18. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Violet
“ I still can’t believe you almost killed Elim,” I grumbled while working.
“You were bleeding and unconscious. I couldn’t hear your heartbeat over how fast mine was beating when I saw you lying on the ground. I thought you were dead, Violet. Elim was hovering over your body. My first thought was that he was going to hurt you further, and I lost it.” Chris explained, sighing when he was done.
My anger melted as I put myself in his shoes. I pushed away from the computer and tried getting up, but he was next to me in a second.
“What are you doing? You’re not supposed to put weight on that foot.”
“I wanted to practice my kissing trigger.” I batted my lashes innocently up at him.
Chris shook his head, his frown turning into a smile before he sank down to a squat next to me.
“If you want a kiss, all you have to do is say so. I will always oblige,” he said before pushing forward and pressing his lips to mine. I let my eyes flutter close to enjoy the kiss, but just like yesterday, he pulled back too soon. I pouted, making Chris chuckle. “What’s wrong, my little warrior?”
“Again,” I demanded.
“As you wish,” he answered, his eyes darkening as he leaned forward to kiss me again.
I held onto his shirt this time, making sure he gave me a proper kiss, making him brace himself on the armrests of the chair. His tongue ran along the seam of my lips, asking permission. When I gave it, opening my mouth to his, he gave a little growl, one arm snaked around my waist while the other went under my legs and I was lifted up as if I weighed nothing. I wrapped my arms around his neck, scared of falling, but as always, Chris had me. I was safe in his arms. He sat on the chair, placing me on his lap without breaking the kiss. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer.
Throughout the last year, I worried I would never be able to be intimate with a person. I could barely stand it when someone touched me or hugged me. It took considerable effort to not flinch when people approached.
I thought kissing and intimate touches would break me, but every touch Chris gave me was gentle, tender. It helped me focus on him and the now. Even as the kiss progressed and he became a little more demanding, his touch firmer, all it did was stoke the fire inside me that I thought would never light.
I was finally the one to end the kiss when I needed to breathe, and he rested his forehead on mine as we caught our breath.
“Was that better?” he asked, brushing his lips against mine in an almost there kiss.
“Much. Good practice.” I grinned, making him laugh. “I like you laughing,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
“I like you,” he answered, still smiling. We stayed like that for a little while before Chris sighed, gave me another kiss and set me back down on my chair so I could work.
After work, he carried me up the stairs. We passed by Martha, who looked at Chris’ back as we went by with a shake of her head. It confused me, but I figured she was outraged about what happened to my leg, so I didn’t say anything about it. Chris set me down in my room, then he walked back down to grab our dinner.
We were watching a movie after dinner when he asked, “What time did you want to work in the morning? I can set an alarm.”
“Same time as usual?”
“You want to go to work at six in the morning?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, yeah. Otherwise, what are we going to do after training?”
“You can’t train with your broken leg,” he reminded me, confused.
“No, but I can watch you and Elim train.”
“Bu—”
“You promised him a sparring match. So, you can apologize, and then have a friendly match to clear the air.”
Chris’ lips went into a thin line.
“So, you’re going to wake up at four-thirty in the morning just to see me fight a vampire?”
“I want to see my man in action,” I answered.
The words transformed his face, erasing the grumpiness with happiness, but then he shook his head.
“And if your man loses?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Then, I guess I get a new man,” I teased, but immediately regretted my words when his smile slipped off and he looked away. How could I be such an idiot after everything he’d been through?
“Hey, come here.” I tugged on his arm when he made to get off the bed. He allowed me to pull him back down, and I crawled over to him. “I was teasing. I don’t care about the fight. I just want you. I wanted to see it because I thought I’d get to watch you fighting without a shirt.”
Chris huffed out a half laugh before he buried his face in my neck. I combed my hands through his long hair, and then slowly, we sank into the bed and fell asleep.
“Wake up, Little Warrior. It’s time to go beat up a vampire.”
“Only after you apologize,” I grumbled, only to gasp when he began to tickle me awake with a low growl. “Stop! Mercy! Mercy!” I laughed.
