Warning: Opening Scene Rated M

Chapter 6: Playing With Fire

Zhalia

It was then that I realized that I had been half-lying on the table wearing nothing but the ocean colored bikini and he was above me, wearing nothing but jeans. I felt embarrassed even more so when my eyes wandered down and... past his belt.

For the first time in a very long time, I could feel my cheeks heat up. I found myself waiting for him to move- to react, whether it was away to help me up or move in closer. I waited. But... He didn't. I squelched the embarrassment that I felt rise within me and looked up into familiar amber eyes that were- intense and focused. Without thinking, I pushed myself up on my elbows to be closer to him. I wanted to challenge him, see what he would do next...

Click!

We both heard something at that moment and immediately looked around for the source. My eyes were quicker I think, and I think I saw a movement of a shadow outside the window. Someone had seen us, and they were there only a second ago.

For a moment, we both stood still, waiting for whatever it was that made a sound to make another or to reveal itself. I anticipated throwing a spell around, but... got distracted. While Dante was still scanning windows and entrances for any trace of movement, I took my time to run my eyes over his body.

Now, I knew he was fit, but- damn! I lay down against the cold table, placing Solwing on the surface under me before I brought my hands up to his body and splayed my fingers across his pecs. My fingers danced across his chest, swirling around his chest hair which I noticed were a darker auburn. I smiled as I then brought my hands to run down his sides, across muscles and what looked like a... knife wound that sliced him right under the ribs.

Ouch, that would have hurt so much when it was fresh. It look and felt pretty deep, too.

It didn't escape my notice that he was covered in scars. From the burn on his left collarbone evidenced by a darker patch of skin, to the faint brand on his chest that was raised, the slight change of skin color from a Boltflare that burned through clothes... so many more. And I observed them all.

I enjoyed the feel of him under my touch so much and wanted to explore more. So, I brought my hands back to his core, to run up and down his abs. He didn't seem to mind me doing all of this or seem to be distracted from his search.

A part of me wondered whether or not it was because he'd been in a situation like this. A woman with him, something suspicious happens off to the side, and while she's exploring him, he's still on the lookout for danger. Ever prepared... ready to react.

The thought of me being just another name on his list of women he's been with got under my skin a bit too much for my liking, and for a moment I felt a pang of jealousy at the fact that I probably wouldn't be the first teammate he's gone far with. Not that I wanted that particular honor or anything the like. For some reason, I couldn't help but feel slightly jealous. Anger joined in a little later as the thought of being treated like some random lay came to mind.

Half of me was about to push him off me but the thought was cast out the moment he turned back to me, eyes still wary but wondering if I was on the same page as him.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, warily. I could see he was tense, ready to spring into action only waiting for the first sign of trouble.

I nodded before I brought my hands up to his shoulders to give him a reassuring, relaxing rub, "Either someone would have come through the door, or there would be some sort of explosion followed by an ambush."

He exhaled, somewhere between a huff and a sigh, and I could tell that he still troubled by the thought of someone out there sneaking about and he looked around again. After all, this was his grounds. Though the house itself was protected by a barrier, that didn't mean that someone wasn't on his premises. I rolled my eyes and reached up to frame his face, tilting his face towards me.

"But considering that this is your house," I said, "I doubt the ambush part and seeing as no one has come through the door yet, I'm thinking that someone was just in the wrong place at the wrong time... for their eyes."

He chuckled at that as he looked down at me. I started to run my free hand down his body again, while with the other I was unconsciously tracing the outline of his ear.

"Uh- Having fun?" he asked, unsure about what to say, after all this was the first time we'd interacted like this. I withdrew my hands, I couldn't read that reaction of his.

"Not yet." I dared to answer as I pushed myself up on my elbows to be closer to him.

I brought myself so close that our lips were only inches away. We were sharing the same air, both of us holding our place.

