War of Shadows

Such a Tease...

Chapter 5

I sat in the once steaming tub for nearly an hour before Eli rapped his knuckle on the door and asked if I needed anything. I had scrubbed off the slimy and dirty feeling of that man’s hands on my skin and let the water ease my cramps. The water was cold by now, so I politely tell him that I’m fine. Eli’s acting strange. His eyes never flicked back to their beautiful gold that I so ached to see again, and he had only spoken broken sentences.

The feeling of the man’s clammy hands dances through my head and I stand from the tub, wiping off with a soft black towel before stepping into the set of women’s silk pajamas and fastening a large red robe embroidered with black around my waist with still-trembling fingers. The smell of Balsam and mint floats around me and soothes the anxiety building in my gut. I push open the bathroom door to find Eli sitting on the edge of his bed, head hanging in his hands and the muscles of his back pulled so taut that I feared they would snap. At my entrance, Eli’s head perks up to see me and I’m met with a hesitant gaze.

Gold, not black.

“Thank you,” I say, “for…helping me.”

Eli’s eyes flash black for just a moment before settling back to gold. He sighs and shakes his head before walking toward me. He stops at an arm's length away, and I no longer feel the choking energy of his anger. Every thought in my head screams at me to close the distance and feel the sense of safety he provided while he carried me away from that retched bathroom downstairs. I hold still. Eli holds out his hand.

“Come sit down”

I launch myself at Eli and wrap my arms around his waist, deeply breathing in his scent. I choke back a sob, remembering the fear of not knowing what that man was going to do to me.

“Stella,” he breathes as he presses me closer into him and rests his check on the top of my head. The cloud of his scent invades my soul and I feel my tight muscles relax and my body settle comfortably against him. A pain ripped again and Eli stiffens. “Stella, I’m so sorry. I suspected you were in heat and I was so f*****g stupid. I shouldn’t have let you leave that room alone. I’m so f*****g sorry Stella.” The pain in his voice is unmistakable and he tightens his grip around me. “When I heard you I just…” he shuddered.

In heat?

I leaned back and he must have seen the confusion on my face. His arms remain around my waist, but eyes me warily. I ignore the butterflies in my stomach as he lazily rubbed his thumb back and forth on my back.

“Female shifters go through a heat they meet their mate, similar to a human’s menstrual cycle. It usually happens every 6 months but only for a few days and each tremor you have is like a blinding flare shot up in the middle of the night. Males have a difficult time keeping their hands to themselves.” His jaw clenches as his eyes flash and he rests his hand where my neck meets my head and smooths my hair with the pad of his thumb. “Nobody’s gonna touch you. I promise you’re safe here, nobody is allowed up here without me knowing.” I find myself leaning into his warm touch.

“I don’t have a wolf, so how do I have a… heat? I’ve never had one before now and I’m sure I should have by now.”

“I don’t know,” he answers honestly. “If you’re okay with it, I’d like to have some tests run on you and talk to someone about it. Only if you’re comfortable with that, of course. If you’re half-shifter, then there’s a chance that your shifter gene has been dormant all this time. I just don’t know what would have triggered it.”

I thought for a moment. “Could it be the bond? I’ve been feeling a little strange since we met.”

Eli contemplates this for a moment, his lips thinned. “There’s a chance, yes.”

“Do you think I could have my own wolf?” Hope blossomed in my chest. My wolf. I had assumed it would never manifest but maybe…

“I don’t know.” Eli shakes his head. “This is completely uncharted territory for me. I haven’t sensed a wolf in you yet, and I think we might need someone a little smarter than me to help us find out.” A smirk stretches on his face. He seems to be contemplating asking me a question, but decides against it.

“I thought you were angry at me.” I remember the anger pulsating through the room when he broke that door down.

His brows furrow. “Never.” He runs his knuckles along my jaw and I hide a shudder. When did I become so enthralled with him? The way my body reacts to his touch of its own accord, the way his scent makes my head spin with giddiness, I don’t want him to leave, to stop touching me. I’m pulled to this man by forces I can’t explain. “When I realized what was happening, I couldn’t control my wolf. All I couldn’t think about was killing him and making sure you were safe.”

“Did you?”

“Kill him?” He shook his head. “He’s not dead, but he’ll wish he were. He was taken away to the cells, where he’ll rot until I visit him.”

“Don’t.” Eli’s eyebrow shot up and he studied me. “I want him to be punished, I don’t want him to be tortured.” Contradictingly, images of his beady eyes as he-

“I’ll only do what you want me to do,” he interrupts the flood of dread.

