His Moon

XVII | Strings

Kaleb was jerked from his thoughts when his entire body lit up, each of his senses alert to her every movement. Kaia was touching him, her warm fingers perfectly searing his chest. And though she only touched his chest, he felt it everywhere, a shockwave slamming into him. 

Kaleb wanted to curl around her, to trap her against him. He wanted to explore every inch of her, to tangle his hands in her silvery hair and pull her roughly into the deepest, the most sensual, the most meaningful kiss she'd ever experience. He wanted to taste her, and he wanted her to feel him. 

But he couldn't. It took all he had, but he somehow managed to stop Kaia, grabbing her wrist and robbing himself of her touch. He hated himself a little bit for it, but he couldn't risk losing the Lunar Ceremony and losing Kaia with it. 

They were already on thin ice with the Pack--clearly, considering they wouldn't even be in their current situation if Grayson hadn't tried to kill Kaleb--so if Kaleb didn't follow proper Pack tradition, he might lose their faith. 

"Don't do that, Kaia." He wondered if she could hear the regret in his voice, could understand just how much he did want her to 'do that,' and to do so much more than just 'that.'

"But I want to touch you," Kaia whimpered. Oh god. "I always want to."

Kaleb was standing on an edge, staring down at Kaia and unable to look away. It was like peering over a cliff face and wondering if he'd survive the fall. Once Kaleb threw himself from such a height, there was no going back. No matter how goddamn badly he wanted to, he couldn't kiss her now. He couldn't.

Kaia was practically torturing him, not that she knew that. If she was in control of herself, she might not have gone further, might have noticed how Kaleb tensed at her touch or how hard he was trying to resist her. But Kaia was blind, and she beckoned to him where she danced at the foot of the cliff.

And then she leaned forward and bit him.

It was more of a nip. She trapped the smallest bit of Kaleb's skin right on his collarbone between her teeth.

For a second, Kaleb couldn't move. She doesn't know what she's doing, Kaleb reminded himself. Don't lose control. But no matter how hard he tried to ignore his instincts, Kaleb could only feel her lips on his skin, her teeth by his neck.

Kaleb's heart was pounding. Shockwave after shockwave coursed through his body with each beat, spreading heat to every inch of him.

"Kaia," Kaleb breathed. Her name felt rough on his tongue like he wasn't supposed to be using his mouth to speak. At least, not now. There were so many other things he could've been doing with it.

Kaia let out a whimper, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck and hanging there like a sloth. Why was it that even when she didn't know what she was doing, Kaleb felt that Kaia could ask anything of him and he'd bend to her will? He'd never met anyone who had such a hold over him, and he wasn't sure how to feel about it. What he was sure of, though, was that, at that moment, Kaleb would have done near anything for the Lunar Ceremony to be behind them.

Kaia looked like she was going to cry, "I thought you'd taste like honey." Her eyes were glassy, and she felt feverish. Kaleb wondered if it was wrong to find her reddish cheeks irresistible. "But you don't," she huffed.

If there is a higher power somewhere out there watching this, please give me some self-restraint. I beg of you.

Kaleb had to focus on anything other than the little beauty mark on Kaia's neck; it was such a small thing, a speck of dark where her neck met her shoulder. Did she have more? Something, anything! But he couldn't. Not when her hair had fallen away from her face, exposing her pale, delicate throat; the possessiveness that Kaleb felt at seeing her so vulnerable was staggering.