YAAAYYYYYY! For all the TMAAYM followers, well, hello people! Long time! Okay, so this is for the handful of people (yes, it's just a handful) who still ask me about updates for (my own personal favourite story) this. (Oooh, playing favourites. It's like picking a favourite child, so wrong...*slaps wrist*). It's taken a backseat for a few weeks to the demands for updates of After You (I've gone with the tide here), but I love getting my D&A fix, and this is for those that do too. It's for yooooouu *sings*.
I know it's been a while, you've probably forgotten stuff, I should recap but I just managed to put an edit through, and now I wanna watch Dracula (Is it any good? I shall see...I'm gonna stream it. Plus someone on here left a comment saying when she imagines Dante she pictures Johnathan Rhys Meyers, I find it intriguing so I'm off to have a poke at the show...and well, he is hot :P) so, I might do a recap after I've watched it. Oh, then there's Sleepy Hollow (Ichabods permanant upturned collar gets my respect and, well, he's so cute)...anyway, I digress. And my bunny's pulling her depressed face at me, she wants to eat my shoes...I have to distract her...or just...take my shoes away lol. Until then though...(Ignore the bracket abuse)
Oh, and patience with this chapter, there is a small time jump, so you know...onwards.... :)
Chapter 25 – Silver Magpie's
It was done with. At least that's what Dante had told me. But I couldn't help adding for now to that. Time had a funny way of making people feel like they were either trying to catch up with it, trying to keep within it, or ultimately waiting for it to run out.
I knew what Dante had done. He'd put his heart on the line for me. I'd done the same. Admittedly he'd come a long way with me in such a short space of time. He'd been willing because the alternative was nothing worth thinking about. We had time, but ultimately the thing about time was that it didn't last forever. Depending on the scenario you were in, then sure, it could feel like forever, like it just never ends, but really it always reached its end. It would go quick with him, no doubt, but without him I knew time would feel like an eternity. I just wanted to see the sands reach its last drops so I could pick up the glass again and turn it over. Have our time back. But that's not how time—or even life—worked.
Despite a lot of what he said, the way he'd tried to convince me he believed everything was going to work out fine, his face was telling a different story. Behind it all was something else, something not quite as convinced as he was letting on.
But I accepted it because for the first time maybe we could live in our own bubble? Maybe we could pretend we had forever? Maybe we could pretend that everything was okay, that everything was normal. If it was only a matter of time, then we would make the most of all we had.
We had made our move from Archers that night, and things had been strained. But I guess you know that already. Though we'd rested in each other's arms for a short while in the car in ominous silence, he'd fallen back on his despondent face but insisted it had been a long night and that was the reason for it. He tried to reassure me by smiling, but I noticed his smile didn't reach his eyes.
I could remember witnessing the earliest crack of dawn as we left Hall's club that night. Soon after, the sun had started crawling over the horizon, riding at a snails pace over the distance as we made our way back to his.
The sun was always beautiful, but this was a particularly beautiful one.
Clouds had broken it, but that didn't disturb its shine. They seemed intimidated by the sun, cautiously circled it, gave shield to it, but ultimately all I could see was sun. Even the clouds weren't enough to dim it, hide it, or kill its resistance. I hoped to be that sun one day, no amount of cloud could kill us.
Sometimes, you could see whatever you wanted to see in something so simple. And yeah, maybe I was seeing what I wanted to see, but the sight of the sun combing the view made things seem that much more symbolic. That we were going to attempt to make this thing work, that he was going to try for me because to him, I was worth it.
Through country we drove, silent and completely conscious of each other. I'd let my head fall back against the headrest as I'd closed my eyes to the daybreak settling on me, seeing flashes of warm red and cold darks through my lids where the flare beat through air and then trees. A new day was here. The same tomorrow Dante had said he didn't want to see if I weren't there with him.
I knew he didn't want to admit to fear, not many men do, but there was something he'd also said to me just before we set off that gave me the impression he was even scared to love me. He didn't know where this would take us but he was willing to take the chance.
He'd held my hand and lifted it to his lips as he reassuringly kissed the back of my palm, and though he shot me a quick smile, again I could see there was something else behind it.
