Hooked

Chapter Six: The Protector

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Chapter Six: The Protector



He knew something was wrong the instant I looked up. It must've been the panic in my eyes, or the renewed sense of horror that radiated from me. But instead of standing there and accusing me of oddity, he did something I'd come to love him for.

He protected me.

His hands pulled me upward into his chest, moving my bare legs beneath the leather jacket he wore. His body covered mine as my arms curled around his muscular shoulders under the safety of his jacket, and before I could think, his muscles tensed and he jumped.

I saw the ceiling fall a second too late, and if it weren't for Adrian, it would've crushed us both. It crashed to the ground and the building violently shuddered, the smoke becoming so dense I could barely see anything but red and orange flames. The sprinklers continued to rain water down on us, little droplets touching the fabric of my loose shirt, causing a surge of panic to rush through me. My irises were blindingly violet, and I hid them in Adrian's chest as I arched away from the water. Not a moment later, the walls around us let out a cracking, whining noise, and to my horror I realized that the building was about to fall.

Adrian wasted no time; one second I felt another shudder run through the building, the next I felt a rush of air as he jumped again. This time, we crashed through a window and began the three story plummet to the ground.

My instincts immediately began screaming at me. He was backward, preparing to take the blunt of the fall. I was a mer, I could survive this; but Adrian was human, and no matter how strong he was, he might not make it out alive.

In a split second, I switched our positions. My legs arched for a landing, and I mentally thanked my parents for pushing me through hours and hours of training. As the ground neared, a sudden rush of panic shot through my body like an arrow, startling me with its intensity. It was overwhelming and frightening, and for a moment, I didn't believe the emotion was mine. But that was absurd.

My feet impacted the ground, and my knees bent to take the shock of it. I sensed him doing the same, but the unknown panic that still washed over me kept me from concentrating. I could feel his eyes on me, searching for the slightest signs of injury, and instead of pulling away like I should have, something told me to stay exactly where I was and let him check me. It was a few moments before I felt his finger beneath my chin, tilting my head up, and I immediately clenched my eyes shut and turned my face from his. I hid my eyes from him, unsure of their color, but something inside me screamed that it didn't matter if he saw or not.

"Are you hurt?"

Adrian's voice was extremely comforting on my nerves, and I turned to look at him, forgetting my previous concern. Seeing that he was completely unscathed, I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and smiled, throwing my arms around his neck.

My severe mood swing probably took him off guard, because for a moment he froze in my embrace. The next instant his arms were around my waist, and his hands held me close to him for a few moments before I felt his lips at my ear.

A little shiver went through me as he murmured, "What was that for?"

I shrugged, even though he held me so firmly that I could hardly move. Surprisingly, no matter how long we stayed like this, it didn't feel awkward - to me, at least - but I eventually pulled back slightly to look at him. His hands loosened until they rested on my waist, and I let my palms hang lightly over his shoulders.

"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice quiet and filled with an emotion I didn't want to identify.

He smirked, his right hand clenching at my hip and sending tingles through me. "Never better, Angel."

I pretended that we hadn't just fallen from a burning building unscathed, more because I didn't want any questions to arise from him on how easily I'd landed. Though, I was curious of how at ease he seemed, but I didn't have the desire to pry on it. Instead, I let my head rest on his firm chest, feeling for just a few moments that everything was perfect. To my slight surprise, I felt his chin press into my hair, and he sighed.

A cracking noise filled the air, and my head immediately whipped up to watch as the brick building began to fall. I stepped back, away from the flying embers that I'd failed to notice, and heard Adrian's voice beside me.

"Come on, we have to move," he said, pulling me close to him. "The only way to get out of here is through the forest."

With a glance around, I realized he was right; the flames and debris blocked all the other entrances to the main parts of the campus, and the only area not affected by the fire was the dark wooded area that frequented Chalance. I let him take my hand and pull me toward the trees, moving up to a jog as I heard the faint sound of sirens approaching. He glanced back only once before entering the dim forest, and once we were a fair distance into it he slowed again to a walk.

I was almost surprised by how well he seemed to know his way around the forest. Even in the near total darkness, he moved stealthily and without hesitation, leading us expertly past trees that all seemed to look the same. Once or twice, I felt him pause for the smallest second before he'd continue onward, never releasing my hand. This, honestly, was something I hadn't failed to notice and felt shamelessly gleeful inside for.

After a few minutes, certain restlessness awakened within me, and I asked, "Where are we going?"

"There's a way to get to the parking lot through these woods. I'll drive you home, the rest of today's classes are suspended anyway."

I paused for a moment, and he stopped when he realized I wasn't following him anymore. "Thank you," I said, "but you don't have to. You've done enough for me already, you don't have to feel obligated to help me."

Adrian rolled his eyes and grasped my wrist, then began pulling me along again. "Trust me, Angel, if I didn't want to help you, I wouldn't. I don't just hand out favors."

I blinked, certainly not expecting his response. But it honestly made sense; Adrian really didn't seem like one to offer much to anyone, unless he felt like it. "Um, thank you."