He realized the opportunity I was giving him and that same something I couldn't decipher showed in his eyes as he muttered, "Zhalia-"

I've wanted to kiss him before, usually under different circumstances. Sometimes to tease him, other times to show him who's boss in a situation when it was just the two of us- but now... I wanted to know what it felt to kiss him. Wanted to know what it was like to be with him, even if it were just for a short time.

But also wanted to know whether or not he wanted me as much as I wanted him.

"I-" he started, glancing down before meeting my eyes again. "Zhalia, you're so beautiful."

Nope, screw it.

I didn't give him the chance to initiate. It was my lips that met his, and for a second, his mouth was set- unyielding and adamant as if he didn't want to react. But then- he started to kiss me back. He brought up a hand to cup the back of my head, tangling in my hair, pulling me closer.

I moved, too. While one arm kept me up and close to him, the other I used to wrap around his nape using it as my leverage to pull him towards me. I let my hand wander over his bare back, lightly adding pressure my nails as I roamed, dragging my fingers across his well-defined muscles, a result of extensive training. I could even feel the slightly raised skin of even more scars...

His mouth moved down to my neck, kissing gently until he reached a point close to my collarbone. I let out a groan as I could feel his coarse beard scratching sensitive skin with every movement he made. And when I felt teeth press against me, I turned away to allow him more access to my neck. It actually tickled a bit when he was being gentle and I slightly laughed at the feeling, taking the time then to run my fingers through his hair, hoping to encourage him to keep moving. To not stop. But he did.

"Please, don-" I started, but when I saw the look his eyes, I saw he had no intention of actually stopping.

Leaning his weight on one arm, he reached down and undid my bikini top which was styled so that that tie was in the front. It took him a moment to loosen the knot with one hand, but once it was undone, gravity took care of the rest and I let the top slip off my shoulders leaving myself mostly bare to his gaze. I caught a smirk as he took his time running his eyes over me. I couldn't help but smile myself at that. I was about to say something snarky and I wanted to tease him, but he surged forward and kissed me, hard. With his free hand, he palmed my breast and I... for a lack of a better word, squeaked... mid-kiss when he pinched my nipple, only to then continue to roll it between his index and thumb.

When we broke apart with shallow breaths, we both sought to still remain close. And even now, I noticed his eyes were observant, as if studying me... but there was something else there. Something I couldn't quite place.

"So receptive." he growled as gave me another pinch. I couldn't help the involuntary cry I let out or the shiver that ran through me as a reaction to both his voice and his actions. I held my breath as I felt his hand roam down to my hip and he started to kiss his way slowly down from my neck.

"S- Stop playing with me." I snapped back, though there was no venom to my voice or threat to follow it up with. My hand rested on his nape, curling my fingers in his hair.

I could feel him smile against my skin. "But it's fun." he replied as he placed a kiss on my sternum.

I wanted to retort and attempt to turn the tables if I could, maybe, roll with him and end up on top. But once again- he caught me off-guard, moving all at once. His mouth found my breast and his hand slipped in between our bodies, his thumb finding my clit before he started moving in circles-

"Oh, God!" I cried as I dug my nails into his back.

I could feel his tongue teasing my nipple, circling and toying... and when he drew back, he dragged his teeth against my skin. I made a whine of protest when he seemed to stop, but he only turned to repeat his ministrations to my other breast. And when I arched my chest into him, I could feel teeth against my skin. My wordless cries only got louder at that, and as I threw my head back, I felt his teeth apply more pressure against my skin.

At one point, I don't know when, but he was kissing me again. Meanwhile, I was grinding against his hand as he kept his pace oscillating between fast and slow, a pressure slowly rising... he was bringing me so close. My breath shortened and his pace became steady, circling fast... I could feel pleasure building up inside me, "Yes! Yes! Please, Dante-"

But right before I could fall, his touch was gone. My eyes shot open and looked into his, confused. But all I saw was a smirk on those lips. He was toying with me.

I wanted to punish him for teasing me, but thought instead to show him up. I was about to bring my hand to finish what he started, annoyed and frustrated, but he caught me and pinned my wrist to the table. He was smiling a bit and now, I wanted to bite that lower lip of his until it bled so that I could get back at him, but he was so tantalizingly out of reach.

