A/N: Yes, I know, my children, it has been a LONG while since I've updated. This was one of those filler chapters and it took me some time before I actually got it tweaked to my liking and it is most definitely longer than I planned on it being.
CHAPTER 17:
Suck My Kiss
The first day of school finally came and went, filled with nothing but boring speeches from teachers as they read from the student handbook (dress code, weather safety, etc, blah, blah...) and much filling out of student information and emergency contact sheets.
No homework was assigned, but it was something Sheila would've preferred rather than sit through yet another lecture about how the seniors were to set an example for the underclassmen by not doing a senior prank (and Sheila noticed more than one of her teachers throw a pointed look to Reid who sat near the back of three of her classes, his face solemn, yet his eyes dancing with mischief), showing respect to the proper authorities and the correct way to behave at sporting events and dances.
Yawn. All stuff they already knew. Boring...
The following Wednesday morning dawned with rain clouds in the sky. Sheila dressed in her school uniform quickly and raced to the dining hall, where she found Kate, Chase, and the Sons already sitting
She took a seat silently next to Kate, who's face was currently hidden behind a thick SAT prep book, Tyler sat on the other side of her friend, reading along.
Pogue looked at his girlfriend, then shook his head.
"It's never too early to start, baby." Kate said, slipping her orange juice under the book, taking a thoughtful sip, her eyes never leaving the page.
Pogue looked taken aback. "I didn't say anything."
Kate rolled her eyes behind the book. Tyler leaned closer for a better look.
Pogue mimicked his girlfriend's action by rolling his eyes and grinned, hooking a thumb in Kate's direction. "Those two, I swear. They're like twins..."
Sheila smiled, her silent demeanor a cold reaction to the boy sitting across from her. Caleb was equally as quiet, if not more so, as he chewed thoughtfully on his french toast, syrup dripping in heavy globs onto his tray. She wondered what was going through his mind at this very moment and secretly hoped his thoughts were lingering on her...
Sheila sighed, then stood, slinging her messenger bag across her chest.
Kate put her book down, causing a tiny protest to escape from Tyler. "Sheila?" She turned wide eyes on her friend, noticing her presence at the table for the first time. "When did you get here?"
Sheila shrugged. "Like five minutes ago."
"And you're leaving already?"
"Yeah, I want to get to Biology early." She picked invisible lint from the hem of her navy blue jacket, not meeting the inquiring eyes of the table. "We're picking lab partners today. I want to snag me a smart one." She shifted the bag at her waist, looking at Reid, who was in the same class. "Are you coming, Reid?"
Reid shook his head, glancing at his watch.
"Are you kidding me?" Sheila briefly closed her eyes with a small sigh. That voice. 'That damn voice... so deep... so soft...' It was Caleb. His head was cocked to the side a bit, his fingers tapping a familiar rhythm on the tabletop as he looked at her. "Reid hasn't been early to class since preschool."
She gave Caleb a tiny smile (but only because it was the first time he had said a word to her since he kissed her and she was extremely relieved although her facial expression did not betray her) and nodded. "Oh..." They stared at each for a long moment, her breath catching as she became lost in his eyes... his hair... his mouth... that kiss... Sheila ran her tongue the length of her bottom lip, breaking the eye war (or whatever it was) between them and turned to leave.
"Wait." Kate this time. "Aren't you going to eat anything?" She hoped Sheila couldn't detect the concern in her voice. Kate was worried about her.
She heard her dreaming (or nightmaring?) again last night, the whimpers and muffled cries for help echoing in the small dorm room. She had gone to her friend's bedside, lovingly stroking her arm and hair in an effort to calm her.
It had been the same ordeal for the past 3 or 4 nights, the outcome always the same. At exactly 2:08 AM, Sheila would grow quiet, the nightmare seemingly over, and then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she would say "I Will you my..." and then fall into a silent slumber.
I Will you my what is what Kate wanted to know. The first night it happened, Kate was awoken to the sound of Sheila crying, but when she turned over to face her friend's bed, the occupant was gone and Kate figured she must've gone for a walk or something.
