The Unchaste

Ares and Aphrodite

Delilah’s mind reeled with all sort of indecorous answers to his question. She had loved Jake, not him. Why then did she kiss him exactly?

Out of passion... Heat of the moment... Your face looked kissable.

And then, with a cruel jolt in her chest...

‘Because Jake was too dead to be kissed.’

A sudden overcast of tempest clouds darkened the sky of the swamp and light waned away from the parlor too, leaving it skirted with shadow all around. There was only the feeble storm-light near the curtained window and warm glow around the fireplace.

Another storm, perhaps. Or a pre-storm shower.

“There is no explanation, your Grace.” Delilah answered, gratified for the unexpected, strengthening darkness. “It was not a deed done within good senses; the wine at the dinner had been tricky afterall.”

“You took one flute.” He interrupted. “Drank less than half. Hardly enough to addle your ethics.”

Delilah looked up at him, perplexed_ his nerve indeed was undermining. He had been watching her?

“No I did not monitor you, Miss Eves. I am not an imbecile.”  As if he had read her mind, he spoke, shaking his head. His eyes shimmered in the fierce fire-light. “I asked the footman who served you.”

He left her befogged and she nearly laughed. “A bit extreme of an inquiry, don’t you think?”

Lord Richard’s cheek caught a faint blush which came to her notice when he faced away from her, towards the window. “Not as extreme as what you commenced, surely.”

Delilah furrowed her brows. “Sir, I didn’t mean to.”

“Mean to what?” He came one step closer and she bristled. “Tell me you remember? Visit me? Or lose your senses and Kiss me?”

“You do not ask a lady such things.”

“That’s beside the point.” He flicked his hand in a dismissing motion. “And then, you claim knowing my kind. Without doubt, you must also see that my kind aren’t very keen on comportments when we have wishes to fulfill. You didn’t think you could leave Stormcastle without explaining me your actions. So do answer. What didn’t you mean to do?”

“To kiss you, of course.” She snapped at last, thoughts of Andrew’s departure putting back the rage in her. “And if, I did do it_ you should understand that it was plain out of pity. What are you? Who were you to me? You stood unseen in the vibrance of my world, my good sir. A shame, indeed but Woe you! There you were having all my sympathies and so the kiss.”

He had made her mad.

He had made her so, so mad that she didn’t realize until she had done it of her cold-bloodedness. She wouldn’t have been a bit surprised had he grabbed her throat that next moment and snapped her dead. She was surprised when he didn’t say anything. His face remain stoically out of emotional flaunt except for the slow developing frown.

He took three steps into her and startled, Delilah backed away.

He was going to…