He rested his forehead against mine and whispered. "Are you... sure about this?" he asked, breathing hard. He sounded so restrained, struggling a bit- but restrained nonethless... and was leaning in so very close.

I thought of no better way to answer him than to angle my head a bit to the side and push up as far as I could to place a light kiss that stubborn mouth of his. He let go of my wrist so that I could position myself properly and kiss him fully, show him how sure I was.

"How about..." I suggested, whispering in his ear before nipping at his earlobe, "We take this to your room and lock the damn door."

"Agreed." he growled as he leaned back and helped me sit up.

However, instead of moving away from the table, he pulled me to him for another hard kiss and this time I really did bite that lower lip of his. Not so hard that I drew blood, but enough to sting him a little. He leaned back away to smile amused and whispered something softly. A part of me was glad to see him not back away from my actions or be annoyed at my reciprocating some rough ministrations.

Before I could get a chance to move though, his next kiss was rough, demanding and he pulled me even closer to him. I returned that want with my own desperate kiss as I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist and arms around his neck. I was surprised that this table was at a perfect level for him to grind against me and when he did, I couldn't stop moaning or moving against him.

All of a sudden, we heard someone slam their fist against the door urgently.

"Dante! Zhalia! A little help!" came a yell. It was Montehue.

Dante immediately straightened and helped me up-

"Zhalia! Zhalia!" the voice belonged to neither Dante or Montehue. "Zhalia!"

I snapped back to reality.

My eyes opened slowly as I felt myself coming out of the dream that consisted mostly of memories. I could feel my body humming and pulsing with need, recalling the feelings that were so intense and so full of want. But I ignored it as I stretched the sleep out of my limbs.

It would have been so much better if it were a fantasy. I could simply dismiss the dream then and blame his skill on my imagination. But no, his touch, his mouth-

"You were saying something in your sleep." came a worried voice above me. "I thought maybe you were unconsciously battling the sleep spell."

"Oh-" I muttered in reply to Cherit as I sat up. "No, I was fine-"

The feeling of unfamiliarity fully settled and sent me into what I liked to call hyper-state of awareness. Once I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I found myself looking everywhere, trying to take in a lot of details all at once. I registered the manacles on my wrists and the magic inhibiting jewelry that had been placed on my ankle.

I also noticed that I was in someone's personal room judging by the way that things were organized in a haphazard fashion. I couldn't help but see the bookshelf in the corner filled with worn books whose spines bore cracks and creases from the number of times they had been opened and left so. In my observation, I saw there were even two desks in this room, one filled and surrounded by paper, folders, and containers of files. The other was smaller but neater with notebooks open and what looked like sketchbooks with their pencils left inside.

I focused my attention on the smaller desk and saw that there was a sketch of something, but it was at such an angle that I couldn't see. It was a work in progress, no doubt, but the subject was a mystery for now.

I then turned my attention away and studied the walls and windows wondering if there could be some hidden space for a camera or some sort of relic in the room I wasn't taking into account. But a preliminary search revealed there was nothing beyond furniture.

The windows were curtained and drawn, but I could still tell that it was bright outside. Judging by the bright light that hit the room floor, it was early to midday. That meant that it's been a day since I've been taken. Or at least two. But it definitely wasn't the same day.

How could I know?

Because I'm absolutely certain that we were not in Europe. There was no definite safe spot that the Organization could not got to in the continent. And if Dante had taken with me and not left me with some crew that was meant to ransom me off, then it meant that I was in the States and in a Huntik safe house.

The thought that I was in Dante's room did cross my mind, and I settled to that because it was comforting. No doubt I was in danger the moment I was put on whatever transport they had used to get out of the continent and being as close to him as possible was the safest spot for me. This room though didn't look to be his personal bedroom which wasn't really a surprise. He probably still didn't trust me to be in a room that was so... intimate. This though- what I guessed would be his workroom- it was probably the only comfortable place he had thought of for me.