I lingered ahead, and Dante would cast fleeting looks over me before directing his eyes over the road, I would be aware of every little movement he made. I'd catch him at the corner of my eye as he took a moment to look twice quickly. It was as though he wanted to ask me a question, maybe to tell me something, but hesitated. I could see the action but I kept looking ahead and noticed that he was trying to build himself up to say something to me, but he huffed to himself, shook his head and kept his eyes on the road. That didn't last long though.
"You're staring." I said, my eyes fixed ahead of me. I could totally see him in my peripheral whenever he turned to me. He was doing it pretty frequently.
"You're distracting. What can I say." without looking at me too.
"And if we crash because you can't keep your eyes on the road?"
"I wouldn't be that reckless with you. But atleast you'll be the last thing I see."
I looked over to him when he said that, and watched as he kept his eyes ahead, all stern and remote. His hand sure and steady at the wheel. My eyes lowered, I think he was forgetting I knew I could never be the last thing he sees. I already knew he couldn't just...die like that. Or maybe he didn't know I knew. After all, Nate told me. Malcolm too.
Something wasn't quite right which unsettled me but I did the same as he did; fixed my eyes on the road ahead, then I felt his hand take mine from my lap and interlace his fingers between mine, his thumb caressing the back of my palm.
I breathed hard, happy to give my hand for him to hold, momentarily peering through my side of the window. I realized I wasn't sure I welcomed the sunrise or dreaded it because it represented both the beginning and the end. The end of all that had come before, the start of all that would be ahead. It was saying the night had ended, it was over. Despite Dante's slight withdrawal, and his attempt to rectify it right now with a display of closeness, I took comfort in the sun's hope, in its promise to see things brightly. I mean, after all, we were here; we'd made it past last night. This signified so much.
He and I sat there looking our separate ways but holding onto each other's hand except to change gears. Looking over the horizon I was left to think how the world could be so beautiful when in the quiet innocence of a new day, and with that new day you never did know how it was going to end. You just had to get through it.
----
So, this was it. This was what we'd wanted. It had been near enough three weeks now since Dante and I had been living together. Officially living together. Yes, I know right? Living together. Give me a moment to say that enough times in my head so that it could at least feel real. It was crazy to me. I almost couldn't believe it if I hadn't been looking at his toothbrush next to mine in the en suite every morning. We'd packed up the last of my things as I took a moment to say goodbye to my flat and I'd moved into his in record time.
I'd seen so many things about him already. I'd seen how glorious he could look first thing in the morning, even with rustled pillow-hair and a demeanour that looked like work was exhausting him every day. When he'd stretch on his back in bed, every muscle would tauten, his skin would slide with clear definition over every sensually lean ripple. Fucking hell was just about all I could think every time.
I'd watch him sometimes. Sounds weird, I know, but...I would. If there was one thing I'd noticed about Dante in recent days, it was that he was never really at peace. There seemed to always be something tinkering around in his head but I'd put it down to work, though inside I believed it was something bigger. And when he slept...man, he was beautiful. It was the one time when he truly looked peaceful.
Sometimes I couldn't help but trace his skin beneath my fingers, to reach over and run my fingertips ever so slightly over his mouth to trace its shape, or even to graze over his taut stomach. He liked me doing that. He was so adorable then. His lips would stretch into an approving smile while his eyes were still closed and he'd roll me over on top of him and palm his hand smooth down my spine as I sank over him, my head falling down by his. He'd nestle into the crook of my neck, taking me in. I would straddle him as my knees settled either side of his thighs, and he would push my hair back from my face as it settled over his, and kiss me raw into pleasure till I completely lost myself in it. In him.
In that time we'd both been back at work. I'd done those little things I'd said I wanted. The simple, normal, things. He'd return home to me, or I'd finish later than usual and he'd send a car over to pick me up, a replacement driver for Malcolm, but I'd get in and he'd be right there in the back waiting for me.
I'd seen him use trivial things about his demonic inner fire around me. He'd one day thrown fire impatiently at the gas cooker after it wouldn't ignite, I actually laughed at that. It was the tiniest little fireball but just enough to do what it needed. He was in total control but I'd jokingly warned him not to turn the cooker to ashes.
He'd let me feel his heated palms, let me feel his chest after he'd ingested several of the plants in his greenhouse. He called then selfs. It would take hold of him like he was taking in gulps of life-giving air. It was incredible to witness. Truly incredible.
