Spellbound

Chapter 3

Elion was doing his best to breathe as he ran. Beads of sweat ran from his hairline and dripped from his chin, stinging his eyes and souring his lips in the process. The badge around his neck had hit him in the face too many times to countand he couldn't help but picture Stavros' smug face. Hehad told Elion it would only get in the way, but protocol said...

"You've got to be kidding me!" he groaned as he watched their suspect climb over yet another fence. How had he never noticed that this town had so many damn fences? Sucking in a deep breath he took off once more, shoving off the ground to pull himself over the fence. The tip of his shoe caught and threatened to send him falling over before he could get a firm hold on anything.

"Dude, just stop!" Elion whined when he landed on his feet, panting and miserable, and realized Stavros had the teenager cornered. The boy's half-shifted form revealed he was a very skittish leopard. His blazing bright eyes darted back and forth and his sharp nails curled and uncurled into his palms. Before he could try and talk any sense into the kid, Stavros had him by the scruff of his neck and was shoving him onto the damp, hard ground.

"You shift and I'll rip your tail off, got it?" A pair of cuffs sealed loudly as the magic curled around the feline's wrists. He didn't say a word as he was roughly hauled to his feet. Stavros shot Elion a vicious look before vanishing from sight. Elion rolled his eyes, took another deep breath to slow his pounding heart, and followed.

"What'd this one do?" a guard asked while Elion signed the file in his hand.

"Shoplifting from the market," he muttered. The kid had taken a few loose crystals from a healer's stall. He hadn't hurt anyone or even attempted to, yet Stavros was tossing him around like he was a murderer.

When he threw the kid into the cell, making him stumble against the wall, Elion decided it was enough. He passed the file to the guard and followed Stavros out of the holding area with a clenched jaw and bubbling anger. Once they hit the quiet hallway, he grabbed Stavrosby his shoulder.

Stavros whipped around with such bloodlust on his facethat Elion almost staggered back. He ignored the way Stavros' eyes had become shadow filled pools and the fangs behind his lips.

"What the hell was that, Stavros? He's just a kid!" Elion barked.

Stavros stalked forward, forcing Elion back until he hit the wall. The anger oozing off of him made it hard to breathe, but Elion refused to falter. Large hands boxed him in on either side. If it weren't for the fact that Stavros could rip his head off in a heartbeat, it would have been erotic.

"Do you ever just shut up?" Stavros hissed through clenched teeth.

"I get that you're pissed off about street patrol, but it was your fault. Not mine," Elion snapped back. He knew it was useless to try and shove Stavros away, but it didn't stop him from doing it anyway. As he suspected, the larger man didn't budge an inch. Stavros' eyes narrowed and he leaned in close enough that their noses were almost touching, daring Elion to try something so stupid again.

"Get off me," Elion said. "Stavros..."

The blackness that filled the cambion's eyes receded and his brow furrowed tightly. "Get those files done," he ordered, before ripping himself back and storming off.

Elion slumped against the wall. His body ached and his temples throbbed. He wanted nothing more than a hot shower and his bed, but it wouldn't happen; all because of his loud mouth. It wasn't Stavros' fault completely. He should have just kept his mouth shut, but no. He had to antagonize.

Mikhail had ignored their idiocy for weeks. Elion and Stavros made snide comments back and forth until they were actually speaking to each other. If that's what it could be called. It was more of Stavros threatening to rip Elion's throat out while Elion smirked tauntingly. Doors were slammed and pens were snapped while one or the other tried to bite their tongue. The fights were over absolutely nothing of any merit either. A file here or a question about something work related there.