{ Okay, I know what you guys are thinking: "Two chapters in a row?" And the answer is, yes, two chapters in a row. I'm on a role this morning (despite it being 7am)! xD
I'd like to thank everyone for your reviews, favorites, and follows.
I would also like to specially thank vanitypride for your comment about the bite in chapter 12 involving mating. You've been reviewing this story since the start and I really appreciate all your feedback!
I'd also like to thank I ok2 for your suggestion about spiders giving their mates over insects as presents. I ran with it and put the butterflies into this chapter and will probably use it more as the story progresses. Thanks! }
*Claude's POV*
Claude had been watching from the library's balcony as Ciel had rushed off down the stairs and into the garden, gasping for air as he tried to get further away from the spider. It made the demon feel a little sick, to think that Ciel was so afraid of him, but he didn't know how else to go about romance; this was part of who he was, regardless of what the young human thought about it…
Every fiber of Claude's being had wanted to flash down to the garden and kill Sebastian from the very moment he'd saw him that close to Ciel. However, he held his tongue and waited until the very thing that had so confused the young master sent Sebastian running. Out of hand… yes, that was probably how both the child and the other demon thought this had gotten, albeit in different ways…
Luckily, Claude's nature didn't leave him with just a bunch of things to chase your mate away; there was a reason a spider's mate stuck around to be killed, after all. Leaning against the edge of the balcony, he had to laugh a little when he remembered another human, one that had called him a fairy a few years ago. The irony was that small creatures adored him, never realizing that they were in his web until the last moment…
When the laughter had passed, Claude busied himself with watching the young master for a few moments, then sending a silent gift his way…
*Ciel's POV*
The Earl had stayed collapsed on the ground after Sebastian had left. He couldn't help but wonder if the phantoms in his dreams had been right… What if Claude was really just sitting around, waiting to turn on him? It seemed very likely, considering the fact that he was a demon, but… what did that say about Sebastian? The whole thing gave Ciel a headache whenever he tried to reason it out…
Pulled from his thoughts, the child blinked as a light blue butterfly landed on his nose, then fluttered upwards. Following the creature with his eyes, he realized that several of the same butterflies were there, fluttering around him. He almost laughed as he stood from his spot on the ground, brushing the dirt from his clothes as he watched the tiny creatures fly around him. "Where did you all come from?" he asked aloud, to none of them in particular.
It was like a switch being flipped inside the human. One minute, he felt lost and exposed, and in another instant, he was confident and butterflies stayed for a while before flying over to the nearby flowers; his eyes followed their path so intently that he barely noticed himself quietly calling for the demon. A moment later, the other male's voice caught his attention, "Yes?"
Turning on his heel to face Claude, the Earl walked ever-slowly towards his mate, his eyes dancing with mischief. When the gap between them was finally just a couple of inches, he reached up and grabbed the butler's collar, pulling him into a kiss that grew softer once it had been accepted.
It took a few moments before Ciel felt Claude's arms wrapping around his waist to pull him closer. The younger took this moment to use their momentum to his advantage, so that Claude fell back into the bench with Ciel in his lap. Easily making himself comfortable in the demon's arms, he held their lip-lock for a few more moments before trailing his lips down over the other jaw. It was a wordless apology - for running away, for being so damaged, for being so easily afraid…
"Are you alright now?" Claude's voice was low, nearly a purr as Ciel's lips ghosted over his throat. His gloved hands gently traced patterns against the younger's back as Ciel took his time forming a response.
When he finally spoke, he surprised himself more than he did Claude by murmuring, "I'm more than fine, darling." With this, their lips reconnected and Ciel tightened his hold on the other, a smile forming beneath their kiss. It seemed like they could stay like that forever, lips moving together in harmony as their worries faded into yesterday.
The next time that Ciel pulled away to catch his breath, it was Claude's turn to speak. His words slurred together into a mumble as his lips brushed over the human's, "I don't want to kill you."
To this, there was no response. Despite how his heart warmed and his lips smiled, there was nothing that Ciel could find to say. Instead of speaking, he looked up and met his mate's familiar golden eyes before kissing him again, words mouthed against Claude's lips before the kiss could deepen: "I know."