21. Caleb
21
CALEB
C aleb watched as Fiona moved around his kitchen later that night. She hummed to herself while chopping vegetables with concerning speed. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, with loose strands framing her face in the warm kitchen light. The sight of her so at home in his space did things to him he wasn't ready to fully accept yet.
"You know, there are safer ways to cut carrots," he said, leaning against the counter. "Ways that involve keeping all your fingers."
"Please. I know what I'm doing." She waved the knife in his direction. "Unlike some people who burn water."
"That was one time, a long time ago." He moved behind her, reaching around to adjust her grip on the knife. "And I'll have you know I make an excellent grilled cheese."
Her breath caught as his chest pressed against her back. "Truly a culinary master."
"Mock all you want, but it's saved me from starvation many times." He inhaled deeply, catching the scent of her shampoo mixed with the spices she'd added to their attempt at chicken stir fry.
"Speaking of starvation..." Fiona turned in his arms, nose wrinkling. "Is something burning?"
"Shit." Caleb spun toward the stove where their chicken was definitely past the point of edible. Smoke curled up from the blackened mess. "I got distracted."
"By what?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"I think you know damn well by what." He dumped the ruined pan in the sink. Water hissed against the hot metal.
"Me? I'm just trying to make dinner." She pushed herself up gently and sat on the counter, swinging her legs nervously. The movement drew his eyes to her bare calves below her shorts.
"You're trying to drive me crazy is what you're doing." He stepped closer to her, his hand grabbing the counter, gently brushing against her thigh in the process. "And it's working."
"Good." She chuckled, placing her hand over his. "Now, about dinner..."
"I know a great pizza place that delivers."
"Perfect. Because I'm starving, and we're pretty terrible cooks."
Caleb laughed, pulling out his phone to order their dinner while Fiona continued to hold his hand, making it very difficult to focus on the simple task of choosing toppings.
Caleb watched Fiona fold her pizza slice in half, a habit that both fascinated and horrified him. She caught his stare and grinned, sauce dotting the corner of her mouth.
"What? This is the proper way to eat pizza."
"You're desecrating perfectly good food." He took another bite of his own properly flat slice. "And getting sauce everywhere."
"Am I?" She dabbed at her face with a napkin, missing the spot entirely.
"Here." Caleb reached over and wiped the sauce away with his thumb. His hand lingered on her cheek longer than necessary, her skin warm beneath his touch. The way her pulse quickened sent his wolf into a pleased rumble.
"Thanks." Her voice came out breathier than usual. "Though I think you just wanted an excuse to touch me."
"I don't need an excuse." The words slipped out before he could stop them.
"No?" She shifted closer on the couch, their knees brushing. "Then what's stopping you?"
The pizza box between them suddenly felt like an insurmountable barrier. Caleb moved it to the coffee table, his movements deliberately slow as he gathered his thoughts. Tomorrow he'd have to face Victor, possibly fight to the death, and here he was getting distracted by the way Fiona's eyes darkened when she looked at him.
"Maybe I'm trying to be a gentleman."
She snorted. "Since when?"
"I can be gentlemanly." He grabbed another slice, purposefully taking an enormous bite.
"Says the man who just inhaled half a pizza like a starving wolf." She poked his ribs. "Which, technically..."
"Careful." He caught her hand before she could poke him again. "I bite."
"Promise?"
The teasing glint in her eyes made his breath catch. She twisted her wrist in his grip until their fingers intertwined.
"You're playing with fire," he warned, though there was no heat in his words.
"Good thing I'm a fire witch." She squeezed his hand. "Now finish your pizza before it gets cold."
Caleb gathered the paper plates and empty pizza box, his wolf senses picking up the slight tremor in Fiona's hands as she wiped down the counter. The kitchen felt smaller somehow, charged with unspoken tension that had nothing to do with their earlier flirting.
"So," Fiona said, focusing intently on a non-existent spot on the granite. "These challenges. Are they always..."
"To the death?" He tossed the box in the recycling. "Not technically."
"What does that mean?" She turned to face him, the dish towel twisted between her fingers.
"It means the challenge ends when one alpha submits or..." He let the sentence hang, not wanting to finish it.