He chuckled silently in front of me.

Ten minutes later, I sat in the passenger seat of his car, pretending I wasn't completely disturbed by today's events. Firstly, why had I been unable to leave without knowing he was okay? How had I known he was even in the building? My little fixation with him was beginning to get out of control.

"What are you thinking?"

I started at the sound of his voice, having forgotten he was beside me. My gaze turned to meet his before I quickly shied away, saying, "Nothing."

His hand reached over and touched mine, and his thumb ran across the back of my palm. A little quiver of pleasure ran through me. His voice was low, "Don't lie."

A little streak of fire went through my veins when he called me out. "Don't accuse me."

The car slowed for a moment, as if his foot had faltered on the accelerator, before we shot forward again. He turned onto a narrow street that branched into the woods, stopping just after the tree line and putting the car in park. I felt his startling blue eyes watch my profile, but I refused to look at him, no matter how much the little voice in my subconscious told me to submit to his gaze.

"Haven't I told you it isn't smart to tell me what to do?"

The tone of his voice sent tremors through my traitorous body, and a flush of excitement began in my stomach. His voice was strong and low, dominantly demanding my response.

An eager exhilaration surged in me, almost instinctively, and the animal part of me alerted in the challenging lilt in his stare. If I wasn't as absorbed in this play as he was, I would've been shivering in anticipation, waiting for his next move or words.

Turning to meet his gaze, I dared him with my eyes. "I'm afraid I don't recall."

His eyes had barely widened before I too realized what I'd said, and a violent blush spread across my cheeks. What was wrong with me? A little ball of embarrassment nestled in the pit of my stomach, and I turned my face away from his to stare unseeingly at the dark woods.

Immediately, Adrian had recognized by changing emotions, from thrilled excitement to regret. His hand, which still covered mine, squeezed lightly and then traveled to my waist. He suddenly lifted me and pulled me across the seats, settling me into a straddle across his lap. A little shriek of surprise escaped me, and before I could stop myself I was staring into his eyes in shock. He chuckled, but I could see another emotion darkening his eyes.

"Don't be ashamed, Angel, we're just having fun," he said soothingly.

For the second time today, his voice proved to turn my entire being soft. If I'd been standing, my knees would have buckled beneath me and he'd be carrying me home now instead of walking.

I tried to ignore the part of my brain that loved that idea.

"What would I be ashamed of, Adrian?" I muttered dryly, before dropping the subject. "Never mind, it doesn't really matter anymore."

I could tell from his eyes that he knew I still felt the smallest thing of unease, though until now I'd almost forgotten I was sitting in his lap, straddling his carved waist. A little lash of heat went through my stomach at the thought.

An idea suddenly came to me. "Adrian..."

"Hmm?" he almost purred, and rested his forehead against mine.

I fought to keep myself under control, then I quickly changed my mind and said something else. "Do you think you could take a detour and let me get my car? It's not far from where the apartment is, I promise--."

He cut me off with a chuckle, "Don't worry, I'd take you anywhere."

I could've pretended I didn't hear his innuendo. But all I could do was stare at his perfect, gorgeous features in awe, wondering how such a being could exist.

"As much as I love this position, we'll have to go if you want to get back to your apartment before it's dark."

Confused, I leaned back and met his eyes. "What do you mean? It's not even noon yet," I said.

He gave a pointed look to the dashboard, and I twisted around to peer at it. It was a moment before I could focus on it, due to the friction my movement had caused against his oh-so muscular thighs; but a second later, I recognized the time and internally sighed. How had I not noticed it was past three in the evening? As if on cue, I began to feel hungry and turned back to face him, this time pushing myself up to hover about an inch over his body instead of grinding shamelessly against it.

Adrian obviously hadn't missed that little intention. His blue orbs practically smirked down at me, and a devilishly sexy half-smile formed on his lips. A flash of desire went through my stomach, and I forced myself to lean back to distance myself from the overwhelming feeling.

A screeching honk blared from the car when my back touched the steering wheel, and I jumped forward immediately in surprise. My chest crashed into Adrian's, my fingers clenching his shoulders as I arched away from the wheel, instinctively curling to his heat. His hand pressed against my back and kept me close as the sound stopped, before the feeling of him shaking replaced it.

When I looked up, he was gazing at me with slightly widened eyes, and for a second I could only stare back. Until, in one of the most attractive, utterly mouthwatering moves I'd ever seen, Adrian tilted his head back and laughed. It was one of the deepest and most pleasurable sounds I had ever heard, and I felt it radiating from him to me, sending shivers through me until I found myself laughing with him.

I don't know how long we sat there. It felt like seconds, long and wonderful seconds, but when my lungs finally began to burn from laughing, I realized darkness had begun to touch the sky. Deep chuckles still vibrated through his chest where it touched mine, and my head had somehow become buried in the crook of his neck. His scent washed over me, and I became aware of his hand resting on my back. Even though I didn't want to, I made myself pull away,  my body subconsciously trying to keep contact as my fingers dragged lightly across him until they left the material of his shirt.