She watched him very closely. He professed confidence, and she wasn’t interested in penetrating the lie. Though the response did make her laugh in an unkind way. The unspoken reasons why were futile on his part. Rafael’s heart was something soft and fragile and ultimately meant for the sun, not the shadowy places where people like Nox and Oriena dwelt. The sooner Nox realised that, the better for him. And for Rafael.
“How sweet.” Rejection did little to ease her impulses. Whatever it was he said, there was a thinly veiled carnality to the way his eyes roamed. It wasn’t something she recalled observing before, but then he seemed a shade apart from the cocky irritation she had first met months before. The bestowal of Carmen’s trust often skewed the edges of Ori’s perceptions, especially since the ijiraq carved out a place inside her skin. Now Kallisti dug its claws into her soul whether she wished for it or not, and family meant more than it ever had. Maybe it was that, though as she watched him perch on the edge of the desk she was not convinced it was. She spied more darkness to him than she had ever noticed before.
The invitation had not been rescinded. His open appreciation of her scars provoked a surprisingly visceral reaction.
“Which job?” she toyed. It came out like a purr. But though she was teasing she didn’t pause for an answer. Something he’d seen on the screens had concerned him. That much was clear. Ori didn’t look at them again, but she did peel from the seat and move closer. Her hands rested on either of his thighs. Not devilishly close, but close enough.
“I trust you because you know what I’d do if you screwed me over,” she said.
Ori’s hands on his thigh brought all horde’s thoughts to things he shouldn’t do. He closed his eyes, but then her scent assaulted his nose. She’d recently showered and the light familiar scent he buried himself in Raffe’s neck pulled hard at his emotions and he growled out of frustration and need.
Nox gripped the edge of the desk with the mechanical hand. He didn’t trust its grip on anything. ”I won’t screw you over.” He swallowed hard, his eyes still clamped shut and his heart pounding in his chest. ”I need you to back up.” He growled again, this time opening his eyes and peering into hers. ”A part of me wants to let you do whatever the fuck you want. But that isn’t the part I’m going to listen to. Until he tells me to fuck off, I’m doing my fucking damnest not to let it happen again and you are pushing me past my limits and we have bigger fucking problems than my fucking love life.”
Nox let Ori see the darkness inside. He didn’t bother grasping the power. She couldn’t feel it, but he was not making a threat. But it was there in the undercurrents. He was dangerously close to losing control, and right now. He was pushing fight hard. Ori was not who he wanted to lose Raffe over, completely meaningless and completely under the horde’s control. He didn’t want to ever give in. Even if Raffe left him in the end.
Her touch was light, but she could feel the tension it strung through him. He literally growled, and it flooded Oriena with macabre fascination. She didn’t move away, even though he asked her to. The dangerous gleam in his eyes was only likely to draw her closer; it teased sensation all over her skin with painful promise. Honestly his explanation barely registered, though she did notice with a wicked grin that he said again. Talk of limits and control did not appease her inclination to cruelty. Who did he think she was? Her gaze searched through the wreckage of his. She clearly thought about it, especially given how tight he gripped the edge of the desk. Because it would be heavy and hateful and hard.
“You and I are the same, Nox. We burn up the things we touch,” she said, leaning the words close to his ear. “You think you don’t need an outlet? It’ll break you, pretending to be something you’re not.”
Her hands slipped away, but Ori did not. If he wanted the space he claimed he would have to make it himself. The challenge of her expression said as much. “I suggest you talk quickly.”
Nox didn’t disagree with her words, but when she gave his space he pushed himself off the desk, knowing fully well how close that would put them. He didn’t push, but he slipped aside. His attraction was better left alone. And the horde just wanted a good fuck.
”I need an outlet Duckling.” He said, feeling the irony as he slipped back to the screens and waited for the camera to pan to the right person. He spoke quietly. ”But right now, sex is off the table. I broke that promise once and as long as there is still a chance, I’ll fight and feed this fucking hunger until my last breath if I have to.” His voice felt hoarse in his throat. It wanted to rip out of him. They didn’t like being denied. Someone trapped them in their little cages and they wanted out. Nox felt them so much more when his mind trapped him with the instincts of the horde.
The screen panned over the woman in the shadows in the wheelchair, and Nox almost missed her for his inner thoughts. ”She is Atharim.” He didn’t turn to Ori, but he knew she might leave at any moment. ”I know you want things. But leave her be. It’s my job to protect everyone here. I can’t let you go after her for their safety. Please trust me. You can abduct her as she exits. I don’t give a fuck, but as long as she doesn’t make trouble for us or the patrons, let it wait till she goes. Please. I need to tell the girls that their illusions and abilities need to be on hold. They know what I am. I’ll help them with whatever they need. But they can’t reveal themselves — not tonight. Who knows what other Atharim snuck in to our home.” He turned to look at Ori with pleading eyes. ”Please trust me.”