"Or dies." Her voice cracked on the last word. "Couldn't you make an exception? Find another way?"
The fear in her eyes hit him like a physical blow. His wolf whined, wanting to comfort her.
"Victor won't stop until one of us is dead." He stepped closer, drawn to her despite knowing he should keep his distance. Getting attached right before a potentially fatal fight wasn't the smartest move. "He's made that pretty clear."
"There's got to be another way." She pressed her palm against his chest, right over his heart. "You're too stubborn to die."
The simple touch sent warmth spreading through his body. His wolf preened at her concern, even as the alpha in him worried about how this attachment might affect tomorrow's fight. One moment of distraction could be fatal.
"I am pretty stubborn." He covered her hand with his own. "It's one of my better qualities."
"Along with your cooking skills?" A weak smile played at her lips.
"Hey, I ordered that pizza like a champ." He tried to keep his tone light, but the way she was looking at him made it difficult to focus on anything but how perfectly her hand fit in his.
"Caleb…" Her fingers curled into his shirt.
The raw emotion in her voice scared him more than any challenge. Because if she cared this much about him, he knew he cared just as deeply for her. And that kind of distraction might just get him killed.
Caleb watched the emotions play across Fiona's face - worry, frustration, and something deeper that made his chest ache. Her fingers were still tangled in his shirt, and his wolf wanted nothing more than to pull her closer, to promise her everything would be fine. But he couldn't lie to her.
"You're really going to do this, aren't you?" She didn't phrase it as a question. "Damn stubborn wolf."
He touched the fading bruise on her cheek. "I have to protect them, Fiona. All of them."
"I know." She leaned into his touch and looked up at him.
"Promise me something?" Her green eyes locked with his, and suddenly breathing became difficult. "Promise you won't lose."
"Fiona..."
"No, I mean it. You're not allowed to die." She poked him in the chest, in a feigned attempt to lighten the mood.
Caleb's wolf preened at her fierce protectiveness, even as his heart squeezed painfully.
"Promise me." Her voice wavered slightly, her eyes filled with unshed tears.
"I promise to do my best not to die." He pressed his forehead against hers. "Though I should warn you, my best usually involves a lot of growling and showing off."
"Good thing I find that oddly charming." She wrapped her arms around his waist.
He breathed in her scent - cinnamon and woodsmoke and something uniquely Fiona.
Caleb's heart thundered in his chest as he gazed down at Fiona. Her green eyes sparkled with unshed tears, and something else - something that made his wolf howl with joy. Without thinking, he cupped her face in his hands, his thumb brushing away a stray tear.
"Fiona," he whispered, his voice rough with emotion.
She tilted her face up to his, and the last thread of his control snapped. He lowered his head, pressing his lips to hers in a kiss that started gentle but quickly blazed into something more. Her lips were soft and warm against his. His wolf practically purred as she melted against him, her fingers sliding into his hair.
The kiss felt like coming home and stepping off a cliff all at once. Like finding something he hadn't known he was missing. Her magic sparked between them, little flames of heat that danced across his skin without burning. His wolf reveled in it, in her, in the way she fit perfectly against him.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, Fiona's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright.
"I've wanted to do that for weeks," she admitted, a small smile playing on her lips.
His hands settled on her waist. "I wanted to do that since you walked into my community center and started bossing everyone around."
"I did not boss-" She started to protest, but he cut her off with another kiss.
This one was different - desperate and fierce, like he was trying to pour everything he couldn't say into it. Her response was just as passionate, her fingers tightening in his hair as she pressed closer. His wolf growled in satisfaction as she made a small sound in the back of her throat.
"You absolutely did boss everyone around," he murmured against her lips. "It was incredibly hot."
She laughed, the sound warming him from the inside out. "If I'd known that was all it took to impress you, I would have been even more demanding."
"Please don't. My wolf's ego can only take so much."
She pulled back just enough to look at him, her expression softening. "Your wolf seems to be doing just fine right now."
"Yeah?" He pressed his forehead to hers. "What gave it away?"
"The fact that you're practically purring now."
"Wolves don't purr," he protested, even as his wolf continued to do exactly that.