So, I've been having this idea for a while now... about Caine Wise and an OC ... getting personal with time... you know me! I just couldn't resist the temptation of the big bad wolf and the little red ridinghood (you'll see what I mean when you read Amber's description)
Anyway, there's nothing much to say - I own nothing but my OC, this story is rated M for a reason, and I hope you'll scribble down a review for my poor little soul to find joy in. Enjoy! ~
~ Nikkitosa
The sky's welkin is a starless void, deprived of any colour. Sniffing the air for any signs of approaching living forms, I look around. True to my presumption, the area is deserted just like the rest of this godforsaken planet. It's been over a week since I was dropped here to check for any survivals after a seemingly strange annihilation took place a month ago. Up until now the only things I've found have been dust and a variety of different rocks. And not even one living soul. Both the flora and fauna have been diminished by someone or something; and the more time I spend shunting around this huge pile of rocks, the more I'm inclined to believe the Abrasax family have something to do with this desolation. The intercom in my ear brings me out of my trance, Captain Diomika's voice startling me.
"Amber? Do you hear me?" the Captain of the Aegis's ship sounds rather worried, making me frown.
"Loud and clear, Cap'." I touch the little chip, activating the speaker.
There's a brief silence before a low cracking sound comes from her end, making me jump and plug the device out of my ear as pain shoots in waves straight through my brain. The cracking noise soon disappears and I return the recipient in its place.
"Cap'? You there?"
"Copy. " the sternness and edginess in her voice peaks my interest and various scenarios start spinning through my head at what may be wrong.
'I have at least a week more to stay here and scout.' I tot mentally.
"Is everything alright Cap'?" I ask before continuing my slow trek around the crumbled buildings, looking around for anything that moves.
"Not quite." the evasive reply makes me raise an eyebrow, forgetting that she cannot see me.
"Elaborate." I urge and jump on top of a huge fragment of a thorn out wall.
From this higher point I scan the terrain, my special goggles coming quite in handy with their motion detector, thermal detector and other fancy things.
"We have a… problem, that needs your immediate notice." by the reluctant note in her otherwise irritated voice I can already pin-point what's to come.
"Mhm."
"Your linguistic skills are needed, Mrs Nightingale." the change of tone almost makes me huff, yet I contain myself, knowing that despite her loyal nature, Captain Diomika is rather short-tempered woman, who won't have someone toss her around or waste her time. 'Which means this is serious. ' my conclusion is confirmed by the pained sigh that echoes through the intercom in my ear.
"Care to share something worth brainstorming while I look around?"
The reply is immediate, making me smirk.
"You are getting your ass back here, Amber, this second. The ship is already in AG-125's atmosphere."
"Well, then we'll see each other in a jiff." I say and continue my slow jog forward.
A low cracking sound is the only sign I get that the Capitan is no longer around. Locking into place the bag on my back, after a final look around, I run forward, jumping over different obstacles – from small rocks to huge debris.
After finding a clearing good enough for the ship's system to be able to pull me up, I check the perimeter once again, yet to no vain. After my week's long journey, there's still nothing remotely alive left on AG-125; not even corpses, which only confirms my suspicion that someone, if not all three of the Abrasax family have something to do with it. After spending many years in not only studying and analysing destroyed planets but also trekking through those that were still accessible, I have seen my fair share of annihilation a natural disaster can cause. So here I know one thing for sure - a whole planet cannot possibly get depopulated in less than 24 hours naturally. Gritting my teeth, I can't help but feel spite and fury forming in the pits of my stomach. A ray of blue light suddenly splits through the never ending twilight, bathing me in its light.
"Ready to pick you up, Amber?" the Cap's voice once again echoes in my ear and I reach up, gently tapping on the device.
"Yup. Get me out." with that I start ascending, the blue light literally pulling me up towards the ship.
The higher I rise in the air, the more I get to see from the planet; the sight is horrifying – it's like the surface had been bombarded, yet without the leftover radiation. 'Such destruction… it's a nicely calculated chaos.' I gravely think before the scenery disappears.
