Daughters of Chaos

12

As I tape up the last of my boxes, I hear heavy footsteps approaching. I feel him before I see him. His intense stare bores into me like fire, warming me from the inside out. When our eyes meet, Raptor paralyzes me with a dazzling smile.

"Raven said you could use a hand with your boxes."

I gulp, trying to ignore the feelings stirring inside me. "Yeah, thanks," I manage as my cheeks flush bright red.

I watch as he picks up the first box, noting the way each muscle ripples in his arms with the weight. Why is that so sexy? Raptor's arms flex easily, making his tattoos dance on his skin. The breath in my chest catches and my head starts to spin. What is this man doing to me?

"I'll come back for more in a minute," he tells me as he walks through the door.

Was it just me or did it seem like the more he was talking about wasn't just my belongings? The thought sends my head into a tailspin as images of his strong muscles flash from my memory.

Oh, what those arms are capable of... I bet it would hardly take any effort for him to pick me up and push me up against-

"Phoenix?" My name falls from his lips like a siren's song, making me jump.

As if I couldn't do anything more embarrassing, my startle reflex made me trip over a pile of boxes, sending me crashing to the floor. Dammit! Why me?

Instantaneously, Raptor appears at my side, helping me sit up. "Shit! Phoenix, are you okay?" He asks, running his hands over my head and arms, searching for wounds.

It feels incredible- him having his hands on me, him fussing over me. It's almost enough to make me forget my embarrassment. Almost.

I give him a shy smile, trying to hide my shame. "I'm fine, really. Just clumsy."

He gives me another once over as he helps me to my feet. "I don't see any bruises. Does anything hurt?"

Just my pride and my bruised ego. "I'm okay. Promise."

His hands are still on me, holding me steady when three sets of thundering footsteps bound into the room. Elias, Bear, and Raven file in, wearing various masks of concern.

"What happened?"

"We heard a loud crash."

"You okay, Nix?"

Oh, good. More witnesses to my humiliation. As if things couldn't get worse, the second Elias entered the room, Raptor dropped his hands and put a noticeable distance between us.

I tried not to let my disappointment show as I faced the three newcomers. "I'm fine. I just tripped. No biggie."

A flood of relief washed over my father's face- a stark contrast to the annoyance of his VP who shook his head and promptly left the room. The only one who didn't react in dramatic fashion was Raven. She's used to my clumsy ways and surveyed the room with mild amusement.

Elias turned to Raptor who was now avoiding eye contact with me. "Finish moving these boxes. I don't want her falling over anything and getting hurt."

Raptor responded with a curt nod before grabbing another box and disappearing. The room felt a lot cooler without him, I noticed.

When I turned my attention back to Elias, he approached me slowly. The look he held was indecipherable. Was it pain, fear, anger? I couldn't tell.

"Please be more careful," he said softly. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

His gaze landed on Raven. "Either of you."

True to her nature, Raven responded with a heavy eye roll, but she held her tongue. It was progress at least.

"We'll be careful. I promise," I told him with a small smile.

Accepting that, he nodded, clearing his throat as he turned for the door. Worry flashed on his face and it looked like he was about to say something else. Just as soon as it had appeared, though, it disappeared as he masked it and left the room. For a moment outside, he paused, looking back at me and Raven.

He was concerned about something, that much was certain. His eyes found Raven's and for a second, something passed between them. Some sort of understanding that I couldn't fathom. Then, he was gone.

"What was that about?" I wondered out loud.

Raven shrugged. "No clue." I didn't buy it. She knew something. Something big. I could feel it.

"Let's get these hazards out of here before you break a leg," she teased, moving to pick up one of the boxes.

There was something forced in her voice. It wasn't like her to keep things from me, but I knew she was. She and Dad knew something I didn't. It was something bad enough to put fear in his eyes and silence my sister- a difficult task on its own.

Whatever it was- whatever they were hiding from me, I'd figure it out.