Chapter 30
Konstantine
Iwoke with a start. I looked around to see what had interrupted my sleep and found everything as it should be, but I couldn’t disregard the nagging feeling that something was off. Apollo was restless in my head.
What is it? I asked.
Mate. That word was all it took to get me out of bed and running down the stairs.
Her door was wide open, and even in the dark, I could see Arax wasn’t in her room.
I sniffed the air, hoping to catch her scent.
It led me downstairs and to the kitchen.
I approached cautiously and found her with her back partially turned.
She was leaning over the island, her head in her hands.
She was in a pair of pajama shorts and barefoot, with endless miles of legs on display and her hair in a braid all the way down her back.
My heart skipped a beat. She had never looked more stunning, or more vulnerable.
“Is everything all right?” I asked quietly, trying not to startle her, but my efforts backfired.
“Oh, geez!” she exclaimed and turned around, putting her hand on her chest. “Konstantine, you scared me.”
“My apologies, Arax.”
“It’s okay,” she said, recovering her wits, “I didn’t think anyone else would be up at this hour.”
“Is something wrong?” I asked again, slowly approaching the island.
She looked at me wide-eyed and I could see the distress in the grey. That was what had woken me up; something had frightened her and I had felt her fear, not unlike the year prior.
“Bad dream,” she replied, her voice uneasy. “I came down for some fresh air—and in search of some comfort food.”
I looked past her to the counter and was surprised to see a loaf of bread and nothing else.
“And your idea of comfort food is… sourdough?”
She gave me a small smile, which then cracked into a wider grin. “I needed something to settle my stomach, and this was the most accessible. I didn’t want to go through your pantry like I owned the place,” she replied.
“Do you have these sorts of dreams often?” I asked, though I purposely kept the concern out of my voice.
She nodded, her expression flat and crestfallen. “Very often. They started not too long after my mother passed.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, treading lightly.
She shook her head, and I didn’t press the issue. I didn’t like seeing her this way. I made it a point to inquire further about these dreams of hers when the time was right, if I ever got the chance.
I walked toward the cupboard where Greta usually stored a secret stash of food for me. I searched to see what she had hidden and pulled out a basket of blueberry muffins and other baked goods.
I put it in front of her. “Would you prefer these, instead?
“Yes, please,” she replied gratefully and pushed her half-eaten slice of bread away.
“Warmed up?”
“No, this is fine,” she answered, picking up a muffin, and took a bite. I took one for myself and stood at the other end of the island, watching her while she ate. When she was finished, Arax turned and gave me a funny look.
I was intrigued at the way she was staring at me. “Something on your mind?”
She crossed one ankle over the other and hooked her thumbs into the hem of her shorts, causing them to pull down slightly.
I caught a glimpse of her bare stomach, and my mind raced.
Having her in my arms today had been a thrill, as short as the moment had been.
Her soft, damp skin beneath my fingers… the heat we both felt when I held her close.
Her pulse had sped up, and if I hadn’t put her down and walked away when I had, I would have thrown her over my shoulder and taken her straight to my bedroom. I couldn’t think straight around her.
I kept wanting to push these feelings aside and remind myself of all the reasons we shouldn’t be together, but those reasons were starting to bend, just like my backbone. Every time I was near her, the hold she had coiled around me, becoming tighter.
“I don’t get you,” she replied, keeping her tone soft and deliberately neutral.
“What’s not to get, Arax?” I asked, leaning toward her on the counter.
“I have to say, your demeanor toward me now is very different than it was last year. What gives?”
“Well,” I replied, endeavoring to keep a straight face. “Last year you were hurt. I had to be careful. I was worried you were going to sue.”
I could tell she was not prepared for my response.
It threw her. Her eyes widened, and she stared blankly at me for a second before she bent over the island and laughed uncontrollably.
It was musical, welcoming and melodic. The sound of it coupled with her beautiful smile further tested my indecisiveness.
“Hmmm, I hadn’t thought about it, but now you’re giving me ideas,” she said, straining to catch her breath. “You never know. I still might lawyer up, maybe cash in.”
“You’re welcome to try,” I smirked. “I’ll see you in court.”
She laughed to herself and played with the end of her braid. She drew it to one side, exposing her neck, revealing the spot that could one day hold my mark.
“But seriously, though, why the change? What happened to not taking too kindly to outsiders?”
They were my own words, harsh and uninviting. I had said them at a time when my feelings toward her had been mixed, but now?
“Well, Arax, I suppose you’re not so much an outsider anymore, are you?”
She tossed her braid back over her shoulder and straightened her spine. Pursing her lips, she surveyed me with sharpened interest. “No, Konstantine, I suppose I’m not.”
I drew myself up as well and took a deep breath, ready to absolve yet another of my sins. “I owe you an apology.”
Her brows flattened. “An apology for what?”