“Why did you come to the bathroom?” I wondered what he was doing, and I couldn’t imagine what would have happened had he not come when he did. A burning heat drapes over my skin again, and I lean into Eli as the cramps twist in my belly. His eyes flash again, and stay black for several moments before he reluctantly steps away from me, leads me to the bed, and plops into a loveseat by the window. I try to hide my disappointment.

“You had been gone for a little bit and I started to get worried, but then I felt your panic.”

“What does that even mean?” I reach next to me and grab a silk pillow, placing it on my lap to rest my hands on.

“The bond” He shrugs. “I just felt that you were in trouble.”

“Oh.” How else do I respond to that?

Hot.

Cold.

“Lay down,” Eli offers gently. I’m gonna head out, but I’ll drop off some food in a minute.” He flips his wrist to look at this watch and stands to walk out the door. A flash of anger, then it dims.

“Where are you going?” I unsuccessfully try to hide the unhappy tone. Eli turns, a hand on the door handle. “Stella, do you trust that I won’t hurt you?”

“Yes.” Unless I beg for it.

Stop. Bad Stella.

“Believe me when I say that I want to stay with you, but if I’m being honest it’s not easy being with you while you’re in this state. Remember when I told you that these flashes are like a flare signal?” I nod, and feel my face heat with a blush. “I’m your mate, so to me it’s more like an opera singer belting out a chorus through a megaphone, right in my face.” His face softens for a moment and then- “I’ll be right back, okay?” Eli waits for me to nod before he leaves, gently closing the door behind me. Perhaps a little paranoid and still shaken up, I scramble off the bed to twist the lock on the door.

I take the opportunity to glance around the room, which is much more cozy and homely than the rest of the mansion that I've seen so far. The trinkets placed on display on the bookshelves lining the wall behind me on the other side of the bed offer an odd sense of a peak into Eli and what kind of man he is. The walls are surprisingly bare, void of decor or artwork save for the accent wall that seems to have been hand-painted to display a large abstract mural of reds, blues, and golds. Other than the king-sized bed with a pretty basic steel frame, I can see a doorway into a walk-in closet on an angled wall next ot the bookshelves, and a small round table next to the bathroom doorway fitted with a pair of feminine looking chairs.

A sudden knock pulls me from my thoughts.

“Stel, it’s me.” Eli’s voice is muffled by the door.

I hop up, open the door, and I’m greeted with a waft of chicken and waffles. I can’t help but grin.

Eli flicks my nose and walks around me. “Try not to drool on my floor.”

“I could drool on something else.” My hands slap painfully over my mouth and I feel my face pale in horror.

I didn’t just say that. Stop it.

Eli throws his head back and howls, his hearty laughter filling the room.

“I swear to the goddess, I don’t even know why I said that.” This seems to only urge on Eli’s laughing fit. I feel my face warm and throw a pillow at him. “Stop laughing! That was so embarrassing.” My body betrays me and a nervous chuckle bubbles from my chest. Eli barely managed to block the pillow, letting it thump on the floor. Eli sets the food on the table and walks over to me, still grinning broadly. Stepping behind me, he holds my shoulders and guides me to sit and pulls out my chair.

“It’s your heat,” he explains. “Sometimes you get a little extra… affectionate. It doesn’t help that we’re mates either.” He pauses after taking a seat across from me. “Do you feel the bond? At first I thought you wouldn’t because you were human but-“ he trailed off and leans back in his chair to study me. His arms cross and I try not to let my mind wander at his twitching muscles and what it would look like if they were-

“You do.” He says quietly and leans forward, resting his arms on the table. “Those tingles you get when we touch, how they caress down your spine when I look at you a certain way. The way my scent draws you in like a predator to its prey and makes your head spin; That little voice in your head that you can’t control, telling you dirty little things.” Eli was all but purring his words to me, eyes dark and hungry. I feel a shameful blush at the need pooling between my legs. “I was made for you Stella, and your body knows it.”

Hot.

Cold.

Throb.

A muscle ticks in his strong jaw and Eli finally breaks eye contact. “Take this,” he offers a small red pill from the dinner tray. “It will help numb your heat and make you a little more comfortable.” I grab the water bottle from the table, Eli drops the little pill in my hand, and I throw it back gratefully.

“Thank you,” I mumble, unable to look him in the eye. “I'm not like this, it’s all just so new to me.”

Eli places his scarred hand on top of mine and squeezes gently. “I know.” He smiles warmly and nods to the cozy living area. “Wanna watch a movie? We’ve had enough heavy talks for the day in my opinion.” I nearly sigh in relief that I would get a break from the drama.

“I thought you had to leave?”

“I’m doing whatever you need me to do.”

“Stay.” Don’t leave me alone.

“I know how hard it is to be away from me, given how ruggedly handsome and irresistible I am.” He flashes a lopsided grin and winks at me.