I'm met by the medic team that scans me for any leftover radiation, parasites or fumes that got soaked into my skin or hair. The whole process is rather boring, yet I don't mind, as I get to shower before checking in in front of the Cap. After lots of scrubbing, shampooing and some other procedures I finally exit the bathroom, covered in a fluffy towel. I quickly change into a pair of pants, a tank top in a nice olive colour that nicely matches my deep red hair. After putting on my boots and fastening the holster with my gun and a few throwing knives, a dagger and a small stack of needle-like blades, I run my hands through the now slightly damp locks, untangling them before finally braiding my hair into a nice Fish tail. Throwing a sideway glance at the small mirror on the wall I stare at my reflexion; as usual my hair is pulled away from my face, with only a few rebellious strands framing it; since I have a fair complexion, my full red lips stand out nicely, alongside my violet eyes, lined by thick black eyelashes. There are no freckles sprinkled around my cheeks or nose area, and apart from a small scar on my jaw I got as a child, my face is spotless, having that natural radiant glow. Smiling at my reflexion, a set of pearly white teeth appears, showing off my slightly extended canines, the only distinguishable mark I have of my otherness.
On the go I throw on my jacket, and rush down the long corridors, glancing at my wrist watch only once, just to make sure I won't be too late. Thankfully, only an hour has passed since I got here, so Diomika will probably be merciful.
"Hey! Ambs!" a male voice calls from behind me, making me slow down my fast pace and look over my shoulder.
One of the crew members, Salik, beams at me, making me chuckle. Since the moment I set foot on the ship, he has had a crush on me that's rather obvious for everyone. I tried in a nice way to tell him I don't harbour those same attractions towards him, yet he still tries to win my attention.
"How's the mission?" he shouts after me, as I keep on walking, this time backwards, so that I don't let him speak to my back, yet keep on moving towards the Control Room.
"The same." is the common reply before I nod, turn swiftly around and run ahead, already feeling the Diomika's rage oozing from the room a few feet away.
The double doors open with a low whooshing sound and let me enter, only to wish to turn back around and unthread soundlessly before someone even notices me. The coffee-skinned woman looks pretty pissed from this angle, so I feel rather reluctant to go any closer.
"Finally!" Diomika's exclamation makes me jump, before breathing a sigh of defeat and going to stand next to her.
On my way there I don't fail to spot the two new faces close by; in the back of my mind I note that they seem rather familiar. Wracking my brain for even the slightest hint where I may have seen them, I skip to notice the older woman's intense stare. Thankfully I sense it, so snapping myself out of the trance, I look up at her, halfway expecting something to blow up as a background.
"Took you long enough." there's a slight hint of discontent in her otherwise nonchalant voice as she crosses her hands over her chest for a second before releasing them.
My keen eyes notice the nervous gesture and without any further ado I go straight to the topic.
"Are these men the reason you retrieved me in the middle of a mission?"
The barely noticeable twitch of her right eyebrow is the only indication I get that I have hit the right button.
"Scouting deserted planets can hardly be called a mission." a rather gruff voice sounds from behind; a low whisper intended for his companion's ears, yet successfully reaching mine as well.
"They were not deserted. They were annihilated." I look over my shoulder at the two men.
The one that spoke is visibly older than the other. His hair is grizzled and he looks rather unwelcoming towards everyone. Upon hearing my voice his eyes turn my way, their colour changing for a split second before they return to their dark brown hue. Frowning slightly I narrow my eyes his way before once again turning my back, this time addressing the Cap.
"So?" urging her like this may backfire at me any moment, yet after the long and exhausting journey in a rather unwelcoming planet, I feel low on energy and patience.
Diomika sighs and nods before stepping to the side and allowing me to look at what has been laying on a platform behind her. The small book, covered in skin and looking rather old and decomposing, stands out like a sore thumb next to all the high-tech equipment in the Control room with its antiquity and primitiveness. It's no wonder that it immediately peaks my interest. Without even sparing a glance for permission, I grab the book gently and open it.
"Hey! Easy with that!" the same voice shouts, yet I ignore it.
