Page 41 of Castor
“Tell me about it. I did what I needed to do, even though my heart broke in the process.” Castor holstered the dagger and placed his hands on the railing. A gold ring on his forefinger caught the light. I’d noticed it earlier. It was a werewolf’s insignia ring. Probably a prize from a gambling match. “Wow, I’ve really brought down the mood. I didn’t mean to word vomit all over you like that.”
“We’ve never really talked like this before,” I said, watching a boat in the distance approach the harbor. “It’s different.”
“Different in a bad way?”
I shrugged. “No. Not bad. Just… unexpected.” Then, because I thought it was only fair that I share something personal since he had, I said, “My father was a tyrant. I don’t think he was always that way. My brother Tatsuya talks about how great of a king he once was. But I only knew him as a power-hungry ruler who threw his people into an unnecessary war. All because he thought he should rule overallthe dragon clans, not just over ours.”
“That’s the thing about power,” Castor said. “Once you get a taste of it, you want more. Same with other things, I suppose. Sex, money, power, all of it coincides. It tempts even the strongest of men. Many stories talk about how heroes are faced with these vices, and their resistance is what constitutes their victory. Giving in leads to their downfall. That always stuck with me.”
“Why?”
“Because my brothers and I are the embodiment of the seven deadly sins. Our very existence says we’re villains. That we’re evil. Yet, we’ve dedicated our entire lives to protecting mankind. So where do we fall in the great scheme of things?” His pinky grazed mine on the railing as we faced ahead. I couldn’t help but link them. I really liked touching him and was finding it harder to resist those urges. “We should be drinking if we’re gonna talk about this shit.”
I laughed and leaned against his shoulder. He rested his head on the top of mine.
Crazy how we’d fucked several times—bared our bodies to each other and lost ourselves to blissful ecstasy—yet it was that moment right then, as I stood beside him on the balcony, our pinkies linked and our heads resting together, that felt the most intimate.
“You said once that I seemed detached, like I had trouble trusting people.” Castor threaded his fingers through mine. “You were right. A lifetime of war has made me jaded. Every time I get close to someone, I end up losing them.”
A pang went through my heart. “The day my father waged war on the other clans, my people were marked as traitors and hunted down. I spent my entire childhood locked inside the palace, unable to go outside for fear of discovery. The war was already started when I was born. That fear was all I knew. It got even worse once my father was killed. I guess you could say I have trouble trusting people too.”
“We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”
“Daddy issues and all.”
He laughed. “I’m glad you’re here, Kyo.”
I wasn’t used to him saying my name. I pulled back to look at him, and my chest tightened at the way his eyes crinkled around the edges as he smiled at me.
“Yeah, well…” I tore my gaze from his and focused on the port. “If I die on this trip, I’m coming back to haunt you.”
“Awe. How sweet. Even in death you wouldn’t be able to stay away from me.”
“I hate you,” I said with a chuckle.
He touched the edge of my eye. “I like your real eyes better.”
Before exiting the jet, I had put in blue contacts to hide my orange eyes. They were the one part of me that didn’t change when I was in a human form, so I had to hide them.
“Can’t scare the humans with my freaky eyes, can I?”
“I think they’re beautiful.”
Castor tugged me to his chest. The movement was sudden. And when his lips pressed to my forehead, my stomach fluttered. Something yanked on my sternum as I stood wrapped in his arms, his scent of honey and spice enveloping me.
Whatever this was between us had changed. It no longer felt like no-strings-attached sex.
“Let’s go downstairs.” He kissed my cheek before pulling away. “We can grab something to eat at the hotel restaurant and chill for a bit.”
The restaurant was well-lit and open. Wide rectangular windows let in natural light, but there were small light fixtures on dark green columns in between that added to the cozy ambience. Round tables were scattered throughout, and Castor led me over to one beside the window.
It was around two o’clock that afternoon. Within hours, we’d travel to the island and meet with the other Nephilim.
“Why are you frowning?” Castor asked before saying yes to the wine the waiter offered.
I waited until we were alone before answering, “Just thinking about tonight. Why do we have to go when it’s dark?”
“The shadows will help conceal us from the humans. Why take a boat to the island when we can fly?”