Storm-dark eyes watched as he stood. Oriena did not give him the space to manoeuvre, but when he literally slipped away she laughed. His disinterest flattened her own. She wasn’t offended, but she was unlikely to forget the chains of the beast she discovered today. For now she returned to her chair to watch his discomfort and whatever it was he deemed so important to share. Ori’s arms draped, fingers drumming the rolled edges. Her nails clicked against the studs sewn into the leather.
Nox was stupid to tell her what he was going to let her do. She dismissed his rejection but it hardly endeared him. Cage her up and she’d bite on principle, no matter the cost – to her or to others. But her attention turned to the woman in question as he spoke, picking out what details she could in the shadows the woman scuttled in. Oriena did not seem as concerned as Nox did, though. They were not hiding here, and the suggestion prickled her with fury.
Fight or fuck, it was all the same to Oriena, and Nox already denied her one of those options.
“Let them bring their fucking war, Nox. I burned their shitty rat’s nest to the ground, and I’ll obliterate anyone who even tries to touch the girls.” The words came out surprisingly hard. Surprisingly cold. It wasn’t often she spoke like that.
“You think I got these playing nice?” A gesture encapsulated the scars that so enticed him earlier, but it was dismissive in its manner. The war was rising in her chest again, and she hated the reminders of the ijiraq’s hold on her. A pained grimace hardened her jaw, darkening her gaze to something tempestuous.
“You aren’t the only one fighting temptation, sweetheart. And I don’t have promises holding me back. Not to you or Kallisti.”
Motivation. Intention. Even Ori didn’t know the inner parts of herself in that moment. But neither did she move. When her attention returned to Nox, the veil of sensuality had drawn back up, but now she was only indolent and lewdly suggestive. A finger traced the flush of her lips. “Might be I’ll just stay here. Enjoy the private show.”
Pleas meant nothing. Nox was unlikely to get a promise out of her. But trust worked both ways. He was clearly dismissed.
Nox knew when he was dismissed. Her ire with him made her that much more dangerous. But he left the room and stopped at the exit, leaving his back to Ori even though it was that dangerous.
”The darkness doesn’t have to make us bitter and cold. Even you have a family who love and care for you. Not one you were born to but one that chose you and you whether you like it or not you chose.”
He walked out of small office and paused just outside the door. ”You do know that if you’d made the offer when we first met I would have jumped at the chance. The scars made you stronger. Don’t let them be all that you see.”
Nox walked away from the office trying to talk himself into those words too. He made his way to the wardrobe, he had to make a quick change.
[[ with Oriena ]]
“How sweet.” Rejection did little to ease her impulses. Whatever it was he said, there was a thinly veiled carnality to the way his eyes roamed. It wasn’t something she recalled observing before, but then he seemed a shade apart from the cocky irritation she had first met months before. The bestowal of Carmen’s trust often skewed the edges of Ori’s perceptions, especially since the ijiraq carved out a place inside her skin. Now Kallisti dug its claws into her soul whether she wished for it or not, and family meant more than it ever had. Maybe it was that, though as she watched him perch on the edge of the desk she was not convinced it was. She spied more darkness to him than she had ever noticed before.
The invitation had not been rescinded. His open appreciation of her scars provoked a surprisingly visceral reaction.
“Which job?” she toyed. It came out like a purr. But though she was teasing she didn’t pause for an answer. Something he’d seen on the screens had concerned him. That much was clear. Ori didn’t look at them again, but she did peel from the seat and move closer. Her hands rested on either of his thighs. Not devilishly close, but close enough.
“I trust you because you know what I’d do if you screwed me over,” she said.
Ori’s hands on his thigh brought all horde’s thoughts to things he shouldn’t do. He closed his eyes, but then her scent assaulted his nose. She’d recently showered and the light familiar scent he buried himself in Raffe’s neck pulled hard at his emotions and he growled out of frustration and need.
Nox gripped the edge of the desk with the mechanical hand. He didn’t trust its grip on anything. ”I won’t screw you over.” He swallowed hard, his eyes still clamped shut and his heart pounding in his chest. ”I need you to back up.” He growled again, this time opening his eyes and peering into hers. ”A part of me wants to let you do whatever the fuck you want. But that isn’t the part I’m going to listen to. Until he tells me to fuck off, I’m doing my fucking damnest not to let it happen again and you are pushing me past my limits and we have bigger fucking problems than my fucking love life.”
Nox let Ori see the darkness inside. He didn’t bother grasping the power. She couldn’t feel it, but he was not making a threat. But it was there in the undercurrents. He was dangerously close to losing control, and right now. He was pushing fight hard. Ori was not who he wanted to lose Raffe over, completely meaningless and completely under the horde’s control. He didn’t want to ever give in. Even if Raffe left him in the end.