Shutting off the world around me, I carefully run my fingers over the hard cover of the book; true to my first guess, it's skin, possibly goat's, which means this little thing comes from a time long before I was born. Opening it on the first page I'm met with a rather odd order of words. For a few seconds I just stare at them dumbfounded, not understanding why they seem so damn familiar, yet at the same time unreadable. As my fingers trace the squiggles, I rummage through my mind for any literacy that has anything similar to these signs. A second later I already know what I'm looking at. Yet, just to be sure, I look at the next page. The words there seem to be written in a hazardous way, making it impossible to read them. With a low hum I close the book, put it gently back from where I took it, all the meanwhile trying not to destroy it in any way. Only after the precious object is safely floating in the small gravity-cube thing I turn around.
"Someone care to explain?" I cross my hands over my chest and narrow my eyes at the small group.
Diomika is the first to speak.
"We need you to translate the book." the simplicity in her answer only makes me get angrier and narrow my eyes until they turn into small slits.
"Let's try this once again, shall we?" I grit and look at the two men standing next to her, "Explain."
"We just need you to translate the book, that's that. No need to know more." the older one states, his tone unwavering.
"Hm. Well then, I'm sure you can find your way to the Translation Bureau."
"Amber!" Diomika snaps, making me growl lowly.
"It hurts my intelligent to lie in my face so flatly, Cap. If you three won't tell me exactly what's up, then, by all means, translate the book yourselves!" I hiss, making the air around me tremble.
"Kiddo, -"
"Unless you want to lose a limb, I suggest you don't finish that sentence." my voice is low and threating and I glare at the male.
His eyes once again flash in that yellowish hue. Not only that but I hear a low animalist growls vibrating in the air around the other man. For a first time I let my eyes travel his features up and down. He's younger than his friend, yet has that dangerous aura around him. My calculating gaze skips past his towering frame, noting all the muscles and weapons, before reaching his face. And, dear heavens, that's a face I'd never forget. The eyes are a striking blue shade that nicely matches up with his blonde hair and goatee. Yet the most distinctive feature he possesses is the set of pointy ears. My eyes widen slightly upon realising who he is.
"Well, how awfully unfortunate for you two then." I suddenly speak up, my voice void of its previous edginess.
Both of them frown slightly, their bodies going tense, in anticipation for some kind of attack.
"I guess the rats in the Translation Bureau won't be exalted to see you two going there with that." nodding towards the book I smirk at them and shake my head.
"So you know?" it's Diomika that voices their common though.
"I hacked the militaries' devices once. Saw these two." nodding towards the men, I take a deep breath, memorising their scents.
The older one, Stinger if my mind serves me right, smells like honey and soil, both sweet and earthy. His friend though has a completely alternative smell – of something dangerous and deadly, he smells of musk and spice. Suddenly he does the same, obviously also memorising my scent. A small smile tugs at my lips when our eyes meet, but I soon cast it away and return my attention back to the Captain.
"There's only one way this will work out in our favour." talking in no one in particular I reach back and grab the book from its hanging cube, making all three of them tense. "You'll tell me how you came in possession of this and why, and in exchange I'll translate the whole thing for you."
"Fine." for a first time the other man, Caine Wise, speaks, his voice husky and deep at the same time.
Small shivers run down my back at the sheer sound, my memory immediately tucking away that sweet melody of low, feral sounds.
"If you insist." without another word Diomika leads us out of the Control room and into a more quiet one, where me can talk in peace.
"Those men, as you already know, are Stinger Apine and Caine Wise, ex-militaries." I nod, letting her continue. "And they stole that book you are holding."
"Figured as much." I mumble under my breath before nodding slightly once again.
"Let's cut this short – we need to know what's encrypted in there." interrupts Stinger, obviously feeling rather irritated that a young woman is their only option.
"Let's cut it even shorter – you want to use it against the Abrasax family." I throw back and watch for their reaction.
Both men stiffen before Caine smirks lightly at my reply. I notice how his feature softened in that brief second and can't help but wish that the small smile returns once again. Yet the stern and unreadable mask falls back in place seconds later.
"How…"
"Simple. I read the headline." I shrug and smile at their shocked expressions. "What?"
"You already deciphered it?" even Diomika looks baffled at my fast solving of the mystery.
