27. Chapter 27
Chapter 27
I leave Eagan in the kitchen and walk confidently to the room I’m staying in, working hard to keep the excitement at bay. When the door closes behind me I let it all out. A squeal leaves me, and I jump up and down in a weird little dance. I think Eagan’s starting to like me and I get to go shopping.
This last week has been a test of my strength. I want Eagan. I was drawn to him from the moment I saw him, and unlike him, it wasn’t a spell or enchantment that made me feel this way. This week has been wonderful. One of the best of my life. I feel like I’m getting to know Eagan and I can tell that I have captured his attention. We seem to be able to cohabitate quite peacefully together but I still see the flashes of anger in his eyes when he feels we have gotten too close. I notice the way he pulls away and slams his mental walls back up, shutting me out.
I can’t help myself though. The desire to be close to him is overwhelming. Without conscious thought my body reaches out to his and I often find myself gently stroking his skin or resting my head on his shoulder while we watch TV together. While I don’t control these movements, I definitely choose to walk around the apartment in little clothing. There’s no doubt that I’ve learnt what he would consider an ‘inappropriate amount of clothing,’ but I can’t resist the look of absolute need in his eyes when he sees me like that. It’s a look so full of lust that I could get drunk off it.
A moment ago, I truly thought that Eagan was about to give in to the temptation and kiss me. When I noticed, I was flooded with fear because I don’t want us to take that step and then have him reject me. I don’t feel strong enough to cope with being turned down. So, like a coward, I bailed. Eagan is the first man who has ever had the chance to know the real me. I don’t act with him. I want to be authentically me now that I’m living as a human but with everyone else I still have to keep a big part of me a secret. But not with Eagan. I’m afraid that being rejected by him will hurt more than anything else I’ve endured because it will mean that I’m not enough for him.
Eagan said that it’s going to take about two hours for Sienna to drive here. I can’t wait to meet her, but I wonder what Eagan is going to do to explain my presence in his apartment. I use the time to have my own shower and get dressed in the mint dress I always wear when I want to look nice. It’s not like I have many other items to choose from. But I will soon!
Eagan lounges on the sofa while I pace back and forth behind it, filled with nerves at meeting Eagan’s sister. “Can you cut that out?” he asks with a sigh. “You’re making me nervous to see my own sister.”
“I can’t stop,” I say, bouncing on the balls of my feet. “I’m so excited to meet another human.” His eyes darken.
“Don’t say shit like that. Remember you are a human.” I’m briefly chastised before the bouncing starts up again. He rolls his eyes but can’t stop the little lift of the corner of his mouth.
A rapping on the door causes a little squeak to escape me and my hands fly to my head to make sure my long hair is flat and smooth. I want to make a good impression, and I want her to like me. Eagan jumps up to answer the door and I flit nervously behind him.
The moment he unlatches the door, it flies open, and a hurricane blows in—a whirlwind in the form of a leggy, blond bombshell who starts talking before she’s barely crossed the threshold. She throws her arms around Eagan, and he squeezes her right back, lifting her slightly off the floor.
“Oh my god, Eagan, I swear this semester has been an absolute nightmare at work and I am in desperate need of some down time and relaxation. Please, please, please tell me we can have some time together watching movies and eating ice cream like we used to?” She stops abruptly when she catches sight of me standing awkwardly behind Eagan. “Umm, E, want to introduce us?” she asks, gesturing towards me.
Eagan rubs the back of his neck. “Sienna, this is Kairi. She’s a… friend?”
I let out a snort and when Sienna asks, “was there a question mark at the end of that statement, Eagan?” I can’t help but giggle.
“Don’t mind him, we haven’t quite defined what we are yet. It’s a strange situation we have found ourselves in.” Eagan sucks in a breath and I continue, “I had to leave my town suddenly. I was… unsafe. I wasn’t able to bring anything with me and was struggling to find somewhere safe to stay. Eagan found me after a run in with a drunk asshole and kindly offered me his spare room. We’ve only just started to get to know each other.” The story worked on Kelsey in the boutique so I thought this would be a safe explanation to use again. Just enough truth to be believable. Eagan meets my eyes over Sienna’s shoulder and mouths a “thank you,” his eyes shining with stark relief. Did he expect me to just blurt out that I’m a siren-turned-human? I’m not stupid.
Sienna pauses briefly and gives me a slightly suspicious look. I hold my breath until she shrugs in acquiescence and laughs. “Hmm I feel like you’re leaving something out of the story but trust my brother to take you in. He’s always trying to help others. You wouldn’t know it because he’s always brooding and is super anti-social, but he cares a lot about people.”
I can see what she’s saying, yes, he puts on the grumpy guy act and plays it well, but I’ve seen parts of the kindness Sienna mentions. Obviously taking me in and offering me help despite our history was the biggest act of kindness. But it’s also in the smaller things, like him watching Love Island with me every day this week and the way the kitchen is always stocked with crunchy apples and chocolate bars because he’s learned those are my favorite. He doesn’t have to do these things, but he does because I think, beyond his fear, he might actually care.
Eagan just huffs at Sienna’s compliment and rolls his eyes, but he can’t hide the love he has for his little sister and the joy he feels at having her home. She softens his whole demeanor. Looking at them both, you wouldn’t guess the two are siblings. While Eagan is dark haired and pale skinned, Sienna sports a golden tan and pin-straight long blond hair. The one feature they seem to share though, is their eyes. When Sienna looks over I see sapphire eyes, so like Eagan’s staring back at me. She’s surprisingly tall, quite a bit taller than me and only a little shorter than Eagan. Must be those legs of hers, they seem to go on for days and I can’t help but feel a little jealous when I compare them to my own short ones. The two of them together are stunning and I can already tell that Sienna has a beautiful personality to match, just by the way they interact with each other.
“To answer your question before, Enna, absolutely we can have a movie and ice cream night. Be warned though, you might find it hard to get Kairi to turn off Love Island . She’s formed a bit of an obsession with it since she’s been here.”
“Like you don’t know everything that is going on in the current season we are watching,” I scoff, and Sienna looks between us both with a wide smile on her face.
“Oh, I think you and I are going to get along splendidly if this is the way you handle my brother,” she laughs, and my body warms at the feeling of ease and comfort I feel around these two humans.
“Enna, as Kairi said, she wasn’t able to bring much with her to Witches Cove. Would you mind taking her shopping while you’re here?”
“Absolutely! That sounds like so much fun. Tomorrow okay?”
I trip over my words a little with eagerness at her suggestion. “Yep, er…um… yes please. That would be so great,” I swear my smile could not get any bigger today. Sienna nods and just like that I have plans tomorrow with someone who, dare I say, might come to be a friend.