We could never quite get enough of each other. He would devour me as often as he could, his appetite wouldn't wane for me. There were too many moments to count that led to sheet-clawing sex, all-consuming passionate need, or the moments where he would dominate the hell out of me. In bed this man treasured me. My mind would go into overdrive as much as my body. Every moment I spent with his sweat-soaked body pressed up against mine, every time I felt his fervent kisses I felt like he was taking my very soul and interlocking it with his. He was like fucking crack to me.
But I didn't like admitting that. If something felt that good on you, your need for it grows, it deepens, you wonder how you would manage without it, you become dependent on it. It's like a drug. Whether that person is good or bad for you, you don't care, you want them anyway. You want so much more of it. You wonder how you ever made it through this life before they came along. You want it regularly and to not have it results in a body-convulsing low, a serious come down.
We had our moments though, our..disagreements. Man, he could be such a prick sometimes. A real know-it-all. There was always a bit of an 'I know best' thing about him. He always thought he knew what was best for me, but I had to remind him I wasn't his child, I was his girlfriend, to which his eyebrows rose and he regarded me before a smile crept up on his lips. We hadn't called ourselves anything like that to each other. This was the first time he was hearing it and evidently, he liked it.
Dante had said he needed me, I felt as though I needed him too, and that alone was a terrifying sign, I mean, would we be mutually dependent on each other? Even Nate had made a quip about us "saving" each other. I'll be damned if that's the case, mutual dependency was too unhealthy to contemplate.
There was something unwelcome niggling at the back of my mind that troubled me. I knew what good things were in my life, I knew that he was one of them, but I also knew that anything that was ever good in my life, well, those things would never last. There was always some kind of shelf life to how long things could be good for and I knew there was a point when it was all due to end. I just didn't know when. Nobody really does.
In the beginning it was so great, I loved to hold him in bed because his body was literally so warm, but halfway through the night we'd both get restless and end up in funny body positions. I would wake up to find him on his back in physical discomfort. He never said anything about it if I asked, just dismissed it. But he would just toss and turn a lot, rub his back repeatedly against the bed as if there was an itch on his spine, but if I rolled over him to hold him he would calm. In fact he only ever calmed when he held me.
Admittedly, I was kind of...afraid. It all stemmed from what I could feel at times when he held me. His hold worried me. He held me like It was always the last time he ever would. There was this feeling I tried to push away. But it felt like the same inevitability we tried to fight that night. As if he could see something coming and we were fighting everything to make sure that day wouldn't come. But something told me he knew it would.
Dante was hiding something from me. I just knew it. I could feel it. And that feeling had only just started happening a few days ago around about the time his discomfort started. He worked like crazy, and I always worried about him even though he told me I had nothing to worry about. He was a grown man, he'd tell me, albeit a demon man, he'd been through enough in his life, things I still didn't know specifics about.
Dante was having his distant moments. His moments when he would emotionally withdraw. Where sometimes I didn't want to press him, but sometimes I had no choice because his distance would hurt me. Sometimes I would catch him pondering, as if he knew something I didn't. I didn't want to think there was something else about him I didn't know.
When I'd pressed him, he'd gotten angry and snapped at me, I was taken aback, but he'd closed his eyes momentarily and cursed, then apologised saying it had been a long day.
"Why aren't you happy?" I'd asked him as I got to the kitchen. "You should be, I mean..."
"I am."
"Dante..." My tone enough to tell him I didn't believe him.
He huffed and turned to me, looking me dead in the eye. "I am." He said, "Alright?"
"I'm worried about you."
He sighed as he stepped to me, cupped my neck staring at my steadily, "You've got nothing to worry about, okay?"
"Don't give me a reason to be." I told him, "Can you promise me that?"
"Don't you think that's an unreasonable thing to ask me to promise? You'll worry about me over the tiniest thing just because it's in your nature. It's sweet but I can't promise you that."
I lowered my eyes and took his hands from my face. I couldn't respond to that. It was a fair answer, but it wasn't the answer, and I refused to admit he was actually right. I shook my head at the floor and turned away from him, but he'd pulled me back.
"Ariel,"
I took in a heavy breath.
"Ariel, look at me."
I stared away from him then ended up latching my eyes to his broad chest, it was right in my line of vision. God...
"C'mon, don't do this."
I shook my head and headed off before he hauled me back again with a single pull, closing me against his upper body as his head bent down to mine, his forehead touching mine, his arms a secure enclosure around my waist resting his interlinked hands at my back.
Finally I looked up at him.