"It's both simple and tricky." I admit and look at the small object in my hands, already feeling a certain energy coming out of it.
"As is everything concerning that family." mutters the dark-skinned woman, making me raise my gaze and look at her.
There's a badly hidden excitement now present in her body language, apart from a good amount of worry, which usually makes her a bad person to joke with.
"Ah, yes. Now, what exactly do you want from this little fella?" I brandish the book in front of them, looking out for any reaction that may divulge their motifs.
"Something useful." its Caine's straightforward answer that makes me puff and roll my eyes.
"This book can be really helpful or a piece of pointless trash, depending on what exactly you find useful." I reply and eye him challengingly.
He furrows his eyebrows, not liking my open approach and obvious lack of fear. Despite the fact that he's a hunter and both him and his friend are exiled, kicked out of the army, I know they're actually not the bad guys here. All my senses are telling me not to worry, yet be cautious as both of them can get aggressive if treated unfair.
"So, Mr Wise, what exactly do you deem useful?" I ask, my eyebrow slightly arched, our gazes unfaltering.
For a second he just stares at me, unblinkingly, before a smirk tugs at the corners of his lips, a small flame burning in his eyes.
"Anything you can translate will be helpful." interferes Diomika, eyeing me in a strange way.
I nod, my previous flirty aura forgotten, and look at the book in my hand.
"Fine. I'll need a few hours. When I'm ready I'll find you."
The men exchange a glance that doesn't stay unnoticed by me. As expected, they do not trust me enough to leave me alone with the book, which is actually understandable.
"Use the time I translate to rest. Whenever you feel the urge to check if I stole it – ask someone to show you the way to my study."
With a small nod and a last glance at Caine, I exit the room and head to my study with fast steps, excited to see what secrets this little treasure house holds.
A few hours later I find myself bend over a few books, rapidly turning the fragile pages and at the same time writing down what I have translated on a piece of paper. The mirror I use to read the words written in reverse is shaking lightly as my hand's fast movements make the whole desk vibrate. The fact that someone took the time to write the whole thing in reverse, using the method of reflexion, and in a dead language none the less, only irks me to believe that whatever is being hidden between these pages is of great importance.
Now, as I have a better part of its content translated, I know if it comes out that the book is on an Aegis ship, hidden after it was stolen from the Abrasax family's library, we'll find ourselves surrounded by hunters and killers faster than we can get our asses out of here.
A sudden knock on the doors snaps me out of my work and I stand up. After the long hours spent bend over the desk, now I feel rather stiff.
The door opens with a low hissing sound. Even before seeing who's waiting on the other side, I smell him. 'Caine Wise.' Smirking I move away, not really waiting for the door to fully open.
"Right on time." I tell.
A low whistling sound follows and I throw a glance over my shoulder, an eyebrow raised.
"This place is stacked with books. Are ya some kind of a book-rat?" Stinger teases, obviously in a better mood than a few hours ago.
"Did you think that one day I woke up knowing every language in the universe?" I throw over my shoulder while cleaning up my desk.
"Is there any technology here? Or you prefer working with pre-historic devices?" his amused voice makes me snort.
"Easy there, Mr Apine. I have no tolerance for those who do not respect my work." I walk to the other end of the room and put the stack of paper with the translation in a special device.
In a second all the pages are scanned, the decryption code entered and the system starts to automatically translate the whole book, using the reference I gave it. Soon the screen starts to flash and the translated pages of the book materialize. With a swift motion I outspread them so that it's easier to read.
As my eyes scan through the lines, a certain feeling of dread forms in the pits of my stomach as the information starts to process in my mind.
"This is a journal." I whisper and step back, my eyes wide.
"What?!"
"The Queen's journal. She… she wrote down everything." my voice goes thinner the more I read.
'Everything I have been trying to find is here. The strange disappearance and destructions, everything.'
"Impossible!" Stinger's voice brings me out of my thoughts.
"Those… " I quickly tap on the touchscreen and magnify a page, showing them the names written there. "I have heard of those."
"What so?" Stinger comes closer, eyeing the names.