Sheila smiled at her friend. So caring. Like a mother. "Of course." She snatched the powdered doughnut Pogue had halfway to his mouth from his hand and bit into it, sugar sprinkling down the front of her uniform. Pogue sat in surprise, his mouth still open, hand still suspended in midair. He blinked and she smiled. "See, problem solved." She threw a wave over her shoulder. "See you guys at lunch."
Caleb watched her go, gripping the sides of his plastic cafeteria chair, resisting the terrible urge to run after her... again. The last time he had done that ended in awkward disaster because of the kiss and silent embarrassment because she never called him afterward to tell him she was okay.
'Maybe she's not "okay", Caleb.' Caleb sighed, running a hand through his fluffy, dark hair. Yup, he fucked up... He fucked up BIG...
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The day had gone by quickly. Lunch was a quiet hour in an otherwise chaotic atmosphere. Sheila sat, lost in her own thoughts, half listening to the constant jabber of Kate as she poked her food around her tray with a fork.
Biology had gone surprisingly well. Dr. Rivard didn't actually let them pick their partners, instead he did it in alphabetical order so Sheila ended up getting Reid anyway.
"Meet me in my dorm around 4, okay?" Reid had told her after first period. "We'll discuss a game plan for our upcoming project." She agreed.
Sheila glanced at her watch with a sigh. School had let out almost an hour ago and she still had about fifteen minutes to kill before she met up with Reid. She soon found herself weaving through the long aisles of the library, tall shelves full of dusty books towering over her from both sides.
She was emerging from a particularly treacherous aisle near the center of the library, where all the card catalogs and private sitting areas were, when she spotted him. He had his jacket off and, as he hunched over the keyboard of a network computer, typing furiously, the muscles in his shoulders bulged, straining against the confines of his pressed Oxford.
Sheila swallowed. 'Oh my... The boy would have to have the body of a god, wouldn't he...?' He paused in whatever he was working on and sat back, lacing his fingers behind his head. Sheila suddenly found herself walking towards him. He didn't hear her approach and she realized with much relief that he had headphones on.
She could've (no, should've) turned away at that exact moment, but something stopped her. A noise. A faint hum of an unheard song coming from the boy sitting in front of her.
He was singing and his voice was, well, beautiful, a sweet baritone thrum to her ears.
Sheila grinned, intrigued, and leaned down, reaching up and pulling away the earpiece of the headphone from his ear.
"Hello."
Caleb jumped, banging his knees on the underside of the small desk, and let out a curse. He turned, rubbing his injury, his face set to malice, ready to murder whoever it was that just scared the shit out of him. He saw Sheila standing there and relaxed when she waved.
He cleared his throat. "Hey yourself."
"What are you listening to?" He furrowed his eyebrows, her question falling on his muffled ears. She tapped his headphones and he mouthed an 'Oh', slipping the device off and handing it to her.
"The Red Hot Chili Peppers."
Sheila lifted a pristine eyebrow, taking the headphones from him and placing them over her ears. She let out a tiny giggle, closing her eyes, as if some unseen memory shocked her out of reality. She started swaying her hips, a silly grin plastered on her lips as Caleb watched her body move with smiling fascination.
She opened her mouth and began to sing. "Oh, hit me, you can't hurt me!" She did a pelvic thrust. "Ugh, suck my kiss!"
Caleb laughed as she twirled, then bowed when she was facing him again. She peeled off the headphones and handed them back to him, swiping fallen strands of hair from her face.
He looked at her, astonished. She was out of breath, but was smiling at him and Caleb felt himself returning it. There was a moment of silence. Not wanting the ice that was just broken between them by her silly antics to freeze back over, he pulled out a chair next to him and motioned for her to sit. She gratefully did, fanning herself lazily with a notebook she had been holding.
More silence as they sat and looked each other over.
"What are you doing here?"
Sheila shrugged. "Just killing time."
"Do you always sing in the library?"
"Do you?" She grinned as she threw the question back in his face.
"Only after school. On weekends, I book gigs in the cafeteria." He let out a nervous laugh at his stupid joke.
His eyes widened with her smile as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and he noticed her hickey.
Caleb cleared his throat. "So, uh, you got a boyfriend hiding somewhere?" Sheila shook her head, confused by the bizarre question. He pointed at her neck and she let out a breath.
