Creatures

TWENTY-THREE

Cast: Chiara Aurelia as Christine

I was watching Tell Me Your Secrets and I was like "where have I seen this girl before?" Answer: my brain.
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Flustered, Chrissy pulled her dress back up and then started wriggling the satin down her hips. Tristan claimed victory over her underwear, which he was able to snag and shove in his back pocket before she could take them back.

Her face still felt hot. She looked at him for a second and cleared her throat. "I'll... I'll see you later." Chrissy murmured, running her hand through her hair as she walked back inside.

"Chris," Tristan gently took her arm, "hey, what's wrong?"

She jerked her elbow out of his grip and ignored him.

*

"Christine, where's Tris?" Jasper asked.

Chrissy looked up from her reflection in the pond to Jasper, who was attached to Ryn by the hip as per usual.

"Here." A voice responded before she could. Tristan suddenly appeared out of the thick forest, looking clean-cut in a black suit. He had his hands in his pockets.

One of those pockets has my underwear in them... She thought idly.

He came close to Chrissy, who was sitting on a flat rock by the pond. Tristan crouched to her level. "You ran off earlier." He murmured. "Everything okay?"

She'd almost kissed him back. For a finite moment she'd accepted his hands on her body, and wanted more from him. Chrissy had actually lusted for him.

"How long have you been there?" She questioned. "I felt like someone was watching me."

He shook his head. "Not long. Maybe five minutes. I let you have your space."

She felt someone watching her for a long longer than five minutes. Though, her brothers were known to stalk. Speaking of the trio, they weren't far behind Jasper, all in their Sunday best.

"Is Emily coming?" Chrissy asked.

Tristan shook his head. "No. Everyone's here that will be."

Chris sighed. "Let's just get today over with, please."

He nodded and offered a hand to help her stand. She took it, but quickly slipped her hand from his once upright.

Tristan looked to Jasper. "You have the blade?"

The man nodded, and took a small cedar chest out from under his arm. He presented it to Tristan, who took it. Box in hand, he turned to Chrissy. "Ready?"

She looked at her brothers, all standing expectantly beside Jasper. It was the first time she'd seen Alex or Ryland in weeks. They had been either holed up in their house or out completing Mythic bounties. Micah was calm, meaning that Sloane hadn't told him about the baby just yet. She was at his side. Luke was alone, looking contemplative and standing nowhere near Alex or Ryland.

Chrissy looked back to Tristan. No. I'm not ready, she thought. Instead, Christine nodded.

Tristan unlatched the small chest, retrieving a small, ceremonial dagger with a mother-of-pearl handle. Chrissy took the box, now empty except for a length of silk and placed it on the rock she was just sitting on.

"I need your hand." He prompted.

Looking around at her expectant brothers, she swallowed the lump in her throat and presented her palm to him. Chrissy's hand looked so small when he took it in his own.