Her touch was light, but she could feel the tension it strung through him. He literally growled, and it flooded Oriena with macabre fascination. She didn’t move away, even though he asked her to. The dangerous gleam in his eyes was only likely to draw her closer; it teased sensation all over her skin with painful promise. Honestly his explanation barely registered, though she did notice with a wicked grin that he said again. Talk of limits and control did not appease her inclination to cruelty. Who did he think she was? Her gaze searched through the wreckage of his. She clearly thought about it, especially given how tight he gripped the edge of the desk. Because it would be heavy and hateful and hard.
“You and I are the same, Nox. We burn up the things we touch,” she said, leaning the words close to his ear. “You think you don’t need an outlet? It’ll break you, pretending to be something you’re not.”
Her hands slipped away, but Ori did not. If he wanted the space he claimed he would have to make it himself. The challenge of her expression said as much. “I suggest you talk quickly.”
Nox didn’t disagree with her words, but when she gave his space he pushed himself off the desk, knowing fully well how close that would put them. He didn’t push, but he slipped aside. His attraction was better left alone. And the horde just wanted a good fuck.
”I need an outlet Duckling.” He said, feeling the irony as he slipped back to the screens and waited for the camera to pan to the right person. He spoke quietly. ”But right now, sex is off the table. I broke that promise once and as long as there is still a chance, I’ll fight and feed this fucking hunger until my last breath if I have to.” His voice felt hoarse in his throat. It wanted to rip out of him. They didn’t like being denied. Someone trapped them in their little cages and they wanted out. Nox felt them so much more when his mind trapped him with the instincts of the horde.
The screen panned over the woman in the shadows in the wheelchair, and Nox almost missed her for his inner thoughts. ”She is Atharim.” He didn’t turn to Ori, but he knew she might leave at any moment. ”I know you want things. But leave her be. It’s my job to protect everyone here. I can’t let you go after her for their safety. Please trust me. You can abduct her as she exits. I don’t give a fuck, but as long as she doesn’t make trouble for us or the patrons, let it wait till she goes. Please. I need to tell the girls that their illusions and abilities need to be on hold. They know what I am. I’ll help them with whatever they need. But they can’t reveal themselves — not tonight. Who knows what other Atharim snuck in to our home.” He turned to look at Ori with pleading eyes. ”Please trust me.”
Storm-dark eyes watched as he stood. Oriena did not give him the space to manoeuvre, but when he literally slipped away she laughed. His disinterest flattened her own. She wasn’t offended, but she was unlikely to forget the chains of the beast she discovered today. For now she returned to her chair to watch his discomfort and whatever it was he deemed so important to share. Ori’s arms draped, fingers drumming the rolled edges. Her nails clicked against the studs sewn into the leather.
Nox was stupid to tell her what he was going to let her do. She dismissed his rejection but it hardly endeared him. Cage her up and she’d bite on principle, no matter the cost – to her or to others. But her attention turned to the woman in question as he spoke, picking out what details she could in the shadows the woman scuttled in. Oriena did not seem as concerned as Nox did, though. They were not hiding here, and the suggestion prickled her with fury.
Fight or fuck, it was all the same to Oriena, and Nox already denied her one of those options.
“Let them bring their fucking war, Nox. I burned their shitty rat’s nest to the ground, and I’ll obliterate anyone who even tries to touch the girls.” The words came out surprisingly hard. Surprisingly cold. It wasn’t often she spoke like that.
“You think I got these playing nice?” A gesture encapsulated the scars that so enticed him earlier, but it was dismissive in its manner. The war was rising in her chest again, and she hated the reminders of the ijiraq’s hold on her. A pained grimace hardened her jaw, darkening her gaze to something tempestuous.
“You aren’t the only one fighting temptation, sweetheart. And I don’t have promises holding me back. Not to you or Kallisti.”
Motivation. Intention. Even Ori didn’t know the inner parts of herself in that moment. But neither did she move. When her attention returned to Nox, the veil of sensuality had drawn back up, but now she was only indolent and lewdly suggestive. A finger traced the flush of her lips. “Might be I’ll just stay here. Enjoy the private show.”
Pleas meant nothing. Nox was unlikely to get a promise out of her. But trust worked both ways. He was clearly dismissed.
Nox knew when he was dismissed. Her ire with him made her that much more dangerous. But he left the room and stopped at the exit, leaving his back to Ori even though it was that dangerous.
”The darkness doesn’t have to make us bitter and cold. Even you have a family who love and care for you. Not one you were born to but one that chose you and you whether you like it or not you chose.”
He walked out of small office and paused just outside the door. ”You do know that if you’d made the offer when we first met I would have jumped at the chance. The scars made you stronger. Don’t let them be all that you see.”
Nox walked away from the office trying to talk himself into those words too. He made his way to the wardrobe, he had to make a quick change.
[[ with Oriena ]]
![[Image: nox_sig.gif]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/nox_sig.gif)