I looked over to my left and saw the door was open and perched on top of the door, since the ceiling was so high that he had space to fly around, was Cherit. He must have opened it while I was surveying everything because I didn't see it open when I scanned the room a little while ago.

"Glad to see you awake with no fallout from the spell." the Titan stated cheerily as he took off and started flying about as if stretching his wings. I couldn't blame the poor Titan for wanting to fly around everywhere.

I tugged at the chain and noticed that whoever had spelled the chains into the wall gave me some sort of leeway to move. As I stood up and walked towards the opposite corner of the room, I found that I could reach the bookshelves without a problem. Definitely spelled and probably limited to a certain space within the room itself.

I focused on my new piece of jewelry, a simple gold chain with a small charm of a moon on it.

Cute.

I knelt down fiddled with the anklet, trying to ease out of it. If I could get it over my heel then I could slip it off. But the continued efforts irritated and cut into my skin- it wasn't going to go anywhere.

This escape may not be easy.

I turned and walked to the door testing what charm was actually on this chain or some sort of binding relic. I got my answer soon enough. As I approached the doorway, the chain went tight and I couldn't step forward as my wrists were being pulled away, redirecting me back to the bed.

"Damn it." I muttered as I relented to its pull and just crashed onto the bed, rearranging the pillows so I could sit up more comfortably.

"He spelled it pretty good, with some sort of magic I haven't seen in ages." Cherit said as he perched on the bed frame at the foot of the bed. "It was very creative."

"Uh-huh, of course it was." I just muttered rather dismissively. "Cherit, how long has it been since the breakout?"

"Two days." he answered, "We kept your body in stasis once we boarded the plane and once we reached here, Scarlet put you into a sleep spell. She was rather aggressive with it."

I scoffed, " 'Course she was."

I sighed, restless, and looked around. Through the door I could see an open hallway and the hint of a staircase, but no other sign of life beyond Cherit. I couldn't even hear any voices.

"So," I started impatiently, "where the hell is everyone?"

"Uh- well..." he started a bit nervously as if unsure whether or not to divulge the information, "Well- Everyone else is on the safe grounds. There are several people downstairs. Dante, Lok, and Sophie are among them."

"And what are they doing?" I asked before mockingly adding, "Deciding my fate?"

He looked slightly disappointed that I would think that and... did he just pout?

"Zhalia, your friends are here for you." he assured me, "They are downstairs talking about tomorrow's Council meeting. Something big is happening."

"It's called a war, Cherit." I answered him, and saw his face take on a worried expression. "Listen to me. I need your help. I'm behind enemy lines and if I stay here any longer, I'll be in danger. I might even get killed."

I thought he was going to answer, but instead his eyes turned away from me and I was just about to say something more when-

"I won't let that happen."

Slightly alarmed, I turned to the door and saw Dante leaning there casually against the doorjamb.

That was pretty silent.

I hadn't even heard a creak from floorboard or anything really like shoes on stairs. Impressive.

Dante turned from me to Cherit, "Can you please keep an eye on everyone downstairs?"

"Aye, I'll make sure they don't cause any trouble." the Titan answered as he flew past and out of the room.

I watched as he, the only chance to keep the upcoming conversation civil, flew out the bedroom door. My mind raced considering all my options at the moment. What should I play at? Or should I even put up a front?

I looked at him and tried to read him as he stepped into the room.

I'll play this by ear.

I sighed and just relaxed back against the pillows, relented to deal with the conversation I knew was coming up as Dante closed the door behind him.

"Stop thinking you need to save me from them." I told him curtly as he walked over to one of the desks and took a chair, turning it so that the back faced me.

I knew the gesture well. He commonly did that when he meant to start an interrogation... or a conversation that usually involved him asking a lot of questions.

"I'm one of them-" I started.

"No, you're not." he said a matter-of-factly as he took a seat and set his forearms against the top of the chair, "And besides, you're safer here than you are with them."

I scoffed at him and rolled my eyes. "I'm safe in a country where most Seekers want me dead?!"