"They have all been void of life in a single day, without any signs that there was ever something there. That's what I have been researching all this time. And it's all here."
I take a step to the side, turning on another screen, and pulling out all my notes and pictures. Then I grab the scanned page with the names and locations of planets and compare them.
"Completely identical." I whisper, as a horrifying though appears in my mind. "That's a hit list."
"You mean the harvest?" Stinger looks back at me, a worried expression on his face.
"No." I wobble slightly as my feet can no longer support my weight.
Thankfully two strong hands grab me and let me sit on a chair before I fall down on my ass. I nod at Caine and grab my head in my hands.
"Those planets were not harvested. They were simply deleted from the map of the Universe. Whole races…"
My sudden discomfort makes the space around me move and tremble, yielding and turning. An alarm goes off, bathing the room in red light.
I'm bend in half, my body fighting against its instinct to breathe; brain against mind, a pitiful denial of the truthfulness of the information I just read. 'It's impossible. Whole galaxies whipped away. Races annihilated. For what? Power? Immortality? They killed them all!'
"AMBER!" It's Diomika's voice that manages to break through my barriers. "Calm down! Girl, you're gonna crash the ship!"
In an eye blink the deadly energy that has been seeping from my body vanishes. The space that has started bending and moving around me returns to its normal shape and the flying object hit the ground with a low thud. For a second more I stay unmoving, fighting to catch my breath, before straightening my back and looking straight ahead.
"They did it, Diomika. The Abrasax family. It's their fault." I whisper as I grit my teeth.
"Either calm down, or I'll have to get you sedated, Amber! You almost crushed the room and us with it!" her voice is sharp and I look to the side.
True to the Cap's words the room looks like something tried to chew it – the ceiling bend under a strange angle, at the point of breaking. The walls are also squashed. Then my eyes stop on the trio. Diomika looks pissed and worried at the same time, which is understandable. Yet the men are a whole new story. Stringer seems torn between utter shock and uncharacteristic fear. And then there's Caine. He looks slightly shocked, with his eyebrow raise questioningly at me, and at the same time genuinely amused. And that's it. No fear, no dread, no hate resulting from the fact that I just bent the space around me and made the titanium walls dance like they were made of tin.
"I hope you plan to hit them hard." I speak, my voice slightly hoarse.
"Something like that." says Stinger as he stands up and dusts off his clothes.
Nodding I also stand up from my chair and close my eyes for a second. Suddenly a low creaking sound echoes in the silence of the room, as the walls return to their usual places. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, I reopen my eyes, determination flowing through my system like a drug.
"Then I'll gladly come along." looking at them, I wish I had a camera so to capture their priceless expressions of utter shock.
"No way." the fact that all three of them said it in unison makes me scoff and roll my eyes.
"There's no way I'm letting those twats live without me personally ruining their lives a little bit." I state and turn to my desk, quickly cleaning it of everything.
"Amber, please. You are not a field soldier!" Diomika tries, as usual, to reason with me by telling me what I'm not.
"She's not any kind of soldier!" adds Stinger. "No offence, kiddo. But that place ain't for everybody."
Pretending I didn't hear them, I finish cleaning my desk, with all the flying papers and pencils left in their rightful place. Finally ready, I face them and cross my hands over my chest. For a second or two I eye each and every one of them, curious and a little bit tempted to do what I want despite their plea.
"Was that it? Any more objections?"
Tilting my head slightly to the side, I smirk. Knowing how stubborn I tend to get, Diomika shakes her head in defeat, already knowing there's no way to reason with me once I get my mind wrapped around it.
"One way or another I'm tagging along, as much as it pains you that you'll have a woman by your side."
"You might get killed!" it's Diomika's last resource to throw in my way death, but I'm no longer the little girl that cowered away in a corner.
"True. But first I'll squash their little perfect world." the determination in my voice seems to be the thing that makes them finally agree to let me go.
After some more talking, in which my name is spelled more times that I'd like to count, Diomika finally goes to set a new course and leaves me with the two ex-militaries, but not without throwing a warning glance.
"Mind telling me again why exactly you want to come? We are not going to just walk in there and have a cup of tea with them." Stinger is casually leaning on one of the walls that just a while ago looked like something had been hitting it for some time.