"You're not gonna get mad at me, are you? Because there's only one way that mad works for me and it involves you being naked at the end of it."
Typical Dante Mark Greco. Breaking any tension with a sprinkling of sex. I was totally gonna resist any urge I had to smack him against his chest. It would be playful, mind you. Or not. He could be so cheeky sometimes. It reminded me of around the time we first met. He'd been cheeky then too.
Naked at the end of it...oh damn...I swallowed as I looked at the kitchen table and what had happened there once. Or twice...
"Don't forget the wall." A slow uninhibited smile spread through his lips as he watched where my eyes settled. "Or my desk, the stairs..."
This time I really did hit his chest as I said 'stop it' through my own emerging smile.
His hand came into my hair, swiping down one side and pushing it back as he held his hand there against my scalp almost massaging the tension right out of my head. It was working.
"You gonna let me in this time?" I asked him, closing my eyes to his feel.
"You are in. You're in deeper than any woman who's ever come before you and no woman will ever come after. Ariel, people get many parts of me, I give them those meaningless parts, but I've never given them this part of me. I meant what I said, I've already let you in. You know more about me, who I am, what I am, than I've ever let anyone else know. Don't ask me for anything more." He said adamantly, it was as if he felt he'd given too much of himself away already. "Besides, you're not very forthcoming yourself, don't make me go there."
I frowned. I asked for that.
I already knew he was more of an enigma than I could ever possibly grasp. In the beginning his mystery was exciting. Intimidating, but still exciting. But now we were at this stage, it wasn't so much exciting. It was worrying.
.
Morning was here already. A freaking Monday of all days of the week. I growled at the alarm from Dante's phone and almost dashed it in frustration if I could have reached over at it, and after nagging Dante to turn it off, he did so in one swift movement without even looking at it. I smiled biting at my lip because he cracked me up sometimes. Total ninja move. I smiled to myself. I breathed in the crisp scent of Dante's arm over me, I could feel him behind me, his chest at my back, I reached to hold onto his arms, but something was bothering me.
"Dante..."
I felt his lips graze my shoulder. "Morning, Magpie."
He'd been calling me Magpie just to tease me ever since we got back to work. He said it reminded him of the first time we'd spoken to each other, both of us were on our respective work schedules then. And now we were both back at work again, he remembered the first name he'd ever given to me. Miss Magpie.
I felt his lips curve against me now. He was smiling.
"What's up, Silver?" A throwback to the reason he first called me Magpie.
"What's up?" He repeated, the low timbre in his voice coated in sleep. "Me." I felt his smirk and also felt exactly what he meant when he pressed up against me. I grinned despite myself.
His phones alarm went off again and he cursed at it and slammed it quiet. It was the snooze.
I moved to get up but he hugged me closer. "Don't spoil it, please. I'll have to be up in half an hour and I won't want to leave you then. So let me have this."
Again, his hold...
"Dante,"
He murmured. Nope, no idea what he just said.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"What do you mean?"He quietly mumbled.
I swallowed before I spoke up. Was I being melodramatic? "You treat every morning as if it's the last."
I felt him tense up. I guess I wasn't then, huh?
He didn't respond. I waited. I felt him comfortably squeeze me. "That's the only way to live." His low tone, made even lower first thing in the morning, sounded solemn. "I'm not taking you for granted, Ariel, because if I can't have you, every day might as well be my last. I wouldn't care." He murmured low.
"You know I'd never leave you, right?"
"I'd hope not." He mumbled against me. "I don't feel like I need much. But...and I know how soppy this sounds so early in the morning, so, I don't know...just pretend I don't know what I'm saying and I'm half asleep but...I feel like I need you like I need air. If you leave me, then you'll have taken my last breath away."
Wow. Just...Dante...God...that totally got me. I needed to catch my own breath now. I was so not going to pretend he said that in his sleep. I was going to remember that for the rest of my life, and it would definitely sound better as a memory if I recalled him saying it completely sound of mind. Not sleep induced. Even if he was kind of on autopilot right now. That ninja attack on his alarm being evidence of that.
I took his hand and rubbed over it softly. "You want me to make you breakfast?"
"I want you to stay exactly where you are. Just let me hold you. You're talking too much. You talk all through movies too and you wanna talk now?"
I chuckled. "That last film was—" I yelped as I felt his hand over my tummy hastily tickling away at me.
