Red's Demise

Nightmares Aren't Just for the Asleep

"You'd do well to wash up before meeting with Zeke," the male offered back with a genuine smile, again avoiding bringing up my rude awakening.

His soundless steps carried him over to my window where he fully drew back my drapes and opened the large windows.

The cool breeze slithered into the room, greeting my sweaty skin and I had to suppress the urge to curl back up under my covers. After all, my body still ached with exhaustion after days of intense conditioning.

Fenris watched my inner battle, the usual twinkle in his eyes returning as he too calmed down, while he took his usual seat - the one he had stolen from Ezekiel's office. The male settled deeper into the chair, his legs stretching out in front of him.

With a groan, I finally lifted myself out of my comfortable, warm, and inviting bed.

The male across the room chuckled at my sound, causing my temper to flare.

Faster than he could follow, the male earned a stuffed pillow to the face. My arm screamed as I chucked the pillow as hard as I could.

He recovered fast from the attack though and grabbed the pillow, his large hands dwarfing the decorative head cushion.

"What was that for?" The male feigned shock.

I huffed a growl before disappearing into my closet. Where I quickly sorted through my dirty clothes and collected them in a basket to take to the maids.

The numerous amounts of male clothing littered all over the wooden floors didn't go unnoticed either. I questioned the articles of clothing and couldn't resist bringing them to my nose.

What the-?

The undeniable scent of pine mixed with leather confused my senses as I processed the smells.

Fenris smelled of pine. Ezekiel smelled of woody leather. Why were their scents in here?

"Why- What are you doing?" The teasing lilt of Fenris's voice filled the space of my closet.

Shock rolled through me as I turned towards the male, my guilt written clearly on my face as I - for whatever reason - still held the clothing in my hands.

The male leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed, a nearly sinful pose as his short-sleeved shirt pulled at his toned biceps and against his carved stomach. His navy eyes examined the fabrics before meeting my mortified gaze with nothing but humor in them.

At the teasing curve of his lips, I snapped out of my stupor and shoved the clothing into a separate basket before straightening my spine and turning back to him.

"Haven't you ever heard of privacy?" I glared at the mischievous shifter.

"Were you sniffing my shirt?" Fenris asked in response.

I scowled at the dense male, praying that I could find a way out of this conversation.

"I prefer the sleeping feline," I told the male as I once again turned my back to him and continued tidying up the space.

A deep chuckle met my back and I fought hard to resist turning to see the way his body would move with his laughter. He was too tempting for his own good.

Wait, what?

Stop that.

Don't think about Fenris like that. He's a friend. A friend from work. A very attractive friend from work who has slept in my bed for two months straight.

Odin help me. I silently pleaded.

"The leopard doesn't leave clothes for you to smell in a dark closet though," he teased.