Painted Moments

19 An Innocent Interaction

Chapter 19
An Innocent Interaction

That Jerk left me! Luc is going berserk and Mason just left me pinned down by an out of control Nephilim! Regardless I refused to move a muscle, keeping my teeth firmly clenched in his neck. He seemed completely slack right now. Almost as if he had passed out.
Just as I thought I could relax he moved. Trying to lift us both from the floor. I was having none of that. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and bit deeper in warning. I hissed out a breath as his response was to collapse against me knocking the air from my lungs.
His arm slowly, almost cautiously, made its way underneath me wrapping around my hip. Seems I finally had his attention. We simply laid there fighting for breath. Him from fighting so desperately and me trying to catch it again with his weight on my chest. It left me panting against his neck.
He is still completely limp except his arm that is cradling me. Slowly I began to test the water. My jaw aches from staying clenched for so long. I release just enough for it to no longer be painful for him. He didn't move; a simple groan his only reaction.
Thank the creator he has calmed down. I release my rigid hold I have on his body. Relaxing my limbs and trying to show him I wasn't a threat.
Finally after what seems like an eternity I fully release my bite. It should all be over now. I'm gently holding onto him like he is a big cuddly teddy bear. He doesn't seem inclined to move either. At least that means he won't try to kill Aspen again.
Both of us are fully relaxed. I pull my head out from where I've been tucked in his neck. Laying my head back against the floor, I sneakily run my hand down his shoulders to his lower back. Thumbing the lining of his jeans I try to check without seeing if he has disturbed or injured his wound. Bringing my other hand up to check his neck to make sure I didn't bleed him.
No blood, just a nasty bruise that Mason is probably going to tease him about till it fades. Since it's a perfect match for my teeth. His breathing has picked up a notch even as he lays limp in my arms. So I start running my fingers through his hair at his neck. Trying to calm him down like I do with the little cousins when they get hurt or upset.
It doesn't seem to help him at all though. He has started to shake a bit, and tension has slowly built up in his shoulders again. I want to comfort him. What he just went through must have scared the heck out of him. He began to hold his body weight just a touch so that it wasn't crushing me into the carpet anymore. I began to whisper to him that it is okay, that I love him, and everything is fine.
His head is now buried into the curve of my neck. If he wasn't holding me gently against him I would swear he was asleep. I've fallen silent. Waiting for him now to make the choice to talk or sit up when he is ready.
After a few more moments I can feel him beginning to respond to me taking comfort in my presence. This is good. Maybe he is almost out of his haze. I really don't know much about this aside from the first time it happened to me. My dad had held me for hours allowing me to take in his comforting scent of old spice and calm down. Mostly I cried or just nuzzled into him like Luc is doing now.
It kinda tickles, making me giggle a bit. He is supporting himself on his arm that's cradling me and using his free hand to stroke along my ribs. I can't help laughing and tucking my chin a bit. I squirmed to get away from his tickling fingers. Pulling my arms in to push at his chest, I needed to see his face. My number one concern is his mental state right now.
Finally he looked up at me. His eyes were completely glazed over. I was completely fooled. He wasn't calm at all. He looked hungry. No longer in a rage, but something more slow burning. The arm beneath me pulled against my lower back as my hands pushed against his chest arching me into him.
This cute teddy bear cuddle didn't seem so innocent anymore. I dropped my legs slowly in order to try and get in a better position to get away. Luc would have none of that. He caught my leg with his free hand pulling it back up while scraping his nails gently up the back of my thigh.
I don't know what came over me. I wriggled like a worm on a hook. The most embarrassing noise came out of my mouth. Not that I had to worry about it for long, before Luc plundered my mouth with a kiss so deep it almost seemed like he was trying to swallow the noises he drew out of me.
I don't know how much time passed. Between his kiss and little touches against skin I used to believe as nothing more than innocent; I felt dazed and limp. It's not that he did anything that I would regret later, or touched me inappropriately. In fact he didn't touch me in any place he hadn't before.
The intensity though. His slow consuming movements. The way he made me shiver. It felt like it went on for days. I called his name Lucas repeatedly trying to get his attention. He had to stop or I would break. He couldn't stop or I swear I would die.