Chris let go and he was looking down at me with a smile on his face.
“I like you like this. Laughing and happy,” he said, bending down and kissing me.
“Ditto,” I answered.
“Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl going to the bathroom?” Chris asked me and I giggled.
“Why?”
“Because the P is silent,” he chuckled, making me laugh.
“You, sir, are a dork,” I informed him.
“You like it.”
“I do,” I answered.
He stood and helped me into the bathroom before going into his room. I showered as best as I could without getting the cast wet. As I was struggling out of the shower, Nenetl started stretching in the back of my head.
Welcome back, I told her.
You broke a lot of bones going down the stairs. What did I miss? she asked.
Well. I have a cast on a broken ankle. No rush. Heal it slowly, so you don’t tire out so much. Ada pushed us. Cade took her to Crescent Moon where Mom and Dad were wanting words, before the council came to try her for attempted murder.
You mean try whatever is left of her, Nenetl chuckled.
Pretty much. Oh, and I took your advice. I made the first move—sort of—and now we’re dating Chris. Can it be called dating when we don’t go anywhere? The last question was more of a musing to myself than anything.
Way to bury the lead there, human, Nenetl sneezed, her tail wagging happily.
Chris came back into the room when I was ready to go. He went to pick me up, but I grabbed his face first.
“Nenetl is awake,” I told him.
His eyes lit up, and I let Nenetl come forward so she could give him a short kiss. Nenetl receded, happy to have her moment and to see the smile appear on Chris’ face.
“I think she approves,” I told him.
I texted Elim to meet us in the training grounds for the sparring and Chris carried me down to the ground floor. There, I made him put me down so I could use the crutches. Elim met us halfway down the path to the training grounds as we made slow progress thanks to me.
“Evening,”
“Hi, Elim! How are you?”
“Relieved to see you better. Do you need help getting to the gym? I could carry you.”
“No. Chris tried that already. I need to walk a little.”
I looked over at Chris, who was frowning hard, so I motioned for him to get on with it. Chris cleared his throat, his hand going to his neck.
“About the other night. I’m sorry I hurt you. I—”
“No need. I would’ve done the same. Your job is to protect her and no one can fault you for it.” Elim dismissed it.
“Thanks,” Chris replied, looking relieved that the whole thing didn’t drag on.
We arrived at the training grounds, and I was already tired. I made it to the seats around the sparring arena and breathed a sigh of relief. Chris eyed me, his face clearly letting me know he wished I’d just let him carry me. Before he could say anything, however, the same women who kept asking him for help over the last week walked in.
Do they look out the window until they see him leaving the pack house? Nenetl growled.
I wouldn’t be surprised if that was exactly what they were doing.
Chris looked annoyed when he saw them approaching and looked down at me. “I’ll be right back.”
I tried desperately not to pout and nodded. Elim sat down next to me as I followed Chris with my eyes.
“So...” Elim started. “If I were to ask you on a date, today?”
I looked at him, then at Chris talking to the other women. Whatever Elim saw on my face when one of the women tried putting her hand on Chris’ arm made him let out a tiny laugh.
“I thought so,” he chuckled.
I turned to look at him to see a sort of resignation smile on his face.
“I’m sorry. It’s j—”
“You don’t have to explain, Violet. I understand I got to the picture a little late. After the way he reacted when he saw you hurt, I knew.”
“Friends?” I asked. I genuinely liked Elim, but not that way.
“You got it. I’ll be at Guardian Moon after this, so I hope we can be friends when I get there, too.”
“Guaranteed.”
Chris finally walked away from all the women, two of whom were pouting and giving me the stink eye. The others didn’t seem as crushed.
“Do you want to warm up first or go straight to sparring?” Chris directed his question to Elim.
“I’ve been running after a damn rabid, demon dog for almost three hours. I’m warmed up but I can wait for you.”
“I’m good,” Chris said, removing his shirt.
I didn’t even notice when Elim did the same, I was too busy ogling the tanned muscles flexing as Chris tied his hair out of his face. I blushed when he caught me ogling and winked. The man was six feet of hard muscle, and I found the palms of my hands itching to touch.