"Oh, no." She pulled her starched collar from her neck, the lights above giving Caleb a better view. "I have you to thank for that..."
"Oh." He leaned back in his chair again, biting his bottom lip. "From the ice cream parlor, huh?"
Sheila turned away, sheepish.
"Look, I'm sorry about that... I just..." His voice trailed off and he rubbed his hands nervously over his khaki clad thighs. He let out a huff. "Ah shit, I don't know what the hell I was thinking..." He looked at her from under his ebony eyelashes cautiously. She was turned away from him, her profile showing no emotion, but he knew she was hanging off his every word with rapt intensity. "I just know that I had to get you away from him. I couldn't let Aaron touch you like that."
"And what gave you the right to do so?"
He shrugged. "I don't know."
She quirked an eyebrow. "You don't know?"
"No." He sighed, defeated. "It just felt right, okay?" He leaned further into his chair. "Sheila, look at me..." His softened plea surprised her and she looked at him without hesitation, her curiosity and secret lust for him getting the better of her. "I'm sorry if what I did inside the parlor and out on the sidewalk made you feel uncomfortable. I had no right to do it and honestly I don't know why I did. But I do know one thing and that is that I'm not sorry that I kissed you. I wanted to do that the moment you stepped out of your Mustang and it's something I'll be damned to hell for before I ever regret it."
Sheila was, to say the least, floored by his bold confession. It was as if it had taken her ability of speech away. She sat, fish facing it across from him, her mouth opening and closing several times. "I, uh..." She threw her hands up, letting out an uneasy laugh. "Honestly, I don't know what to say..."
"Well, I've learned not to expect that much from you..." Caleb was growing impatient, his frustration and emotions getting the better of him.
Sheila's eyes snapped to his, her mouth clapping shut. "What's with the tone, Caleb? And what the hell is that supposed to mean anyway?"
He gave her the equivalent of a facial shrug and she could feel herself getting annoyed. "You never called."
"And what was I supposed to say if I did? 'Hey thanks for the clean shirt and by the way, although it was my first kiss, it was the most amazing feeling that I've ever felt in my entire life and ever since then my days have been filled with nothing but thoughts of you'?" Sheila shook her head. "I don't think so."
She stood, clutching the handle to her bag in a tight fist, the messenger sliding uselessly across the carpeted library floor as she stalked away.
Caleb's eyes widened. "Was it?"
Sheila stopped, mid-stride, but didn't turn to face him, her anger reduced to pinpricks of embarrassed tears in her eyes. "Was what it?..."
"The kiss?" He walked over to her cautiously. "Was it really your first?"
She dropped her head, her shoulders hunching forward. "Yes..." She replied, quietly. "I didn't call you because I was scared..."
"Scared of what?"
"Rejection."
"Rejection?" He touched her shoulder softly, flushing his body against hers when she didn't step away, much like he did in the ice cream parlor, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. "If you felt half of what I did..." His breath was a gentle caress against her cheek.
"Stop, Caleb." She forced her reluctant body to pull away from the warm frame of his arms. "You don't have to say those things just to make me feel better."
"But I'm not just 'saying' those things. It's the truth, I promise, and I would never give you anything less."
Sheila knew deep down that what he spoke were honest words and she couldn't help but sigh in relief. 'Maybe these feelings are genuine and mutual after all...' She allowed herself a small smile. 'Yay for me!'
She turned to face him. "That's always reassuring. We've finally reached an understanding. The whole Aaron thing you did because you were trying to protect me for one reason or another." She wove a hand through the air. "And the, uh, kissing thing... was because..."
"I like you." He finished.
She gave a curt nod. "Sure. So, you know, are we cool now?" She asked quietly, taking her bottom lip between her teeth. Waiting. Hoping.
"We will be..." She could hear the relief and smile in his voice.
She suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you for understanding, Caleb. I hope my ignorance and inexperience didn't hurt you any..."
He gently rubbed her back, pulling her closer to him and ran his lips over the crown of her head. "No... No hurt feelings here... I was just worried is all... I don't want to see anything bad happen to you..." He pulled away from her a little and looked down at her, his eyes sparkling. "How about you and I get a latte or something? I think Pogue's working today. We can talk some more, yeah?"