I scoff and roll my eyes as Eli holds out a hand out to me and pulls me up.

“Insufferable.” I mutter under my breath.

“Sorry? I think you pronounced ‘sexy’ wrong.”

************

Two movies later and a dozen messages to Lauren and Carter that I’m okay, Eli dozes off against the back of the couch. Ironically, he had insisted that I lay down and sleep off the heat but instead I finished the second movie with his steady snoring in the background. He looked peaceful, the golden glow of the sunset creeping in through the window. I considered letting him sleep, but that would leave me alone, awake, with nothing to do but entertain my own thoughts. I shove his leg with my foot, earning a grunt in response. He snores again and I kick him harder. His head shoots up and he glances wide-eyed around the room.

“You could sleep through a tornado. You know that, right? I’m a little jealous, really.” I tease.

“You should be, I haven’t had a sleepless night since I was a baby.” He playfully rubs his leg and grimaces. “Have you ever considered kickboxing?”

I roll my eyes and he chuckles softly before twisting his wrist to check the time. “Duty calls,” he sings, wiggling his eyebrows. “I’ve procrastinated long enough today, but I shouldn’t be out too long. Be sure to lock the door behind me, and just shoot me a text if you need anything.” Eli grabs my phone on his way around the couch and types at the screen to add his phone number before tossing it into my lap.

“Honestly, it’s about time I head home. I was just about to call Carter to come pick me up.” I sit up and swing my legs over the couch to stand. Eli halts and stiffens.

“Stel, I’m not trying to keep you here, but I really don’t feel comfortable letting you leave in your condition, let alone with a man. It’s not happening.”

Annoyance rolls through me at the insinuation.

“Carter would never touch me, plus I took that pill you got me and I feel much better now.”

Uneasiness flushes over his face and a muscle twitches in his jaw. “I’m just trying to make sure you’re safe.”

“How much longer do I have to stay here then?”

Hurt flashes behind his eyes before an emotionless mask falls over those handsome features. “Your heat will last two more days, I’ll get you a bottle with enough of those pills to last you the rest of your heat but you’ll have some side effects. I'll take you home myself as soon as I’m done in my office.”

“You don’t have to do that if you’re busy, Carter offered to pick me up earlier.” Eli simply looked at me with a heavy gaze and said nothing as he nodded and turned, leaving the room with a heavy silence.

Left alone in the grand room, I’m suddenly aware of how I may have come off. I remembered Eli’s reaction to seeing Carter haul me off the other day and guilt immediately weighed on my shoulders. Maybe I should go and explain myself to him, make sure he understands that there’s nothing between Carter and I.

I head out of the door, down the hallway and bounce down the wide staircase to the floor below Eli’s room. Rounding the corner, I vaguely remember what direction he had carried me earlier and follow it, faking to hold back a cringe while I pass the bathroom. I lean an ear into the smooth black double doors, and upon hearing nothing but the hissing of papers, turn the knob and poke my head in.

“Eli?” Eli raises his head from the desk littered with folders and papers, the light of his screen casting subtle shadows on the side of his face. I fight off the urge to walk over and claim a spot on his lap.

“Is everything okay?”

I nod, my mouth going dry. Eli notices my hesitation and leans back in his chair, waving me to take a seat in front of his desk. I slide into the cold leather and fold my hands into my lap.

“I didn’t mean to make it sound like I wanted to leave here, I really like being here. It’s just that I still don’t know what’s going on, and I’m sure it would look bad on you if you keep another woman as a guest in your home.” I blush at the insinuation, unable to meet his piercing gaze. The chair groans as Eli stands from it and makes his way over to lean against the front of the desk.

“Stop it.” He orders softly.

“What?”

Eli points silently to my hands. “You pick at your nails when you’re uncomfortable. And-“ he places his finger under my chin and pushes my face up to meet his gaze. “Never make yourself small. Never look down, never be ashamed of what you need to say- especially to me. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little hurt, but at the end of the day you call the shots. I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to.” He smirks. “I’m not the greatest at hiding my emotions but I make an admirable effort. It’s different when it comes to you.”

“So you aren’t upset with me?”

Eli scoffs. “A little territorial, but not upset.”

“Why don’t you like Carter?”

“I don’t not like Carter, but I’m not his biggest fan.”

“Why?”

Eli pauses as if weighing his response. “I think you know why.”

Anger flares in my chest. “What about Diane?” I ask coldly.

“Why don’t you like Diane?”

“I don’t know Diane, I’m just not her biggest fan,” I mock.

Eli’s eyes glitter in amusement. “Why?”