“Rules?” Chris asked Elim.
“No rules. Just don’t aim to maim or kill?”
“Done.”
Chris and Elim shook hands before they each took a side of the arena. The sparring ring wasn’t all that big. Maybe twice the size of a regular boxing ring. The ground had a few layers of sand to make the falls hurt less, and it was surrounded by a small fence that came up to about three feet.
I was by no means an expert on fighting. I never cared for it. But I was fascinated by the way Chris and Elim were moving. Elim was all speed. He was trying to tire out Chris by hitting him in the same spots over and over, trying to avoid getting hit. Chris was... efficient. I didn’t know how else to describe it. He wasn’t wasting energy trying to fight speed with speed. He watched and only swung when Elim approached. He was patient like he was with everything else in his life. Like he was with me. Elim looked weak, but I had no doubt the punches and kicks hurt whenever they connected.
‘Don’t look so worried, Violet. I haven’t started yet.’ Chris’ teasing tone made me smile.
‘He keeps hitting your right leg. It’s looking red already. If we both end up with a broken leg, who’s going to carry both of us up the stairs?’
Chris let out a sudden burst of laughter. The distraction gave Elim the opening to get a good punch in his side, making Chris huff and drop to one knee, but was able to dodge the follow-up kick.
‘Focus!’ I hissed and cut off the mind-link.
Chris sent a sheepish look my way and finally concentrated on the fight.
Once Chris finally started fighting, I felt he started to enjoy himself. He and Elim exchanged punch for punch. There was blood flying, but as much as I wanted to cringe, I could see how much they were both enjoying the fight and being a vampire and werewolf meant most of their injuries were likely healed before the blood even hit the ground. Neither one looked frustrated or angry. After about an hour, Chris managed to catch a kick and threatened to break the leg at the kneecap until Elim surrendered. They clapped each other on the back when they were done and walked over to me. Both were sweaty and bloody, but smiling.
“You guys look like it’s Christmas morning,” I mentioned.
“It was a good fight,” Chris answered.
“I could barely keep up, to be honest,” Elim chuckled, grabbing his shirt and trying to clean the blood off him.
“I didn’t notice. You’re really good. You’ll only get better with Beta Kassie teaching you.”
“That’s the hope.”
“Anytime you want to spar again, let me know.”
“I’ll take you up on it. Especially while Violet can’t train. I’m going back to work. Thanks again for the fight, Chris.”
“You, too.”
Elim walked out and I stood when Chris passed me my crutches.
“Admit it. That was more fun than you thought it would be.”
“I admit nothing,” Chris chuckled.
We were walking back when one of the crutches slipped on a dewy patch of grass. Chris picked me up without warning and I squealed, dropping them.
“You’re all sweaty and gross!” I complained, taking the crutches when Chris bent and picked them up with me in his arms.
“Sounds like you’ll just have to join me in the shower,” Chris whispered in my ear, making me blush.
I clenched my thighs together a little too late, making Chris stop and take a deep breath. He kissed me, groaning, before he huffed and started walking again.
“You’re not making this easy for me, Violet. I’m trying to take things slow, and you’re making it very hard.”
“First, that’s what he said. Second, you’re the one who said it! I can’t help it after watching you fight for an hour straight without a shirt, and your body is glistening with sweat.”
“Glistening, you say?” Chris grinned down at me.
“Glistening.” I reiterated.
Chris shook his head and we went up to my room.
“I have to shower,” he said sitting me down on the bed, giving me a kiss, and passing my tablet over so I could entertain myself while he got ready. By the time he was back, I’d sketched out a rough image of the fight.
“What are you up to?” he asked.
“Sketching.”
“Can I see?”
“Nope. It’s not done,” I answered, closing my tablet and putting it back on the nightstand.
“Ready to go?”
“Yep.”
As we were nearing the bottom of the stairs, we watched Elim being brought in on the back of a brown wolf. His skin was red, blistering in some places. He’d stayed too long outside and the sun was already out.
Chris set me down on the stairs and went over to help Elim off the wolf. The wolf shifted to an older gentleman and, as he dressed, he explained what happened.