She nodded, then quickly shook her head, her mind changing. "I wish I could, but I'm sorry I can't." His eyebrows crashed together. "I'm meeting Reid."
Caleb slipped his hands from her waist and took a step back. "Oh... I see..."
"Relax. He's my lab partner..." She reached for his hand and gave it a light squeeze. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course." He reached up, fiddling a few strands of her hair between his thumb and forefinger.
He couldn't get enough of her hair. The shimmer, the texture. So soft. So smooth. Like her body. Aching to be touched. He imagined what it would be like to be surrounded by her long tresses as she easily rode him. Her hair would tickle his nipples, caress his face like a secret lover's hand. Curtain him. Drown him as he obediently reached climax, smothered by the scent of peach shampoo.
Caleb smirked, letting the strands fall against her neck, his hand following their journey. He brushed the collar of her shirt aside, her eyes watching him with anticipation as he leaned down, his chocolate gaze boring into her sapphire one.
She licked her lips, readying them for contact, shuddering with surprise and pleasure as he bypassed her mouth completely and rested his lips against her neck, right on the hickey.
He straightened, but continued to stroke the mark with the tip of his finger. "So disdainful this is to mar the flawless skin of a such a beautiful lady..." His eyes flashed with possessiveness. 'Lady? Yes... My Lady...'
She heard the thought, tightening the grip she had on his hand in fear. 'Lady? Does he know...?'
She shook her head. 'No way...' To reassure herself, she pushed further into his thoughts searching for any trace of it. She followed it back to a dark corner of his mind. She could feel something familiar within the mental block he had around whatever it was. A faint whisper in the dark.
Sheila sighed. 'Another mystery...' Slowly, she stepped away from him, his warm hand slipping from her grasp.
"I gotta go." Caleb put on a pout and she laughed, playfully slapping his shoulder. "Stop. I have to. School comes first."
He knew he should've resisted, especially after what happened Sunday, but he also knew that it was inevitable. Something inside him pushed him to do it, like his other evil, horny half was somehow magnetized to her innocence.
'Oh, damn.' Sheila thought as she looked at Caleb in all his manly beauty. He had this desperate, needy look in his eyes and she knew what was about to happen.
He was going to kiss her.
And she wasn't going to do a damn thing to stop him.
He leaned in, closer, closer, and she froze, staring, watching the (What was that? Desire?) intensify in his eyes. She guessed that if she looked in a mirror right now hers would reflect the same level of want.
Need.
'Put the brakes on, honey! You know what would happen if you let him get too close!' Sheila mentally berated herself, grumbling curses under her breath as she sidestepped Caleb's lips and brushed hers across the bottom of his strong jaw.
He blinked.
She smiled. "Tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
Sheila gestured between them. "We should slow things down..."
He swallowed, pocketing his hands in his khakis, his fingers grazing lightly over his throbbing erection. "Definitely..."
"Friends?"
He smiled. "Of course." He paused, pointing at her neck. "Are you going to cover that up?"
She awkwardly moved her collar closer to her skin. "Should I?" He didn't answer and she shrugged. "It's okay. It's just a little splotch. No big deal, right? You can barely see it."
Caleb threw her a wolfish grin. "Well I guess I'm just going to have to try harder next time..."
Sheila scoffed. "How can you be so sure there will be a next time?"
He quirked a brow, crossing his arms across his broad chest. "How can you be so sure there won't...?"
She fought the grin that tugged at the corner of her mouth. "You know, Aaron was right..." She laughed at his confused expression. "You are one cocky son of a bitch, Danvers." She leaned forward and dropped another feathery kiss on his cheek. "You really are..."
She turned, her walk hypnotizing him as she slowly flitted away and for the second time that day (and the beginning of a long series of these moments, Caleb was sure) he resisted the urge to run after her, her waterfall of black tresses waving a teasing good-bye as she turned a corner.
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"It has been a long while, my dear boy. How have you been?" The older man produced a plate of lemon cookies from who knows where and set them on the table. He picked one up and chewed thoughtfully. "I hear you have been very busy with my son..." James cast his cold, grey eyes upon the boy sitting across from him.