I shoot him a dirty look and roll my eyes. Eli’s chuckle sends a shiver down my spine. “There’s that little spit-fire,” he says softly, the growl in his tone testing my self control. His eyes drop to my mouth for a split second before he pushes off the desk and returns to his chair. “You’re free to stay, leave, sleep in my bed, another room, I don’t care. Though the thought of you warming my bed tonight does sound a little enticing.” He rested his chin in his hand and raked his gaze down my body and I fought against the shiver it sent down my spine to settle between my thighs.

“Stop it,” I hissed at him.

He shrugged innocently. “I’m not going to touch you Stella,” he added in a serious tone. A feeling of disappointment claws up and I shove it down, but not before he notices it. I push off of the sofa and walk to the door, muttering under my breath “your loss, then.”

The air changes and I spin as Eli presses against me, trapping me between him and the door with his hands outside of my shoulders, his breath caressing my face with every word he growls out. His nose nearly touches mine, his lips a mere inch away. “Until you beg, Stella. I’m not gonna touch you until you’re begging for it, and you will.” He turns his face so he’s whispering in my ear, his words tickle my neck and I let out a whimper as the hair on my arms stand on end. “But you will find that I don’t take well to teasing, not when the thought of the way you taste has kept me awake for three nights now.”

I feel myself moistening at his words. Despite his aggression, I recall how careful he has been with giving me a choice to let him touch me, and I'm not threatened by his loss of control. My heart warms “Eli, I-” I let my mouth hang, both in surprise and lack of response. He returns his eyes to mine, and I’m overcome with his nearness to me.

Gently, and perhaps feeling a little bold, I trace my fingers along one of his arms and watch the cords of muscles tremble under my touch, and the goosebumps rise in their wake. I slowly move my hand to his shoulder and glance back at him, looking for any sign of discomfort. He holds mine unflinchingly, his breathing uneven. I explore the plane of his chest and venture up, feeling the smooth, light skin of his neck. A breath huffs out of his mouth. I take in the heat of his skin under the fabric of his shirt and the ripple of muscle that twitches where my fingers glide.

“Stella.” His voice is strained, and I lose myself in the golden sea of his eyes. I close my eyes and tilt my head up, delicately meeting his lips as if my body were acting on its own accord. Tingles erupt and set my skin ablaze, and it takes all of my self control to pull away and not push deeper, desperate for more.

Oh God, did I go too far?

Eli gently holds my face between his calloused hands and pulls me back in and kisses me tenderly. We move against each other slowly, savoring the taste of each other, the feel of our skin touching. Lights burst behind my eyes and my toes curl. He’s warm and soft, and my body purrs at the contact, eagerly demanding more of him. His tongue passes over my bottom lip, and I grant him access. It feels as though every nerve in my body has been lit up like a Christmas tree, and the need to have more of him- to touch more of him grows stronger. Our movements become hungry and desperate, and I drop my hands to the hem of his shirt, needing to touch his skin, needing to be closer to him. The noises coming from the back of Eli’s throat nearly sends me into a frenzy and reassures me that he’s just as much affected by me as I am by him.

The sound of our excited panting fills the room as I push the hem of his shirt upward, and Eli breaks away to yank his shirt over his head. He quickly reclaims my mouth, but not before I catch sight of rolling tattoos painted along the left side of his muscled torso, down his bulging arms, and up his shoulder. My head starts to spin and my knees weaken, but I drop the robe from my shoulders.

“Stella,” Eli growls out. He lifts me up, wrapping my legs around his waist and he holds me close before he presses my back against the cold wall, a hand cushioning my head and he crushes his mouth against mine. His lips trail down to my neck and I gasp at the bolt of electricity shooting down my neck and the hardness of his arousal pressed against the thin fabric of my pants. One of his hands slides up my shirt and explores my bare skin while the other digs his fingers around my thigh as he sucks and nips at the sensitive skin between my shoulder and neck. I bury my finger in his hair, desperate to hold him closer and I bite down a moan.

“Eli, I can’t-” I huff. Eli immediately stiffens and sets me down, worry etched onto his face.

“What’s wrong? We don’t have to-”

“No,” I interrupt, and I rest a hand on his chest. “I wanna go to your room.”

Eli flashes a devilish grin before lifting me into his arms and I turn into a giggly mess as he instead turns and carries me to his desk, and swipes the papers out of the way before gently resting me on top. I look up at him curiously, and a bit disappointed. Eli smooths my hair behind my ears and pecks the tip of my nose as he massages his fingers into my thighs.

“Not yet, love,” He purrs. I groan in protest. The aching between my thighs has become almost painful, and I’m overcome with the need to relieve it. Eli’s rumbling chuckle only intensifies and I hide my pout behind annoyance.

“You’re such a tease.” I roll my eyes and push past Eli, muttering obscenities all the way back to the bedroom…alone.