Emi stood with her toes barely touching the ground, her eyes glued to the stranger, his arms still securely around her waist. Fear held her in a vice grip while her thoughts spiraled out of control along with her heart rate. She knew he had been across the clearing by the edge of the trees only seconds before. There was no way he could have caught her in time to prevent her spill into the spring. And he some how knew her name - though she was certain she did not know him. And his 'eyes'. No one had eyes like that. They were blood red, and the pupils were large with the hint of an oval shape to them. They way his eyes watched her was unnerving, like she was something to snack on. As frightening as his eyes were Emi couldn't pull her gaze from them. They all but demanded her attention and she had no problem obliging. As the seconds passed she became aware of a burning in her chest and she realized she had been holding her breath.
"Breathe, A Stóirín, breathe." Amusement shone briefly in his eyes as she felt his laugh rumble deeply through his chest as she sucked air into her lungs. Her thoughts finally began to settle as she continually reminded herself to drag air in and out. Obviously she was in a bit of a predicament. She should try to put some space between the two of them. Even as she told herself this she couldn't bring herself to move her feet or arms at all, her body was content to stay where it was nestled in the arms of this man whose very aura screamed danger at her.
She growled to herself mentally and with much gathered disciplined forced her eyes away from his stare which granted her the will to move her limbs on command once again. She pressed her palms against his chest and pushed with as much force as she could muster trying to wiggle away from him. He acted as though he didn't notice her attempt. Emi gritted her teeth and braced herself to meet his striking gaze once more. She lifted her chin and stared him in the eye with the best glare she could muster up which would have been enough to make a rattlesnake shrink back. Her teeth still clenched tightly together she hissed out, "Let. Me. Go. Now."
He raised a sculpted brow and took a step away from the water's edge but rather than meet her request if you would label it as such he pulled her tighter against his chest, warranting a disgruntled cry from her lips.
"And why would I do that?" He asked slowly, his voice sliding over her like silk. She shook her head fiercely, refusing to be drawn into his glamour. She beat her fists against his chest and struggled all the more but to her dismay it didn't seem to matter a thing to him. He did not budge an inch or flinch under her assault. He studied her carefully and tilted his head to the side slightly, bits of his raven hair falling into his face. She had a strong urge to reach up and brush the strands back into place and she almost felt her hand lift as if to do so infuriating her even more. She always detested feeling vulnerable and out of control of her own actions, something that this man seemed to do to her with no effort at all.
With a mumbled humph he released her and she quickly stumbled back a few feet feeling almost sad that he had let her go. She mentally slapped herself and wondered vaguely why her body would betray her now of all times. She steadied herself and crossed her arms over her chest and glared unwaveringly at him. Emi was angry at the level of intimacy this stranger felt the two of them were at but she also knew she was still afraid, though she tried her best to squash the latter into a corner. She knew she had to be wary at the very least. He was after all very fast and from what she could tell strong. His skin had felt smooth as silk under her hands but she had felt the steel muscle beneath it as well. She glanced him over head to toe in a quick evaluation. He stood seemingly relaxed but a part of her mind told her that he was ready to spring at any given moment if needed. His overall body tone was on the lighter side but he was not bean-pole skinny. He stood no taller than six feet, maybe an inch or two taller. She noticed that he was pale, paler than she was but not in a sickly manner. It only drew attention to his dark hair, which framed the hard planes of his face and fell in layers slightly past his chin, and bright eyes and it certainly did not take away from his appeal.
Emi bit down on her bottom lip as she continued to take him in, not being able to deny to herself that he was simply attractive. Even as she formed an argument in her mind over his beauty his sudden speech ripped her from her thoughts. "Do you like what you see, A Rún?" Her eyes automatically snapped up to his face from where it had been lingering on his chest her cheeks burning under his stare. "I have no idea what you re talking about." She responded, her voice sounding a bit strained. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say she wasn't the first to do so and he thought nothing of it. Even though he was clearly dismissing it she couldn't help but feel miffed at the thought of others' eyes wandering over him. Another mental slap. Later she would have to set herself straight now was neither the time nor place for this, of course assuming she even had a 'later'. The thought of perhaps having no immediate future sent a shiver down her back and allowed her to finally focus.
He began to walk in a slow semi-circle around her, effectively trapping her between him and the water though he did so without letting on that it was intentional. Her eyes followed him back and forth as he walked. His eyes roamed casually over her body making her at once self conscious. He moved so quietly she would not have known he was moving at all if she wasn't watching him. She sucked a deep breath of air into her lungs before breaking the silence. "How do you know my name?" He paused in his pacing and his eyes flitted up to hers. Emi could have sworn that he looked confused by her question but the emotion had come and gone so quickly she had no way of knowing for sure.
He started his pacing again but slower than before. "Are you saying that you do not remember me from our previous encounter?" Her expression gave him all the answer he needed and he sighed and looked up to the sky. She watched him all the more warily; it was possible he wasn't all there in the head. "Well that is a shame, I must say. You seemed to enjoy yourself so much last time..." She listened to his every word carefully. She stiffened as she felt his warm breath suddenly upon the back of her neck. She had not even seen him move. "...You did not even protest to my kiss." His lips brushed against the side of her neck while he heavily drew in her scent.
Emi pivoted around quickly her hand raised to deliver as hard a slap as she could to his face but he was already gone, standing where he had been before his sudden intrusion upon her personal space. He clicked his tongue in a sound of disapproval and shook his head from side to side like she was a young child in need of scolding. Her cheeks burned a dark red and she drew her arms protectively around herself and she took another step back more afraid than before. He frowned and took a step forward and she flinched back from him. "Ah now now mo Chroí, do not act terrified of me." He paused looking down, thinking over what he just said. "Well, I suppose it is wise of you to fear me...But I tell you this I have no intention of harming you this night." His words did little to comfort her. He chuckled softly and strode boldly up to her, closing the gap between the two of them in a quick three strides ignoring her tries to back away from him.
He stretched out his arm and wrapped it around her, crushing her body to his ignoring her distressed cry. "Ah Emilia, I'm afraid our time together is growing short." His eyes quickly darted to the sky where the gray of dawn was making itself seen along the horizon. He lifted a hand and slid his finger down the side of cheek causing her to freeze up in his arms. He continued on with a sigh, oblivious to her reaction to him. "I know I know, too soon too soon. I will be sure to treat you better next time." He grinned at her then, his smile knocking the breath out of her as she stared dumbfounded up at him. Before she could regain her composure he caught her chin in his hand and angling her face upwards, his mouth swiftly descending upon hers. His mouth moved hotly over hers leaving her swept off her feet and more than dazed. The kiss lasted for what seemed like ages but was over too quickly. He finally pulled away wearing a smug grin. "Until next we meet. Try not to forget to breathe." With that he released her and took a step backwards before disappearing into the trees. His faint laughter echoed throughout the surrounding forest until blending into the calls of the waking birds. Emilia fell to her knees still in shock from the gravity of the kiss. She gingerly touched her fingers to her lips; when she pulled them away she did not notice the blood that tipped them. She sat there in the quiet clearing as the sun peaked over the trees bathing her in its soft glow leaving her lost to her thoughts.