Aaron took a sip of his water, the liquid sliding tastelessly down his dry throat. "That would be correct, sir."
"I assume all your threats and obscenities are only to ensure my son's safety, yes?"
Aaron nodded. "Whatever I have to do to get this thing over with."
James smiled, his already wrinkled face threatening to fold in on itself. "That's good to hear, Aaron. I'm glad that you are taking this debt well."
Aaron set his glass on the table before him, the ice tinkling lightly in the stifling attic. "My father was not the best of men, Mr. Danvers, and I would do anything to wipe the slate of my family's name clean and start fresh with my own life." He swallowed. "Once Caleb Claims her and my father's debt is paid, I can drop this act and start over in college. Show people the real me."
"People know the real you here, Aaron."
Aaron shook his head. "No, they don't. They only know the person you have asked me to become. This snobby, rich asshole who cares nothing about other people, only about his own self worth and gain. It's not me. It's not me at all. And I don't like deceiving people."
"I know."
"No, you don't. Those people, however rude or conceited they are, are my friends, my only friends, and to them I will always be remembered as Aaron Abbott, the guy that was always picking fights with the Sons of Ipswich because I had nothing better to do."
"You had no choice. This is your father's debt to pay, but since he has passed, you have accepted full responsibility of it and you will fulfill it."
A sigh. "You know I will, James." Aaron's voice was like gravel, like he had suddenly aged 20 years right before James' eyes. The boy was a meek 18 years old, but his voice, his eyes, his face, looked tired, so tired...
"Come here, my child." James held out his hand and Aaron reluctantly took it, coming around the coffee table to sit next to the older man. "I shall give you strength..."
"No, you are already growing weak just having this conversation. You need your rest."
James smiled at him, patting the boy's hand. "Rest sounds wonderful..." He sighed. "You are a good person, Aaron. Soon our world will discover the truth and banish those that try to destroy it..." His voice had grown low. Sad, yet menacing.
Aaron smiled at the James' profile, reaching out to trace the crow's feet blossoming at the corner of his eye. "You miss her, don't you?" The older man didn't answer. "My Aunt Anneliese loves you truly, James. We will figure out where they hold her prisoner and return her to your side, I promise."
James nodded with a bitter smile. "All we need is for Sheila to read the journals, overcome her feelings of loss and confusion and embrace the fact that Caleb is her mate. And she is his Lady..." He blinked away the wave of sleep that insistently poured over him. "She's a smart girl. She won't be able to ignore the succubus and strange happenings forever."
"By the looks of things, I have reason to believe that Caleb is finally starting to listen to his dreams. He is already acting so protective of her. He won't be able to contain himself much longer. He already struggles with the lust."
James chuckled. "I don't blame my son." He gathered the blankets that surrounded him and let his body fall to its side, resting his head on a pillow. He coughed, his eyes finally easing shut. Aaron stood, allowing James access to the rest of the couch and the withering man took it, greedily eating it up with his outstretched legs. "Have you felt the shock waves?"
It was Aaron's turn to laugh. "Yes." His hand rested on the dusty banister of the staircase, his foot hovering above the first downward step. "And they feel like absolute Heaven and death for any male around..."
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Sheila's hand paused in midair as she stood outside the door to Reid's dorm room, her face crinkled as she strained to hear the muffled voices within. The door was open a crack, but she didn't want to be rude and just barge in.
So, instead, she chose to knock. And listen.
The people inside weren't actually talking...
More like...
...sighing...
...low breaths...
...a curse or two?...
Sheila jumped away from the door, her eyes widening, the door creaking ominously as it inched further open. She had never heard that noise in real life before, not even from her own mouth, but she was sure that what she just heard was an exclamation of pure pleasure.
A moan...
And then, all noise within ceased, the door now open about halfway, Sheila not seeing anyone inside as she tried desperately to press herself into the wall and shadows. Her breath came out in short, tense bursts.
She took a step to the right, gasping when a husky purr wafted toward her from the room.
"Do not run away without saying hello, Sheila..." The voice suggested bad things would happen if she did. "Come in. I've been expecting you."
She immediately obeyed, her feet shuffling forward, hand reaching out to push the door the rest of the way open.
