it was a reminder.

Of what they are.

Regardless of the tension that was slowly becoming present between the two, Link leaned in closer to Ori. She sucked in her breath, taken aback by what Link was trying to do and she wasn't sure what to do. Confusion riddled her face, and in a sick twisted way, Link found himself enjoying it.

"How sleepy are you?" He asked her, his voice dropping low even for his own ears. It was playing with her since she struggled to find the right words to say.

"Yes," she finally said and it didn't answer the question accordingly. At that, a small smile came to Link's face. Her eyes dropped down to his mouth and she angrily huffed out and turned her head away from him.

Link, continuing this need to send Ori on another twisted ride, lifted his hand and slowly placed it under her jaw, adding a bit of force to turn her head back around to him.

Her eyes were glittery and it was becoming a treat to Link and his own mind. He had to stare at them for a while every time simply because they were telling him a story. A story that constantly took him by surprise and kept him on the edge.

It was quiet between the two, the irregular heavy breathing of Ori the only sound in the room. No one could ignore what was gradually building up between the two, the proximity decreasing until Link's forehead was brushing hers.

"Link," she breathed out his name. It was that which caused him to unravel and furiously take her mouth in his. It took Ori less than a second to respond, her entire body arching up and pulled herself into him.

His hands grabbed her face, deepening the kiss. The soft moan that came from her filled his ears and then it was like something took over the both of them.

Ori put her hands around his neck, pulling him down until he was right on top of her. Link held himself up with his elbows, his hands running down her side and exploring slowly. All the while, their lips were locked.

His hands went underneath her shirt and the instant he touched her warm skin, he felt the shiver run through her. He went up until he came to the side swell of her breasts.

Ori, needing her own exploring tugged on Link's shirt and managed to get it over his head fast. She then went to his belt, tugging on it but Link grabbed her hand to stop her.

He pulled back a little bit, enough space to give them both a chance to catch their breath. He could still taste her in his mouth and it took everything inside him to not lose control fully.

"Not going to do this," Link told Ori, who was staring up at Link with glazed eyes.

"Don't tell me you can't feel what's happening here," she said.

Link wasn't stupid. "I can."

And because he couldn't help himself, he leaned down and touched her mouth again, wanting to feel the rush again. She answered immediately, her tongue meeting his in the middle.

He pulled back again. He didn't trust himself no where near enough to carry on whatever the hell was going on. "But we can't do this."

"Why not?" Ori breathed out. Link had to cover the groan that threatened to come out at the sound of her laboured breathing.

"If we're going to do this, we'll do it when it's right."

Ori went quiet. Her hands slowly dropped from Link's body. She was thinking it over, and then she knew finally knew where Link was coming from.

"When do you think that will happen?" She asked him.

Link shrugged and lifted himself off her and instead dropped himself next to her. He still needed to feel her and the need was mutual as she snuggled into him, her whole side pressed up against him.

They were quiet for a long time after that, both trying to get each other out of their heads.

But he'd be a fool if he thought that was possible.

////

> before y'all think this was not worth it/crap/not what you expected... You have to know that I didn't want to write everything about Link's thoughts and feelings because it would ruin the whole story. He is here to fuck her up. For reasons you know. I don't want to give you the ins and outs. Link will give you that and he'll do it when it's right.

I wrote this POV because I wanted you guys to see a little bit of his side (mainly because I wanted to get Cain, Serena and Jared involved because I miss Technical Match). I still hope you enjoyed it (especially the last part because I sure did)

> secondly.....

LINK DANE BOOK 2??

YES OR NO?

I'm going towards yes guys and my ideas are wild right now. It wouldn't be set in the same year, it'd be like 5-7 years ahead and they'll be grown ups and more adult shit gonna happen and more interlinks with other stories, characters you all know be around (garment series and technical match), more deep shit. More Link and Ori...

Guys just please give me the yes and Imma start this right now!!! (I'm too excited for it damn)

> also if yes for book 2, then give me some more ideas! What would you like to see? What don't you want to see? Who more of do you want to see? Tell me in the comments!