Luc. He growled
"W..wa...what."
"Only you are allowed, so say it. Call me Luc."
"Luc please..."
The rest of my plea was swallowed again. His body pressing again into my own. The feel of him causing tingles in my lower stomach I'd never felt before. Oh I was done. I wanted to stop fighting whatever this is. I need him.
"Please, please, Luc, please."
"Cori?"
I could feel Luc staring at me. I didn't want to open my eyes though. They felt so heavy.
"Cori what happened?"
Luc started to pull away from me. I don't want that. Clinging to him with what little strength I have left I felt myself being pulled from the plush carpet. Only to end up in his lap cuddled into his chest. I feel almost drunk from the shivers he pulled from me. Never have I felt so relaxed. I'm practically liquid.
"Cori seriously, I remember being cuffed and your friends being total jerks and then.... Ah... um. Sweetheart, I can't think with you kissing my neck."
"Hmmm..."
"Um okay, Mason! Mason! Get your butt in here!"
All his yelling was really frustrating, and breaking up my mood.
"Stop yelling already, we're okay. I'm just a little worn out."
The door swung open with a bang. There stood Mason grinning from ear to ear.
"Glad to see you are both still fairly decent. Makes me happy I've entrusted my sister to such a gentleman."
"Mason what the heck happened?
Why is Cori practically a limp noodle?"
All I could think was wow he doesn't remember anything? Dang I wonder what he can do fully conscious then. Apparently that was not the moment to giggle and nuzzle into his neck for a nap though.
"Ah! Ouch... what the heck Koi."
I leaned back away from him seeing the huge aggressive love bite complete with my teeth marks glaring at me. Now I'm back, my buzz completely draining from me as I quickly put just a little more distance between us. Just enough to be appropriate.
"Oh come on Sissy no need to be shy. You just stopped him from becoming a murderer and rocked his world all in just under an hour and a half."
"Mason!"
"Cori!" Mason mocked.
"Will someone please explain what's going on?"
"No worries Lucas the memories should come back as soon as the fog in your head completely clears"
"What the heck does that mean?"
"Give it another ten minutes or so. Until then why don't you go do a few Taekwondo patterns in the weight room while Cori and I give Aspen an earful about antagonizing certain individuals in Nephilim society. Sound good?"
Mason offered me his hand to help me up. My weak legs shaking with the effort. I wasn't going to live this down for a while.
"Are you sure you don't need me?"
I just shook my head.
"Yeah Luc, we just have to set him straight on a few things. You can join us later for lunch. Okay?"
Luc shrugged his shoulders, and smiled.
"Anything to avoid a stuffy meeting. You know me."
I smiled back at him as I walked away with my brother. This meeting was going to be a pain. Aspen wasn't going to be easy to convince that Luc isn't a danger now. Rages like that only happen to children of controllable size or married couples. Which, everyone knows you don't mess with bonded Nephilim so that hardly ever happens. It does not happen to fully grown, fully trained, unmarried, amazingly sexy men! It is an oddity. Which can only be understood after learning Luc's history.
"I just have one question guys."
Luc looked back and forth between us.
"Um well... Why am I still wearing the broken cuffs?"
"Ahhhh... Here's the key."
Mason fished the small keys from his pocket and tossed them over to Luc. My face is burning red hot now as I pick up the pace to get away from the embarrassment.
"Seriously, don't worry about it too much. Just go do your patterns. It will come back to you on its own."
Mason left Luc looking confused.
With that information I was even more eager to get away before his memory realigned and caught up with him. I was already to the end of the hall forcing Mason to have to catch up with me. When he did make his way to my side I wished I had walked faster.
"So he didn't force you or hurt you right?"
I shivered at the reminder of how forceful he had been, and how I had been completely willing.
"If you thought he would, why did you leave?"
"Good point, but I'm your brother. I have to ask."
It got a bit awkward as Mason started pulling on his own braid.
"I enjoyed every minute of his attention Macy."
I could feel my mouth curl into mischief. As I walked away from my suddenly bright red, shocked into a statuesque state, brother. He deserved that. He quickly recovered though.
