Hope

TWENTY-SEVEN: Take a Hint

(Warning: this chapter is a little aggressive)

Waking up to a dead arm is never pleasant. Caster's arms are tightly wrapped around it like a snake, squeezing the blood circulation away until all I can feel is a numb pain. Waking up with a blinding headache due to the many unanswered questions of last night swirling around behind my eyes also isn't great. The dull light coming from behind the curtains only serves to worsen my mood.

All morning my mind has been caught up on Avørek's entrance last night. Over and over my brain replayed his sly smiles and lingering stares. The way the dress fit him like a glove and the insults he throws Caster's way whenever the alien happens to look more feminine. Aliston's previous warning about his son's interest in past servants doesn't help the persistent ache in my head either.

I just wanted to sleep in, not contemplate the many ways Avørek may murder me. I didn't want to think about Caster's unknown past or the way Aliston only smiles when he thinks no one's looking.

Sighing to myself, I attempt to ease my arm out of Caster's hold. Shifting on the bed, the little alien growls in his sleep, his fingers digging in. I pause, holding my breath in case he wakes up, but when he only tucks his face into the arm he's using as a pillow, I take it as another chance to move away.

Inching my arm away, the little growl starts up again. One moment I'm slowly regaining a limb, and the next I have Caster's teeth digging into my skin. I suck in a startled breath, my body tensing in panic as his sharp pointed teeth latch onto my forearm.

He's not biting hard, but the pinch of pain is enough to know I'll probably have a dent in my arm in the shape of Caster's mouth. 

His growling vibrates across my skin, causing the hair at the back of my neck to raise in alarm at being threatened like this. Using my other hand, I gingerly reach for Caster's face. Do I just, pull him off? Is it worth waking him up to detach my arm from his mouth? Hesitantly I poke his cheek. The alien doesn't stir.

Again, I reach out, poking his face. His eyebrows screw up, his tight hold lessening and his jaw unclenching as he rolls away from the disturbance.

I sigh in relief, quickly sliding from beneath the covers and away from the sleeping creature in my bed. Taking the opportunity to stretch, my back twinges at the motion, but it's a pleasant feeling after staying still for too long. My head still aches, but I know today is going to be a busy day. The house has to be cleaned, and the kitchen probably needs a good scrub after Caster's feast last night.

I don't particularly want to leave the room. Not with Avørek prowling around. He has been pretty friendly, for him, these past few days. I don't want it to get worse now that his father's back. I mean, you'd expect the alien to behave now that the older Mirker is home, but I have a feeling that isn't going to be the case.

The fact is, no matter what Avørek does, he's still Aliston's son. I'm the one who will get into trouble if something happens. I'm the one that can lose my job. Which leads me to another question, should I be out looking for a new job now? Just in case things go South?

I can't afford to live without an income if I want to survive in Darcnew. Not when I know there are boons living around the place, waiting for unsuspecting creatures to fall into their path.

Sighing as I rub my aching head, I quietly exit my room and walk to the linen cupboards just down the hall. I grab a duster and a spray bottle, deciding to start with the cleaning upstairs while Caster still lies in bed asleep.

Last night was difficult for him, I'm sure. There was so much to do and so many things that relied on the blue-eyed alien. It was a little unfair on him really.

Dusting the large picture frames in the hallway that hold paintings and virtual images of places I've never been to; I begin to softly hum under my breath. It's quiet, with everyone still asleep. Lavere will definitely be sleeping in since he didn't go to bed until late last night. Hopefully he doesn't wake up in a cranky mood.

"Emery."

I turn at the sound of my name, the song I was humming coming to a halt. Avørek is standing a little too close to me, a sly grin on his lips as he takes a step even closer.

"Yes?" I don't back away as he creeps into my personal space, cringing internally as his body nearly touches mine.

He's back to his usual body, his hair in waves down his back, curled from wearing braids the previous night. I notice how his eyes seem to scan me from head to toe, his gaze lingering on the arm that Caster had been chewing on only moment before.

His grin widens. "You look quite nice today." He glides closer, forcing me to take a step back so that I hit the wall.

I'm still in my pyjamas.

"Look, Avørek—" I try to push him away, but he grabs my hand, his spidery fingers running up my arm, hesitating over the bite mark.

In a moment he has be pinned to the wall with his lower body, his face getting way too close to me for comfort.

"Don't you think I'm pretty too?" he purrs.

I cringe, trying to yank my hand free while wiggling in an effort to put some distance between us.

I don't like where this is going.

His fingers continue to run up my arm and to my collar where he pulls at it with his nails. He leans completely on top of me, gently breathing across my lips as his nose touches mine. His eyes are hooded at he smiles at me, our heights leaving each other at eye level as his hands continue to wander.

I suppress the urge to convulse in disgust, my movements to get away beginning to get a little more frantic. He has one of my arms pinned, and the other squashed between his and my body, the spray bottle digging into my ribs.

"I saw you watching me last night," he licks his lips, "Were you jealous? Did you think I was beautiful?"

With a lyrical hum, Avørek leans closer, aiming to kiss me, But I swiftly turn my head away. My heart begins to race in alarm as his lips make contact with my cheek and I begin to try and shove him away.

"No." I state this firmly, glaring at the alien as he somehow slinks even closer.

Surprisingly, despite his lithe stature, he's strong. Too strong for me to simply push off with a good shove.

"But you're such a pretty human, Emery. The prettiest one I've ever seen, don't you think I'm pretty too?"

His words are nauseating, his tone making my ears ring. I keep my head turned away from him even as he tries to kiss me again. When he realises my lips will be staying firmly shut, Avørek begins to pay attention to my neck, purrs rolling through his body as he presses kiss after kiss. He licks a stripe up my neck, the purring getting louder as I continue to struggle.

I try to get a leg free, maybe so I can trip him or kick him, but he just pushes me harder into the wall.

"Do you not like this body?" he says this with an exaggerated pout. "I can change it if you'd like. Give you something more to your... tastes."

As he says this, horror creeps up my spine. His body contorts against mine, every bit of skin against mine moving and reshaping itself into something different. Between us his chest grows, his waist tapers in and his face shape contorts until he looks softer, more feminine.

Vomit curls in the pit of my stomach. He was a snake, slipping out of his very own skin.

I push against him, but he growls at me. In my moment of complete panic Avørek manages to press a bruising kiss to my lips.

I don't want this!

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Dun, dun, dun.