Silver Skin

8

Birthday wishes
~
Cadence
~

The halls were desolate. It lacked the provider, the heavy-footed stomps and the pestering, melodramatic voice of Lycus Fenris. Cadence could feel what was lacking, the Alpha that she always went up against and fought with. She hadn't forgotten how pleasantly uncivil they could be with each other.

Cadence sensed it before it came, two hands cupped her shoulders, a zealous sensation passing through her, but it flickered away like a light clicking off. She spun around and buried her forearm into someone's neck, digging her bone into the windpipe.

Looking up, amber eyes, lighter than Lycus a shade of sun kissing dusk in a burnt orange hue and Rexton's expression could only be described as puzzled.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Rexton hashed out.

Cadence grunted and removed her arm, not before shoving Rexton back into the wall. "Don't do that again, hybrid."

Rexton straightened up and moved away from the wall, coming in front of Cadence like a pillar.

"I said I was sorry," Rexton murmured tensely.

"I forgive you," Cadence mumbled and looked away from him, her peripheral vision still catching his boyish face. "I ... shouldn't have done that."

Rexton rubbed his throat. "It didn't hurt."

Cadence rolled her eyes and sidestepped him. "That's not the point, Rexton. I shouldn't have ..."

Cadence couldn't stand touching. She preferred the affection of those she was closest to, but was she close with Rexton? After three months of being around each other every other day?

She had grown used to his company, the way he moved when she moved, the way he spoke with words she needed to hear. Rexton was here whenever Cadence needed him to be.

"I'm ... sorry," Cadence stated unsurely.

Rexton smiled so brightly it was a comet and it soared right through Cadence, leaving a stellar and burnt hole in her chest.

"I forgive you," Rexton answered, his charming smile not falling.

Cadence wanted it to remain on his face.

She went to walk away, the silence all too suffocating, but was met with Rexton simply calling her name.

"Yeah?"

Once again, Rexton circled back in front of her but this time had an item in his hand, dangling a necklace in front of her.

"Happy birthday," Rexton whispered.

Cadence's heart thumped untimely and she merely stared at the object. It was pure silver, the chain thin and breakable. What struck her as odd was the object, it was carved into a sword with a pointed tip.

Rexton had gifted her a dagger necklace.

For her birthday ...

She made a point of not telling him it was her birthday.

A present.

What was Cadence supposed to do with this?

"Take it back."

Rexton's face frowned in confusion. "Par—pardon?"

Cadence took a long stride back, trying to catch a breath and managed to shake her head in refusal.

"Cadence, I made it for you, it took a while with carving it to the exact—"

God, that's worse. Way worse. There was no coming back from that, Cadence cursed to the ringers of her thoughts. He didn't go out and buy it, he put in time and effort, and he utilised and made this for her. Her heart threatened to burst.