"Damn it, Reid!" She heard a muffled thud as something (or rather someone, she guessed) hit the floor.
Sheila faltered, but squared her shoulders and forged on, stepping into the room. The air in here was thick and stifling, the warmth of it closing in on her, making her break out in a light sweat.
The sight before her was one right out of one of those magazines that they only keep behind the registers at gas stations.
Dirty...
So dirty...
She saw Tyler first. He was on the floor beside the bed furthest from the door, his wide, ocean eyes staring innocently at her from over the top of the bed. They gazed at each other for a moment before she turned away, choosing instead to look at a rather interesting spot on the floor.
The young boy stood, his blush matching the color of his red boxers perfectly, and hastily grabbed a pair of jeans that were sprawled on the floor. He quickly put those and a T-shirt on before snatching his keys from his bedside table. He pocketed them and threw an accusing look at Reid. Reid merely shrugged and blew him a kiss, deepening the blush that already consumed most of Tyler's body.
Tyler brushed passed Sheila, careful not to meet her eyes, with a tiny 'Hello' before quickly exiting the dorm room. Sheila took a deep breath, her nostrils filling with the scent of him. Undeniably, he smelled like sex (although Sheila would never question what she heard or walked in on today... EVER...) and a bit like... baby powder, maybe...
'She didn't think they were... Ahem... like that... They surely didn't act or seem like it...' The way they (especially Reid, who seemed incapable of keeping his hands to himself, instead always finding a good skirt to hide them under) acted around all types of girls definitely squashed her thoughts.
Sheila shrugged and turned her eyes to the room's other occupant, covering her mouth quickly to stifle a surprised gasp.
Reid was lounging gracefully across the full length of his bed, one arm resting behind his head, the other splayed casually on his stomach, his fingers twitching ever so slightly along the ridges of his defined abs. His legs, long and lean, were crossed at the ankles, dangling carelessly over the edge of the bed.
Other than his impish grin, he wore nothing at all, his body glistening with a fine sweat, his hair, mussed and wet, falling into his glittering, blue eyes.
Sheila blushed, not daring to look at the exposed area between his knees and stomach, bringing her notebook before her face with a nervous giggle. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt anything... I thought you said to come in..."
"But I did, my sweet." He stretched, the muscles cording beneath his skin in the somewhat practiced synchronization that only a swimmer would know.
She could hear the bed shifting beneath him as he stood and before she knew it, she felt him standing directly in front of her, his dominance inevitable due to his towering height over her.
He made her lower her notebook/shield, wrapping a warm hand around her tiny wrist with a devilish grin.
"Hello..." He purred.
She swallowed. "Hi."
"Everything okay?" His eyes were like ice, crystal clear and just as cold.
"Yes..." The word was nothing more than a whispered breath.
He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "I trust that you will not speak of the things that you saw here today. Whatever you think happened is a lie and whatever you say happened will surely fall on deaf ears." The grip on her wrist increased. "Are we clear?"
Sheila grimaced in pain. "Ow... Reid, you're hurting me..."
He squeezed harder, his eyes flashing and for a brief moment, Sheila saw the Power within him. It was hard and unrelenting, much like his rebellious half. Sheila frowned. She knew somewhere in there was the good Reid...
She narrowed her eyes to paper thin slits so he wouldn't be able to see the black of her eyes as she called upon her Powers, pushing out with invisible hands into him.
He blinked, shaking his head lightly, his eyes returning to a sky blue, the beast within him settling away. 'For now.' She thought. He would question what just happened to him for days to come, blaming it solely on the reason that he was Ascending soon and his Powers were still being tamed.
She struggled against his grasp for a moment before he let her go with a tinkling laugh. She rubbed her wrist with a slight frown, then swatted him with the notebook she still clutched in her other hand.
"Ow!" Reid threw his hands over his head in a feeble attempt to ward off her continuous blows. "What was that for?!"
"For God's sake, boy!" She leaned down (mindful of his package dangling mere inches from her face) and snatched a pair of sweat pants from the floor. She turned her head away as she thrust them into his chest with a growl. "Put on some damn clothes!"
A/N: I hope, as always, you have enjoyed this chapter and please review. Next: What Covenant story wouldn't be complete without a trip to Nicky's...?