15
1221 Words
AZRIEL
I watched her laugh with her friends, that scrawny-looking boy leaning into her so often that I felt like tearing him apart. My fingers dug into my skin from clenching my fists, and I couldn't believe I was actually getting jealous of a little boy who didn’t deserve my attention.
Seraphina wouldn’t be interested in guys like him. What she wanted, what she needed, was someone who understood exactly what her body craved. Someone who could turn her on just by looking at her. Someone like me.
I shook my head, finished the rest of my juice, and tossed the empty carton into the trash can. I couldn’t let myself get distracted. I had already crossed a line this morning by asking her to change her skirt. I just couldn't bear the thought of others watching her flaunt that revealing outfit that showed everything that should belong to me alone. Letting her change was the safest choice—better than me following her around and ripping off the head of anyone who dared to glance in her direction.
As I walked back upstairs, the two girls giggled as I passed by. Seraphina didn’t even glance up, and I knew she was still upset about me denying never to have met her. I’d seen the hurt in her eyes, but there was nothing I could do about it. It was better this way.
My phone pinged just as I reached my room—a message from Dad.
"You need to come over."
Great. Of all days, today couldn’t be worse. There was no way I was leaving Seraphina alone in this house with a boy around.
"No. Can’t make it today. Let’s do it tomorrow," I replied quickly.
"When I tell you something, it's not up for negotiation. Get here now. It's bad enough you failed me in Bogotá."
I chuckled bitterly, trying to suppress the ache in my heart. So now I'm just his pawn to command? This wasn’t what I asked for—or having to watch my teammates die because of a situation I had no control over.
I didn’t reply again; instead, I tossed the phone onto the bed as another message came through moments later. A few minutes later, it started ringing—I didn't even need to check who it was.
I stepped into the shower and turned on the cold water, hoping it would wash away some of the tension and help me stay sane until that little boy finally left.
After changing into shorts and a loose shirt, I headed back downstairs. Seraphina met me halfway, holding out her phone.
"Dad said you're not answering his calls. He's on the line."
She still wouldn’t look at me, so I sighed and took the phone from her. "Dad."
"Azriel. We need you at the lab in thirty minutes. The whole team is waiting."
"I already told you I can’t make it." I snapped, causing Seraphina to look up at me in surprise. I quickly turned away from her and walked deeper into the kitchen.
"If you really want those results," I whispered, "then feel free to bring your entire team down here. I'm sure we have enough space. It might just require a bit more explaining. Not sure Celeste and Seraphina would appreciate seeing a frantic, out-of-control Azriel."
He was silent for a moment as I waited for his response. He would relent; he had to.
"Fine," he finally shot back. "But you'll have to do double the trials tomorrow. Is that acceptable?"
"Not an issue," I replied before hanging up the call. I'd dealt with worse, and he was the one who had put me through all this nonsense. His 'worried dad' routine was infuriating.
I handed Seraphina back her phone, and she hurried away from me almost instantly. This was starting to irritate me. I flopped down onto an armchair, keeping my eyes on the scrawny boy as I scrolled through my phone for any updates about Bogotá. Nothing new caught my eye. While I couldn’t recall everything, there was an unsettling feeling that something had gone wrong that messed up our entire plan.
“Pass that to me,” Seraphina said, reaching across the table as the boy leaned toward her, their shoulders nearly touching.
"Watch it," I warned, raising my voice just enough to make him pull back and reconsider whatever move he had in mind.
Seraphina shot me a glare. "Why are you even here?"
"It's my house," I replied evenly, nodding toward the boy. "He's the one who needs to keep his hands to himself—unless he's ready to lose them."
"What the—"
"Seraphina," one of the girls cut in, trying to ease the tension. "I think we should get going now. It's getting late already. Our parents will be worried."
"But we aren't done," the other girl replied. "We should at least finish the last chapter."
"That's right," Seraphina said. "We still have a lot to do."
"Let's just continue in school tomorrow," the girl replied, already gathering her things. "Besides, Joe and Simon will still have to contribute their part. It'll be unfair to do it all by ourselves."
Seraphina nodded. "Okay. Let me see you off."
They chatted as they walked out of the house, one of them lamenting how it was such a pity they couldn't stay long. But the only thing I cared about was how close the guy was. How his hand almost touched her as they walked.
When they finally left, Seraphina stormed in, angry. "What the hell was that?"
I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You just chased my friends away. What the f**k is wrong with you?"
"That's no way to talk to your big brother."
"You're not my brother!" she sneered, running a hand through her long, dark hair in frustration. "Let each of us just keep to ourselves from now on, okay?" she asked, looking straight at me. "I've had enough of all this."
"I can't promise that," I replied.
"Why?"
I couldn't say it was because I couldn't tolerate the thought of another man's scent on her. That the idea of anyone else touching her made a dark and violent anger coil inside me. That I wanted to draw her into me and replace every other scent clinging to her with mine. So I said the only thing I could come up with.
"Because I'm your brother."
***
I hated going to the lab even more than I hated the beast it created inside me. I leaned back against the chair I was strapped to, letting them take whatever they needed from me. I'd stopped fighting it years ago. It was simply part of my life now.
"Heart rate, normal," one of them called out. "Senses, sharper. Overall condition, stable."
"Mr. Zephyrion," another voice called. "We've noticed stability in your recent charts. What have you been doing to keep the beast under control?"
"Nothing much," I replied. "Just keeping my emotions in check. Everything is fine as long as I don't lose control of my emotions."
"Hmm." She nodded. "That makes sense. That's actually what we would recommend. And what happens if you lose control of your emotions?"
I opened my eyes. "I don't."
She smiled. "Then what happened in Bogotá?"
- Writer