He threw me a look that communicated better than the words, You know what I meant.

But instead he said aloud, "It's better here than in the Organization that's soon going to be turned inside out, and you would've been..." he trailed off, "hurt."

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to figure out his game. His angle. What is he trying to get at?

"I know that Rassimov will take over and soon the Organization will be serving the Blood Spiral Brotherhood." I said, "But it's the same in the end isn't it? The Organization- Blood Spiral or not- is still seeking power. Is still for the powerful-"

He was unreadable as I went on, but if I were forced to take a guess, I would say he looked sad.

"You're more than that, Zhalia." he stated, eyes focused on me.

He sounded so sincere... so genuine. He believed in me so much more than I did. Believed I was more than what I was.

What a disappointment I must have been to him when I attacked him that day.

"Maybe, I could've been." I struggled to say, my voice was uncertain as I looked down. Looked away from him. I tried to focus on the blood on his jacket sleeve, the mud on his boots... anything else. I could see that he was pleading with me, ever so silently. Worry was written all over those strong eyes of his and I could only guess he was saying these words because he was trying to find an anchor, something to keep me from wanting to return. "But I'd say I proved you wrong that day."

Then, he did something rather unexpected. He smiled.

"Actually, you proved me right." he said as he rubbed his wrist, grimacing slightly as if in pain. The action didn't escape my notice, but I kept listening to him. "You saved my life when you could have easily ended me."

My mind went blank at that. No counter argument, no snide, critical voice in my head. I was speechless.

But it was only for a moment.

"They will come for me." I told him.

"No doubt about it."

"They'll kill all of us."

"I highly doubt that." he said with a tone of humor. For some reason, I couldn't help but smile, too.

He stood and walked over to me taking a seat at the side of the bed close to where I had let my hand rest. I didn't want to move because I was hoping he would do what I thought he would. I kept my eyes on him and noticed he was indeed staring at my manacles. He was thinking about it. He was thinking about whether or not to break the chain.

Please.

I hated being chained up. If I were to be a prisoner, then keep the anklet on, no doubt it was enchanted so that I couldn't take it off myself, but at least take off the chain.

"I have to warn you that I've warded this place." he said as I turned to him, "You make a move to break a wall, a window, or break into a room with a locked door, you will be enchanted with a sleep spell."

I stared at him incredulously before asking, "Really? A sleep spell? Like fairy tale-style?"

He didn't reply, so I took that as a confirmation. Instead, he wrapped his hand around the manacle. I expected to hear him use Breakspell or some other, but he said nothing. Yet, the manacle glowed. A moment later when he lifted his hand a seam appeared on the band underneath his hand and the manacle easily came apart with a pull. He repeated the same with its twin.

It felt good to have the metal off my wrists. It was starting to feel constricting.

I wasn't surprised he hadn't left, and that he remained close to me.

I wonder. Does he-

I was so curious. Well, there was one way I would be able to find out.

"It was the only spell that wouldn't incapacitate you in a harmful way and no one else would be able to abuse it." he said in answer to my question, as he reached over me and pulled the chain free from the wall, making sure none of it hit me. "The spell would require me to wake you up."

"Like with a kiss?" I teased, knowing full well what I was playing at. I couldn't read his expression, it didn't give me the answer I wanted. I only straightened myself on the bed which brought me only slightly closer to him. "That sounds like something you would do-"

Okay, this was risky.

I leaned slightly forward.

He was still unreadable, but he slightly tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "Cast a sleep curse?" he asked.

"No," I said, my voice just above a whisper as I clarified, "kiss me."

I knew what I was doing. Even though I don't know what has changed with him since the last time I saw him, even though I was running a risk, I was confident. I knew two things. For one, whatever happened next would somewhat answer the questions I didn't want to ask, would satisfy my curiosity for right now. What was the second? Well- I knew I was playing with fire.

Happy New Year! Here's to 2016, all! I wish all of you a happy and health new year!
A/N is here. All future A/Ns will have a link at the end. Merely, go to the section for this story.