IncuBUST

Bloody Innocent

I felt a sudden rush of embarrassment and leaned away from Nikolai, putting at least a foot between us. He looked at the ground and slid to the other side of the bench. His face was pink with my embarrassment. 

"What are you doing here?" I asked turning to Quetz, trying to make my voice sound natural. It came out awkward and forced. He looked at me with innocently wide eyes and replied, "I come here on my break sometimes. I like to chase the rabbits." He spoke with such an unabashed purity I almost laughed. I heard a noise like a stifled giggled and glanced at Nikolai. He was still staring at the ground, but his mouth had pulled into a smile. 

Quetz's gaze drifted towards Nikolai and his head tilted slowly to the side. His golden-brown eyes narrowed slightly in confusion and smoke began curling from his nostrils, though he seemed not to notice. 

"What are you doing here, Chase? I thought you worked all day. Are you on a break too?" There was a strange tension in the air that I didn't like. Nikolai met Quetz's gaze and they stared at each other. I quickly stood up and replied, "Th-there was a small issue with Octavia. I had to leave early." 

"Something is wrong with your human?" Quetz inquired his eyes still on Nikolai. There was something in his expression that I didn't like. Something I hadn't seen before. 

"She's not my human," I mumbled then I shook my head and continued, "It's nothing really. She just had to move out." His expression abruptly relaxed and he turned to look at me saying, "Oh no. That's sad. You like her." I was flustered, by the sudden shift in his mood. He suddenly seemed much more threatening without Barapha at his side. There was no hulking mountain of ice to make him seem small and warm. 

"I suppose it is a little sad, but she's--"

"Is that why you like him as well?" Quetz asked, cutting me off. "He sort of smells like her. Are they related?" I blinked and looked at Nikolai. I didn't know how to reply. I felt very uncomfortable. Like I had been caught doing something I shouldn't have been doing. 

"You could stop talking about me like I'm not here," Nikolai suddenly snapped and I was taken aback by the sharpness of his tone. One of Quetz's dark eyebrows rose on his forehead and he leaned towards Nikolai saying, "You shouldn't let the emotions of others affect you so." Nikolai's brow furrowed, but before he could retort Quetz rocked back on his heels and glanced at me. 

"He would pretend to be okay with this," he said, "He would say he doesn't expect exclusivity, but it would kill him to catch the scent of someone else on something he was sure belonged to him." He took a step towards me and continued, "I don't like to see him unhappy, Chase." I flinched at the abrupt change in his aura. I was used to the warm, colorful shimmer. The sudden roar was deafening. 

"He has been in such a good mood since your evening together. Don't--ruin--it." He smiled, a bright, innocent expression that in no way matched his politely threatening tone. He reached up and touched my face. His skin was boiling. I felt my heart thump in my chest. 

"Nice seeing you. We should go flying again sometime soon," he said before turning and walking away. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and felt my body slowly relax, tension still buzzing in my muscles. 

"What the hell was that about?!" Nikolai exclaimed and I looked at him. His expression was a mixture of fading anger and encroaching fear.