I settled after my giggling fit, soon feeling his breath over my shoulder, his lashes brushed fleetingly past my ear. His eyes were open. And for a long time after I said that, he didn't close his eyes.
I lay there with him, I knew he was awake, and neither of us said anything. Not a single word. My hand reached over his and I squeezed over them, his fingers tightening as I did that. I heard him heavily breathe. Hmm, he most certainly had the weight of something on his mind...
Dante was already at work, as I sat at my desk having looked over the last few emails from Jacey in regards to our client list. I had to email each and every one of them. This would get tedious. The same memo, almost identical greeting and sign-off, and repetitive body of text. A good old copy and paste job, complete with some subtle, personable differences.
A notable short sharp sound jingled from my screen, a pop-up. One of many from Dante's instant messaging work server he gave me access to. I was fairly new to it, but it worked like pretty much all instant messaging services did, except his was a work network and only those with permission (aka a password) could use it if they were accessing it from outside the mainframe. He could send me anything on it, I was tempted to send him the kind of picture you should probably not send through a work network so I decided against it. I'm a total professional. I'd send that on my phone. Maybe.
I'd been getting cute little things sent to my desk every day at work. Granted it drew a bit of attention. Jacey was lenient because she knew who they were from. She had a bit of a soft spot for him, in the most respectful of ways, I might add.
At first the things he sent were red things. But the last couple of days those things had changed. To shiny things. Shiny versions of things you wouldn't expect to be shiny. But mainly I was getting notes written specifically in luminous ink. Definitely caught my eye. And today was no exception. I got a note today.
I meant what I said.
You are in.
Inside every part of me,
You are.
D
Dante...he was my chaos in this world, but my calm too. He was...well...a bit of everything. I held the note in surprisingly steady fingers. And as if he'd known I'd only just read it, he called. I smiled at his caller ID, and cheekily answered, "Ariel, talk dirty to me."
He laughed.
"Another note written in silver ink?" I said.
"Well, you are a Magpie after all. Easy to please." came his voice.
Ha! I smiled, "I see. You taking the piss?" I joked.
"If it riles you. You are too damn sexy when you're pissed off. Strangely adorable with that thing you do with your eyebrows."
I straightened my face, I think I was doing it now.
"Don't get pissed at me now though." He said. "If I get even a whiff of anger through this line I'll leave my desk and be by yours in seconds."
"My desk is not gonna see that kind of action, thank you very much."
"Feel free to come over and christen mine. At least I have an office."
"With clear windows. Exhibitionist."
"Blinds, Love. Lots of blinds."
"Love? Aw, London's been rubbing off on you. You'll be saying 'arse' next."
I heard a chuckle. "Never. 'Love' is a term, 'arse' is an accent. Been here a while now, I'm part of the furniture."
"Shiny furniture?" I teased with a misbehaving mouth I couldn't control as it curved upwards. "What else can I expect from your list of shiny things?"
"Don't get too excited." He playfully warned. "That's on you, getting struck by my particular shiny silver 'thing'."
"Your eyes?" I lied.
"Oh, so it was my eyes then? Not my car? So now you admit the truth. You were struck by me. I knew it."
I pursed my lips playfully, "Oh, wait, what was that?"
"What?"
"I can't quite make it out but I think that was the sound of your head inflating?"
He laughed, I smiled at that laugh.
"I'll send you another shiny thing to deal with it, shall I?"
"Hmm, and what would that be?"
"Wait for it, hold on a minute."
Dante is typing... said my IM screen. Oh, and an attachment too...
A ping sounded and the message reached me. It was a picture. I opened it.
Ha!
A safety pin.
I chuckled. I read the attached text, "For my big head." It read.
"Is that to pop it, and then hold it back together again?"
"Yeah, or I would've sent you one of a needle."
"Well, I could sew your head back together."
He sounded so amused right now. "Granted. Either way, I need my damned head."
I whispered, covering the receiver with my hand. "I need your other head."
He laughed out loud. I couldn't help but smile at his laughing. I bit my fingers visualizing his face right now.
"What are you doing to me, Ariel? I won't be able to think about anything else all day until I get you home. Might not even wait till then."
I loved doing that to him. "I want you to think about something other than what's been occupying your mind lately. So I'm cool with that." I waited but he said nothing. My cue for him to talk fell by the wayside.
Disappointment just struck me. I sighed. "Men..."
