A Shadowed Birthright

A Shadowed Birthright - Chapter Nine {Separo 1}

Why can't I get him out of my head? She questions herself, her brows creasing. Her arm extends forwards to boost up the speed of the treadmill. The change in speed is almost sudden but Clara quickly adapts its setting.

She needs to get him out of her mind and fast. She can't afford to have such distraction, even when he's indeed-

Clara's train of thought is cut off as she gasps sharply, quickly jumping on the sides of the treadmill before it trips her up in her moment of scattered concentration. Her breathing swiftly turns ragged and heavy as she tries to catch her breath and control her energetic heart.

Sweat drips from her chin and onto the still moving conveyer belt as her slightly wide green eyes stare at one spot in a mixture of surprise and shock. Clara's grip on the handle of the treadmill tightens as she shakily takes a deep breath.

After a moment of calming herself, she blows air out her nose and shakes her head, chuckling to herself.

"I'm going crazy." The red head mutters, chuckling again before reaching out to turn off the treadmill and straightening herself up from her slightly bent position.

"And why would you say that?" a tired voice from behind questions her.

Turning around, Clara comes face to face with a sleepy looking Remy leaning on the door frame of the gym with his arms crossed in a tank top and pyjama pants. His eyes are hooded as he gazes at his slightly panting partner.

"Say what?"

Smirking, Remy leans his head against the door frame. "Are you sure you're a Shade?" he inquires tauntingly, causing Clara to roll her eyes and turn away from him.

"Remy, I'm not in the mood for your idiocy." She dully responds. The Shade couldn't be asked to deal with his natural teasing at this time in the morning, especially when she's feeling like this.

She picks up her track suit bottoms off the floor since she mistakenly pushed it off the handle of the treadmill during her momentary lapse of concentration. In just shorts and a belly top, she doesn't want to be too exposed as she walks through the lobby to get back to her room.

Keeping his smirk in place, Remy tilts his head away from the door frame to get a better look of Clara's butt as she lifts one leg up to put it through the leg of her track suit bottoms.

"And stop gawking at my behind like some sexually frustrated animal." She insists, grabbing her water bottle from the compartment and taking a big gulp. The cool liquid trails down her heated throat, cooling her insides.

Remy's smirk widens. "I am sexually frustrated," he answers mischievously as Clara sighs in relief from the cold water. "I haven't had sex in four days."

Clara rolls her eyes while walking to exit the gym. "You're insatiable." She murmurs, walking past him.

"And you're a c0ck tease." Remy counters teasingly, earning a small noise of disgust which makes him laugh as he turns to follow her out of the gym.

And that's another factor that annoys her: he always appears every time she thinks about him. Could he possibly know that she's thinking about him? That he's been on her mind lately? Clara inwardly shakes her head. He can't possibly know what she's thinking even if he stares at her day and night.

Remy quickly falls into step with Clara as they exit the gym, his hands in his pyjama pants. It's silent between the two as they walk across the huge lobby toward the elevator, the occasional sound of a hotel worker typing at the desk being the only sound between the two.

Clara's heart slows down as she takes deep breathes, her right hand grasping her bottle loosely.

"So..." Remy starts slowly as they approach the elevator. Clara doesn't turn to look at him but she still listens. "Do you want to talk about it?"