“The dinner. Cyrus mentioned there was a bruise?”
“Oh,” she said. Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of scarlet, and she turned her head, her stare drifting to her shoulder. She pulled at the neckline of her shirt.
“It’s nothing,” she said, forcing a smile. “See? All better.”
To the human eye, her skin was clear, smooth as satin, but my eyesight allowed me to see the faded yellow of the injury my wolf had caused. Apollo saw it too and I felt him grimace.
I stepped closer to her, reaching out my hand, and let it rest on the slim curve of her shoulder.
I waited with bated breath to see what she would do, to see if she would push me away and tell me my advance was unwelcome.
Arax stood there, not moving, her skin heating under my fingers.
I rubbed my thumb across the blemish, letting the healing powers of the bond take away the last of the discoloration until there was nothing left but the velvety luster of her silken skin.
“See?” she whispered breathlessly, not looking at her shoulder but at me. “All better.”
My hand stayed where it was, unwilling to let go, my thumb still grazing the spot.
“All better,” I echoed hoarsely.
The air between us thickened. If I had questioned whether Arax felt the mate bond before, I didn’t any longer.
Her chest swelled with every inhale, and her eyes darkened in tone, their silver streaks almost invisible.
The scent of jasmine became more pronounced, adding to the viscosity of the air as we breathed each other in.
It made it hard not to dig my fingers into her hair, take her lips, and show her she was mine.
“Do you like tea?” she asked suddenly, cutting the heaviness down and sucking away the tension.
My fingers halted to answer. “Tea? Yes, why?”
“I can make some. I’m kind of cold, and plus it always calms me down.”
I retrieved my hand and directed her to a different cupboard, and she rummaged through it, looking at the various options.
“What kind would you like?”
“Surprise me,” I replied.
Arax filled the kettle while I went and grabbed the cups for her. She grinned at me while waiting for the water to boil.
“I didn’t take you for a guy who knows his way around the kitchen,” she said jokingly.
“I work late many nights, and a lot of the time, I miss dinner. If I didn’t know where anything was, I’d starve,” I replied.
She appeared to be contemplating my answer.
“Is that what you were doing tonight?” She eyed me curiously, taking inventory of my pajamas and bare feet. “Working late?”
Actually no, Arax. I wasn’t, I thought. Tonight I had been sound asleep for once. I woke up when I felt you in pain and came running to be by your side, so you wouldn’t have to go through it alone. “Yes,” I lied, with little hope that she would believe me.
She stayed quiet, and I looked on as she steeped the tea and poured some in each of our cups.
“How do you take your tea?” she asked. “The English way or the right way?”
“What’s the right way?” I replied, laughing.
“No milk, no bullshit,” she answered.
“Definitely no bullshit,” I said quickly. “And no milk either.”
“Good answer,” she quipped and went back to the cupboard.
“Honey?”
“Yes, Arax?” I responded hastily. Too hastily.
She froze, then slowly withdrew her head and tilted it to the side, staring at me puzzled yet amused. I realized my blunder as did my wolf.
Well done, Alpha. He jeered dryly. Exceptional, really. His shame from earlier forgotten now that there such a golden moment to see me fall flat on my face.
“Konstantine? Do you want any?” Arax pointedly set a crystal jar filled with honey on the island, biting her lip in an attempt not to laugh.
“No, thanks,” I grumbled, keeping my head down, trying not to show my humiliation.
She gently slid a steaming cup toward me and raised her own to her lips, her eyes twinkling at me through her lashes over the rim of the glass.
“It’s English breakfast,” she said, striving to defuse the situation.
“Thank you. I like it.”
We sipped our drinks in silence. I peeked up at her every so often, and each time, I would see the makings of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She seemed far less tense now. I couldn’t tell if it was the tea or being in my presence that had anything to do with her more relaxed state.
Arax set her empty cup down and covered a yawn. It was nearly dawn, and the sun was slowly rising.
“I better try to get some sleep,” she said, her voice drowsy. “Otherwise, your sister won’t be too happy with me tonight.” She went to clean up her dishes.
“I’ll take care of those,” I told her.
She nodded and started heading upstairs before turning around. “Thank you, Konstantine.”
“For what?” I wondered.
“For hanging out with me. It made me feel a lot better,” she replied sincerely.
“My pleasure, Arax.”
She gave me one last smile before disappearing, leaving me alone with my wayward emotions.
Part of me wished I could go with her, crawl into her bed, and chase the nightmares away.
I shook my head. There was no point in going to sleep now.
Training would start soon, and I looked forward to taking out some of my frustrations on some poor hapless warrior.
I looked toward the window, at the fiery reds and yellows streaking over the land. The dawn held a promise. I sipped my tea and reached for the honey stick, then let some dribble into the cup, and I chuckled to myself.
I had a feeling Penelope’s party was going to be really interesting.