"I have my personal reasons. And as much as I appreciate the concern, even if it's mostly in favour I stay here and not add additional burden on your shoulders, I can't allow that asswipe to keep on living peacefully in his palace while others die."
Clenching and unclenching my fists, I manage to keep myself away from any other explanations and rather turn my attention back towards my screens, shutting them off and retrieving them back to their hideouts. When finally the room looks just like it should – in perfect order and speckles, I once again turn my attention towards the men.
Stinger looks a little bit bothered, yet by his slight frown I know he won't keep on pressing. Caine, who has been silent all this time, seems to be thinking through the whole thing, and suddenly I catch myself hoping he'll be on my side, since his friend seems to still be tip-toeing around the idea.
"Fine. You'll come along. But only under a few conditions." his low husky voice makes my skin prickle in a nice, electrifying way; nodding, I'm all ears, eager to hear what are his terms.
"First we'll test your fighting skills in close combat."
I frown and am about to argue when Stinger interferes.
"We already know that when it comes to mass destruction, you'll manage. Close combat is another thing; and not always will you be able to use your… gift."
'They have a point.' mentally reminding myself to stand on my guard at all cost and think through any attack, I nod, showing my agreement.
"You do what you have to do without attracting the attention to yourself." the steel I sense in his words leaves no place for arguing, so I swallow my snarky remark and nod, a little bit reluctantly though.
"And since we know what we're doing – you'll listen to us." adds Stinger.
"You wish, old man. I'm not a dog on a leash." I throw back, a second before realising how bad the last part sounds.
Throwing a glance at Caine, I quickly add.
"No offence."
"None taken." he responds with a low nod.
"Either way – don't go on your own."
"Yeah, yeah. Got it. Now how about that test?" I smirk and raise an eyebrow their way, eager to show them that I'm not as frail as I seem.
Upon arriving in the Training Hall after dinner, I find Caine already waiting for me. He has taken off his jacket, remaining only in a tank top to cover his broad chest. Unintentionally my eyes trace the outlines of his body, for a second marvelling at his tattoo. A smirk tugs in the corners of my lips as I follow his example and take off my own jacket.
"I didn't know you'll be testing me." I'm still smirking while shortening the distance between us.
He just tilts his head slightly to the side and intakes deeply. Fighting off the blush that threatens to turn me red in the face, I finally stop and look around. The room is empty – no people, no weapons.
"What exactly will we be doing?" I ask, once again returning my gaze his way.
"Fight." the typical short answer makes me roll my eyes.
"Then let's." I offer and take a fighting stance.
All of a sudden the free-spirited atmosphere around me changes drastically into a cool-aired one as all my senses sharpen, allowing me to be completely aware of my surroundings and concentrated. A second later Caine's fists rise to his chest; he parts his legs for balance and prepares for battle. The moment our eyes clash, his radiant blue against my lilac ones, I know he won't go easy on me. 'Neither would I.'
The first to break the intense static of the air is Caine, his fist flying towards my face with amazing speed. Ducking and stepping away I quickly raise my leg and try to land a blow in the juncture of his neck, yet he swiftly raises his arm, blocking the hit. Using the seconds between attacks, I retrieve my leg and once again let some distance between us; as expected, Caine's fast reflexes, ruthless and perfectly calculated blows begin to rain over me. It's a matter of either moving away or blocking, yet I don't risk straightforwardly allowing his iron fists to collide with a bone that will most definitely shatter like glass. So using brains and a different tactic, I duck and spin and try to counterattack as much as possible, all the meanwhile trying not to let an opening to appear.
After more than an hour we are both covered in sweat, yet neither backs down. There are a few places on my body that are pulsating rather alarmingly, and my bottom lip is currently bleeding after Caine somehow managed to pass through my blockade and land a blow that sent me flat on my ass, with blood filling my mouth. Thankfully all my teeth stayed in place, with the only damage being my split lip.