"So what do you think will be his reaction when he finds the bite?"
Now it was my turn to blush.
"I don't know, overgrown mosquitoes?"
Both of us laughed on our way upstairs to the room Aspen was being treated in. We didn't get halfway  up them before we heard a loud resounding rawr, filled with confusion.
            "WHAT THE HECK BIT ME?!"
     Finally, after hours of discussion, or let's be truthful, arguing. Mason, Aspen, and I finally came into agreement that Lucas was to be protected from all sides until we find out why Harrace wants him. Aspen had only three conditions.
The first being that Luc was to train with him to learn mental control. That went over like a led balloon with Luc. He eventually gave in though. Second, Luc was to be fully interrogated about his past and possible involvement with the rebels. Which was fine because all of us agreed someone who had no emotional attachment to him should be the one to work through it with him. Unfortunately, Aspen had been my first choice with his background as a children's counselor. Now that was blown out of the water. Alexia took over willingly, and did her job very well as far as I was concerned.
His last condition was that he and his fiancé move in with us. We didn't agree since it would make our chain of command vulnerable to be all in one location. He wouldn't give in on this though. He either stayed with us the two weeks it would take for the Inner Office to open, or he demanded that we leave Luc on house arrest while we moved to another location. In the end, him staying with us was the lesser evil. We made it clear we wouldn't be separated.
Within the first day Luc proved he was nothing more than an innocent child when he witnessed anything of suspicion. That being his mother's odd behavior in separating herself from the family, and going into hiding in the first place. Another odd memory he had was an argument between Uncle Trev and his mom about how Trevor thought it best if she turned herself into my parents, and his mom explaining that there were too many dangers for them in the family. Yet, she refused to even speak of them no matter how Trevor pushed.
After Aspen tried to force Luc to go over it again for the fourth time with Alexia, Luc put his foot down. That ended in a rather interesting scene of Aspen being thrown over the balcony and into the pool in the backyard below.
After that Aspen demanded that Mason train him in martial arts. Apparently he was tired of losing to a boy. I didn't see how he could keep calling Luc a boy when he was only four years younger than him.
Akila has been helping me play referee between them for the last three days. Fights usually ended with her walking in the room and telling Aspen he would sleep on the couch that night if he didn't shut up. I really don't like Aspen's behavior. He seemed so pushy and petty. It bothered me how immature he was being. Like he had found a target for all his hidden frustrations and he wasn't about to let go of it.
Unfortunately, his target was My Luc. It doesn't help that Luc stays quiet and ignores Aspen like he is nothing more than a gnat until he begins to leave the room.
Then he shoots off some random comment that turns Aspen's face red with rage as he stomps away. The problem is usually the fact that Luc is being mean about it, but it's true so Aspen can't say anything. Like he is killing him with wise helpful advice that just makes Aspen hate him more.
This morning's comment for example, Aspen had been fussing and nagging at Luc for missing their scheduled meditation session for mental control. Luc ignored him, completely relaxed, not responding to anything Aspen said. It was brutal too. I almost got out of my seat to punch him when he yelled at him that if he didn't get his temper under control that next time instead of just roughing me up a bit he might do something he really regrets.
"Aspen, that was completely out of line!"
"It's alright Koi."
Luc grabbed my arm holding me back from beating the crap out of the guy I once respected so much.
"He is right that I need to be working on my control, and he is helping a little every day. Just let us work it out ourselves okay?"
He smiled, got up, gently kissed me on my head, then turned to refill his coffee.
"I would never hurt her Aspen under any circumstances."
"Oh really, how do you plan to accomplish that when you have been ducking your meditation lessons since the beginning of the week huh?"
"I haven't ducked anything Aspen. You have trained me every morning since you got here for up to an hour depending on your mood. I haven't had one breakout of rage since that first time. I personally would say that's a great improvement."
"Oh really! What do you call throwing me over the balcony then!"
"A childish prank?"
Luc smirked at Aspen over his mug. Aspen began to turn purple with how angry he was.
"You are a loose cannon brat! It's my job to get you in line!"
Luc just shrugged his shoulders as Aspen started his regular stomping out of the kitchen, but he paused as Luc started to give his usual one liner.