"Men?"
"Nothing...just...you strike me, really..." I pondered at his silence.
"I want to be the only man you get struck by. I guess I'll have to remind you of that all the time."
Never. "No reminding necessary, handsome. You don't need to do a thing but just stand there and be around me."
"Ditto."
"Yeah, well, you're stuck with me."
"No matter what happens, I think I am."
"You think? Oh c'mon, Silver, you can do better than that. There's no thinking about it." I teased.
"Okay, I know I am." He paused for a short while, I could hear him release a breath as he said, "Listen, about what you said. About letting you in."
"It's bugging you right now, isn't it?"
"Sort of."
I could tell. The note earlier said it all.
"I don't want you to feel like we can't talk. Be honest with me always. You feel something about me or what I'm doing or not doing, tell me. If there's one thing I know about a woman already, is that if she asks you a question, she probably already knows the answer. Well, my mother told me that once."
I paused but asked anyway, "Can I ask you about her?"
I heard his breath over the line. "I'm gonna contradict myself here I guess after saying you can talk to me...now I—"
"It's okay." I immediately said. "I guess I'm yet to understand the whole...demon thing and how you can even have parents. I don't know..."
"One day, Ariel. One day."
I nodded. What was I nodding for? It's not like he could see that.
"So, when's Art Inspires coming to my building?" Ooh, he changed subject quicker than a whores drawers.
"No word yet. Three months was the time. Little under two now, I think."
"I want you here as soon as possible."
"You mean the Art Inspires." I corrected.
"That too." I could feel him smirk on the line. Could always hear it in his voice.
"I really want to keep an eye on you. I don't like the fact I can't be where you are."
"We live together now. I occupy your bed every night. We can't be in each other's faces twenty-four seven. You'll get bored of me."
"Our bed. And I'll never get bored of you."
I smiled at that. Couldn't help it.
"I get the feeling there's something else to that." I said, though. "Your impatience is making me think you're saying there's danger afoot."
"If there was I wouldn't even let you go to work. You'd be at home."
"You can't 'let' me do anything. I let myself, seeing as I'm like, a grown woman and all that. I'll go to work if I have to."
"Damn it, Ariel. You're stubborn as shit or just fiercely independent. Whichever, I like it though, but I don't want you to be stubborn to the point you'd put yourself in danger."
"So you do think something's not right here?"
"With Hall at the helm now, let's just say I'm cautious."
Understood.
A white paper bag ended up propped suddenly on my desk. I immediately looked up to find Seb standing there.
It had been a while now. His station was awash with paperwork I could see, he was usually so organised. I settled my gaze back over him as I said into the receiver, "I have to go." I didn't want to say Dante's name, not in front of Seb, who knows what he'd relay back to his brother.
"Hi," he said.
I hesitated but out of politeness said, "Hey." I was straight-faced. I knew how I was coming across. It was intentional to display a level of hostility.
He'd been on annual leave so I hadn't seen him since I got back. I knew I was coming across difficult, standoffish possibly, and I could tell by the way he shuffled that he felt what I was giving him. Very self aware now, he said awkwardly, "Tottenham cake."
I looked at the paper bag.
"I had a break and saw them there and thought, 'hey, you know, Aer would love these. She can munch at her desk or...whatever.' I know how much you like these."
I did, yeah. I do. I love them. But I didn't show him that. I looked at the bag and put it to the side, decidedly unenthusiastic. "I've eaten already. But thanks."
I just knew he was feeling the tension right now. My tone was very telling, but I couldn't help it. I was kind of stewing actually. I don't know, maybe I was directing my anger towards the wrong brother. In fact, I knew I was.
"Look," he said, "I don't want what happened before to get in the way of us. As friends, of course."
"Of course." I reiterated.
He added. "I mean, things are just a little..."
"Tense?" I said for him.
He was most definitely nervous. "I could seriously crack the air right now."
I didn't say anything.
"Look, I'm trying to extend an olive branch here. Can you please just accept it?"
I inwardly sighed...
He drew in a short breath and soon relented when he realized his efforts were failing. He took small steps tentatively before turning to leave for his desk station but I had to get this out. I had to. It was a question that only just popped into my head. I trusted Seb. Still. But...I mean...
I threw my question at him, stopping him dead in his tracks. "Why didn't you tell me about Nate? How long have you known?"