Now, as I feel my whole body starting to go stiff from lassitude and my muscles begin to ache, I know there's one thing left to do, and that's to land a blow. Up until now I barely managed to scratch the surface of his defence; now, with my powers at their limit, it's either hit or just give up. The second for rest passes and once again I see his muscles tensing up, small rivulets of sweat dripping down his toned body. By instinct I lick my dried lips, scrapping the surface of the still bleeding wound; the sudden metallic taste in my mouth wakes up all my senses and I raise my hands into fists. The first to attack is once again the Lyken, his foot suddenly appearing in my line of sight and falling down with a deadly hit. In the last second I throw myself to the side, yet the new wave of pulsating pain, this time in my shoulder, is a clear indicator I wasn't fast enough. Either way, ignoring the pain, I jump to my feet, duck under another attack, and finally get the chance to land a blow. I see the opening – a small gape in his defence, a clear shot to his neck. And so does he. In a last attempt to move away, Caine makes a fatal mistake – he doesn't notice the change of stance in my body. If he saw how my knees bended, how my calves suddenly tensed and how I pushed my shoulders forward, he would have saved himself. But he didn't.
A second too late he notices I don't intend to attack his neck, but it's too late. My leg collides with his side, sending him hard down on his right shoulder. A low growl is the only indication of his pain, which is actually quite admirable – once I hit a man like that and he literally broke down in tears, clutching his side for dear life and claiming I killed him.
Not wasting the opportunity I quickly throw myself over him, straddling his middle section and using all the power I can muster in pinning his strong body down. He's shortness of breath is the only indication he's anywhere near exhaustion. I'm panting, dripping with sweat and my whole body is pulsating – I have never felt more alive.
"I win." I whisper, looming over him with a satisfactory smile on my face.
"Yes." his low husky voice sends shivers down my back, pleasure forming in the pits of my stomach.
Suddenly me eyes drop lower, looking at his slightly parted lips. Every nerve in body seems to be reacting to Caine's proximity, his whole existence. Inhaling deeply I push myself away, letting his hands go. For a second my head spins from the sharp movement and I topple to the side slightly; two strong hands on my waist are the only thing that stops me from falling.
"Are you ok?" the low husky timbre of his voice makes my skin prickle all over again; or maybe it's the sudden dizziness.
"Mhmm." I murmur, after clutching my head for a second, in fear that it may fall off. "You may have jolted me a little bit more." I smile and open my eyes a second later, feeling a little bit better.
He just smirks and pushes himself up, so that we are face in face, with barely any space between us.
"I was wrong – you are tougher than you look." he admits suddenly and smile sweetly, making me blush.
"Thanks." I whisper and look him straight in the eyes.
The appearance of a darker hue of blue and more depth make me intake sharply; there is more than one emotion swirling in those pools, the only visible mark that Caine actually feels something.
"Caine…" I breathe out his name, all of the sudden realising how close I'm to him; the heat from his warmed up body washes over my sense, and mixed with his scent of musk makes my lower regions throb painfully as unexpected desire swipes through me.
Looking away, I grit my teeth and once again close my eyes, trying to chase away those irrational feelings towards a man I have known for no more than 10 hours. 'Sweet heaves, this terrifyingly much resembles a low-budgeted sugar-coated movie.' I mentally scold myself and sigh.
"What's wrong?" Caine's voice snaps me out of my trance.
"Nothing." I mumble and stand up, only for my stiff legs to almost bend under me and send me flying down over the Lyken.
Stepping to the side and trying to bring some life back to my limbs, I frown at the pain that shoots from each and every muscle in my body. Despite my best attempts, I can't seem to make my body function properly anymore or to at least drag myself to my room where I can freely collapse on my bed.
At first I'm somehow managing to stand upright and not frown from pain and discomfort, but all of the sudden I feel like I'm falling, my body becoming a weightless mass of jelly. The impact with the floor would have been a painful one weren't it for Caine's fast reflexes and strong hands that save me from a week's worth of headache.
"Mmm…" I moan and grit my teeth once again, fighting against the urge to faint.
Instead I push my feet firmly against the ground and steady my body, all the meanwhile having a firm hold over Caine's biceps, using his body for support. Even when once again I'm on my feet, his hands stay wrapped against my middle, keeping me pressed against his broad chest.