"Thank you for today's lesson Aspen. That last comment about Cori almost got me honestly, but exposure to your foul temper has really taught me tolerance. I appreciate that more than you know. Now I'll be able to protect My Koi while keeping a cool head."
Aspen whirled around in shock. Everyone, myself included, froze after Luc's statement as we all put two and two together.
"You have been using me to test your control and limits this whole time!"
Luc simply shrugged while leisurely stirring his coffee.
"I wouldn't say I've used you. It's more like we have made use of each other. I need to control my rage. You need to decompress. Most likely from the fact that you were forced to kill your own Uncle, and now you see me as a threat taking away the rest of your family.
After I figured that out I was happy to help. Oh, and here you shouldn't leave top secret manuscripts out in the open for outsiders like me to see. I don't want to get involved or cause trouble knowing something I shouldn't. "
Luc picked up the folder off the island that Aspen had almost forgotten in his anger, and flopped it into Aspen's chest. Aspen, too shocked to say anything, just stood there as his hand automatically popped up to receive the folder.
"Cori I'll meet you up stairs. I may look calm, but his last little zinger there really got to me. I'd appreciate it if you helped me meditate in my room. "
With that last comment for once Luc left the room first, and Aspen was met with the steely gaze of everyone around the table. Most importantly Akila. She looked like she was about to tear him a new one. Mason stood up and downed his coffee before slamming it down hard on the table.
"I'll meet you at the sparing grounds in an hour, Aspen. I think it's time we up your training."
He glared Aspen down as he headed to the weight room most likely to calm down. The slamming and clanking of weights could be heard only moments later as he moved angrily through his chosen morning exercise.
Akila stood up and walked to the sink with her plate, but simply left it on the counter for the person on K.P. to do. As she left the kitchen she kissed Aspen on his cheek before leaning back.
"I warned you Asp. You went too far."
Everyone else cleared out in much the same manner. Christopher murmured something along the lines of, "really wouldn't want to be you right now", before making his escape with Fred.
I don't really want to talk to him. It looked like it was going to be unavoidable though. The guy walking toward me to sit down all defeated was not the big brother Aspen I know. Yet, I don't think I can just leave him there to pout either. I'm afraid he would just stew and get even more overbearing. At that point he would become impossible to live with and he would leave the next week a stranger. We would only become more distant the longer this battle lasted.
I don't know what to say about what has come over you these last few days, but I know you must be going through a lot.
"Cori."
"Let me speak. Please."
Aspen just nodded his head.
His sulking form doing nothing to relieve my irritation.
"I looked up to you. I even had a childish crush on you as a kid. Now I'm just wondering how the heck I'm supposed to keep my head on straight when my parents are locked up with a homicidal maniac! While the one person who has always been there for me when they couldn't has spent almost the entire week self destructing and attacking the other half of my soul like a human punching bag."
"Cori you can't mean that."
Surprise flashed across his face at my words. His fingers clenched and unclenched against the table. I can practically hear his teeth grinding from where I am on the other side.
"Yes I mean it. I have been with Lucas since I was six years old. He has always had my back as a Nephilim and as a Cog. He has never demeaned me or treated me like I wasn't capable of making my own choices. Children grow up Aspen; whether you like it or not. So you can either accept that I am Luc's and he is mine or you can leave."
He was shaking his head and refusing to look at me. So I decided I had to put the final nail in this coffin. He either accepted my choices, or he got left behind.
"Aspen if you make me choose it will break my heart to lose you as my brother, but I will bind my life to his."
He wilted in front of me with each word. He had to understand though. The time to baby and coddle me like a hatchling was over. He couldn't chain me down to what he needed me to be just because he was going through a crisis.
"I am here to listen if you want to ever talk about what is really eating you up inside, but as of now I'm done being your crutch. In the time you have left here I expect to see your behavior improve and your treatment of My Luc to at the very least be civil. Otherwise, you can pretend we as a couple are above your sound frequency, and simply stay silent."
I got up from my place and cleared away my mess. Aspen said nothing as I left. I had never seen him so dejected. As long as he was using Luc as an outlet for his frustration though I could not help him.