I watched him pause and turn to me. I asked him the question again.
"Ariel..."
"Don't. Just..." I took a deep breath. "Tell me. You're supposed to be my friend."
"I am your friend." He said coming closer. "But Nate's my brother. He's family. As long as you weren't at harm it wasn't my place. Besides, I didn't know about Greco. I only knew about Nate. I wondered why he was so...caught up on keeping an eye on you. So adamant that I do it for him after he left. I just thought... you know, you were once together so..."
I moved around my desk standing by it, waiting on him.
"There wasn't even an issue to begin with. All he did was ask after you every chance he got. He asked me about work and how you were doing. I told him about what was happening here, the move, and the opportunity to get our funding back with the Gala that night. That Greco was responsible for it, that he was the person who'd invited us, that he'd asked you out. That's when he suddenly got more interested, started asking me if you two knew each other before then. He wanted to know everything. I told him. He didn't like Greco and at the time I didn't know why, and finding out you were going to the Gala with him, I just figured it was jealousy on his part."
"He was never just in London at the time, was he?" I already knew the answer. "He didn't just happen to be here that night. He came back because of what you'd told him, didn't he?"
"Yes."
"You must be upset." I said. "I mean, it's not like he came back to see his little brother."
"He has...duties."
"I know that now." I conceded.
"No, no you don't. Not everything."
I looked at him questionably, "What do you mean?"
"It's not my place, Aer. Just know that he looks out for you and he has his reasons. Look, if you're asking me if I knew about Greco, I didn't. That night, Nate set me straight on a few things. He told me then. Only then. I think he panicked."
I hushed as I spoke, aware of our surroundings, but knowing things were noisy enough we couldn't be heard. "What, and you were just like 'Okay, a demon? Oh, I'll just go confront him at his place, no worries'. I mean, you'd think you'd take it a little worse than that, maybe be a bit more scared, or...I don't know...ask your brother if he'd completely lost his marbles? It's not a natural thing to hear, Seb. You're really telling me you didn't know? That was the first you'd ever heard of it?"
"Ariel, I'd seen things growing up. Especially around Nate. Trust me, it wasn't so farfetched when I actually found out. There are some strange things in this world. The only thing that surprised me was that Greco was one of those...things. Did you know Greco played a mind trick with me when he first came here? Do you remember? When you refused to go with him and said you'd go out with me instead. Suddenly I had 'prior engagements'. I didn't have prior engagements, Ariel. Greco did that. He messed with my head. I didn't even know at the time, but I thought back and...it all makes sense now."
My brows twisted and I thought back too...I think...whoa...yes, I remembered that time. I even asked him how he did that, but I thought he'd simply intimidated Seb. I...wow...
I'd always asked if Dante had messed with my head, he'd always said no and I believed him. I still do. I'd never seen him use it. I didn't realize that actually, I had...
I pulled myself together and pretended it didn't faze me. It did. "Just keep a leash on your rabid dog of a brother and make sure he stays away from me." I'd deal with Dante for what he did to Seb later.
"You should know better than anybody that I can't control my brother. No one can. He'll do whatever he wants to and he's well within his rights when it concerns your demon—"
"Shush!"
He looked around him and complied, keeping his voice down. "My brother loves you, that's the only reason he hasn't left. You don't even know the half of what he is to you. He hunts, sure, but he's a lot more. Your boyfriend knows it, that's why Nate is his biggest threat. If anyone needs to watch out, it's Greco and you know it. You need to look after yourself, to watch your own back because there are things about their world you will never understand. And to be honest none of this is worth it. So watch yourself, Aer."
"You threatening me?"
The disbelief in his face..."What the hell has gotten into you, Aer, this is me. You'd think that of me?" he shook his head.
I glanced at him unable to hide my regret at saying that. I could do nothing but apologise. I meant it, but he wasn't listening. Couldn't believe I'd said that. So stupid...I mean, he was right, this was Seb we were talking about. He was my friend. Not just my colleague.
"I'd never threaten you." He said before walking away. Okay, I deserved that. For him to turn his back on me, yeah. Deserved.
I slumped back into my seat rubbing exhaustingly over my eyes, as I blinked several times at my screen saver. A distant telephonic voice sounded near me telling someone that their something o'clock was here.
"Apologize for me and cancel it." Said the familiar voice. Then more clearly into the receiver I heard him as he said, "You forgot to put the phone down."