Looking up at him I smile and tilt my head to the side, my almost destroyed braid now dangling over my shoulder.
"No worries, big guy. I can take care of myself." with that I push away from him slightly.
A hand's reach away, I smirk and shake my head. With a single movement my hair is set free and falls freely down my shoulders and back, the red tassels creating a nice contrast against my black clothing. Burying my hands in my hair and massaging my scalp, I purr from the pleasant feeling of finally having it free from the merciless grip of the braid I so recklessly put it in before coming here.
"Oh, sweet heavens, this is pure joy!" I whisper under my breath as I head for the door.
A few steps later I turn around and look at Caine, who is still standing where I left him, and is following my movements with a rather darkened gaze.
"Coming, tough guy? The medic's will be thrilled to see us at this hour." smirking I nod towards the door.
Caine just nods and comes along, a rather distanced look on his face. 'I lost him yet once again…' I sadly think, before shaking the though away.
As expected there's not a living soul in the medical centre so it's up to us to tend to our wounds. Thankfully Caine knows what to do and easily moves around the vast space, searching for something. Since I have absolutely no idea how to work with anything here, I casually sit on one of the metal beds and let my body rest, while my eyes follow the male's smooth movement around. Suddenly I catch myself staring at his ass, and look away immediately, shocked by how bolt I seem to be around him. 'Do something! Quick!' I urge and the only thing that comes to mind is to braid my hair. Combing with my fingers through the tangled mess, I try to look at everything else but the handsome man.
Soon there's a nice loose fishtail dangling over my right shoulder and once again my eyes search for Caine, only to spot him coming my way with something that looks a little bit like a portable scanner.
"I hope you don't intend to get this thing close to me?" my voice has suddenly become squeaky and I move away from the strangely looking gadget.
"Have you never been healed with one of these?" he raises a blond eyebrow my way.
"Uh, no?" I shake my head while eyeing incredulously the device in his hand.
His rather amazed look makes me smile and shake my head.
"I never had the need to be healed with one of those."
"So Stinger was right? You are a book-rat?" it's obvious he's teasing me, yet I frown and cross my hands over my chest and narrow my eyes at him.
"Actually no one ever proved to be a worthy match!" I hiss and glare at him.
He just chuckles and nods towards my lip; I don't miss the way his eyes follow the outlines of my face and stop on my lips.
"Yeah, that doesn't count. Those usually heal on their own after a few days." I look away, completely having forgotten that there's probably blood all over my face. "Anyway. You're not getting that thing anywhere near my face."
"It's not gonna hurt." he reassures and comes nearer, all the meanwhile looking me straight in the eyes.
I pout and look to the side, not really liking the strange way he's eyeing me; almost making me voluntarily place that thing near myself.
"Fine. But if it hurts, I'm not responsible for the consequences." I warn jokingly before taking a deep breath and closing my eyes.
Childish, I know, but I'm freaked out by things in general coming close to my face, in fear that they may burn me, scar me or hit me, or whatsoever. Most of the time it's just me being paranoid, but now I feel rather worried at the way the lamp-looking thing lights up near my skin and soon warms up. A low whimper skips by my lips and I frown, preparing myself for the pain I believe will come. But it doesn't, duh. With a low chuckle from the male the device is removed from my face and I peek at Caine, wondering what happened.
"That's it?"
He just nods, the amused flame in his eyes the only indication about how he feels at the moment. I exhale, not realising why or when I held up my breath.
"Well, since we are at it…" I begin and pull at my T-shirt, revealing a relatively small gash at the lower part of my stomach, near the hip-bone. "You seem to know what you are doing…"
Caine looks at the wound and slightly narrows his eyes.
"I scratched myself a while ago." I quickly add, noticing how his posture tenses up.
Suddenly he puffs and nods, bringing the machine closer to my skin. The warmth in my body reappears, yet this time it's not the strange device's fault, but the proximity of a certain male. Slightly gritting my teeth at these strange and irrational feelings, I look away with a deep frown, trying and succeeding to push away any movement that may give away the current mood I'm in. 'I must kill these feelings before I grow too attached to a man that may turn out to be my downfall.'