“I’ve got him, Eric,” Chris told him.
The older gentleman nodded and left. Chris looked over at me and then at the stairs, seeing the issue right away.
“Go and put him in his room. He’s getting worse. There are too many windows down here,” I told him.
I might freak out a little if people came by, but Elim wasn’t looking very good. Chris nodded and helped Elim up the stairs, getting worried halfway up and carrying Elim the rest of the way.
Chris ran back down to grab me, and deposited me on the chair next to Elim’s bed. I had Chris grab a few facecloths and a bowl of water, despite Elim telling us he was fine, but I was worried.
After a little while, Elim’s skin was looking better, and I wasn’t sure if he was blushing or still dealing with the sunburn.
‘He said he’s fine, Violet. Maybe we should leave him alone so he can get some rest.’
“Can I get you anything? Cold wrap or your tumbler so you can drink?”
“Hey, guys. You doing alright, Elim?” Bells poked her head inside.
“Yes, Luna. I’m quite alright. Thank you.”
Now I was sure he was blushing because his shade of red got a little deeper.
“Alright. Vi, you coming for breakfast?”
“I’ll catch something later,” I told her.
“Alrighty.”
‘Violet, you’re embarrassing the poor guy.’
I sighed, knowing Chris was right, but I was a worrier by nature.
“Don’t stay out in the sun again. I don’t need a heart attack,” I chastised, trying to stand.
Chris was instantly at my side with the crutches in hand.
“You got it,” Elim said sheepishly.
We went back down to the office, and I could tell something had Chris in a grumpy mood. He was back to doing crossword puzzles and grunting whenever I asked questions. Finally, while we were eating lunch, I asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
“Chris, you’re being grumpy.”
“I am not.”
“Okay,” I let it go and continued to eat my chicken and baked potato.
“You really like him,” Chris mumbled a few minutes later.
“Who?”
“Elim,” Chris said, unable to look at me.
“He’s our friend.”
“It feels like more.”
“It isn’t. Chris, Elim knows about us already.”
That got his attention and brought him to finally meet my eyes.
“You told him?”
“Of course I did. Why wouldn’t I?” I asked, pulling out my phone and texting Bells to come see me.
“I—”
“Chris, I’m not interested in Elim that way. I told you. I just want you.”
“I thought—”
“In fact. Wait a second.”
“What am I—”
A knock interrupted his words and he stood and answered the door. Bells walked inside, a confused look on both of their faces.
“What’s up?”
“Bells, Chris and I are dating.”
“Oh! Yay! Okay! That’s great!” Bells looked happy, while Chris’ jaw was on the floor. “Congrats, big guy!”
“Umm...” Chris was speechless, blushing and unsure of what was happening.
Bells turned back to me.
“Was that all?”
“Yep. Just wanted you to hear it from me.”
“Does Elim know?” Bells asked.
“Yep.”
“Alrighty, then. Girls’ night tonight?”
“You bet.”
Bells patted the still-stupefied Chris’ on the shoulder and left, closing the door behind her.
“I—You—We—Alpha Cory’s going to kill me,” he groaned, locking the door, and slumping down on his chair by the door.
“He’s not going to kill you. At most, he’ll call you with his big brother speech,” I assured him. “Dad, on the other hand...” I trailed off, unable to resist teasing him.
Chris paled at the thought and I couldn’t help giggling.
"You’re not being very nice,” Chris said, crossing his arms.
“That’s what you get for doubting me.” I stuck my tongue out and continued to eat my food.
He came and sat down on the chair by his food, thought better of it, and walked over to my side of the desk. He pushed my chair back until it hit the wall and bent down, kissing me senseless, his arms braced on the armrests, not touching me, but making me feel the heat of his body as he leaned into the kiss.
“If I survive your family, I’ll do my best not to,” he said huskily when he pulled back.
It took me a moment for my brain cells to settle back into functioning order before I understood what he was referring to. By that time, Chris was sitting back down in his seat and eating his lunch, a smug smile on his face as he took in my dazed look.