Page 60 of We Are Yours
So sad.
I didn’t know the guy staring back at me.
And I was beginning to think I never had.
He played for me until the sun rose, until the world started waking up, until the music left us alone together, and the last note simply faded.
I jumped in the shower after only sleeping maybe an hour or two and tried washing away the confusion of last night before I made my way downstairs. I made us some breakfast, leaving Kraven’s portion on the stove. At some point, I must have passed out on the couch because I woke up to Kraven attentively staring right at me…
Sitting in the shadows without saying a word.
The curtain was still closed, making the room have a soft glow to it. The candle I lit on the coffee table cast an amber glow on his face, softening the hard edges of his features. It smelled like pumpkin spice, which only heightened my senses. From an outsider looking in, he appeared to be watching over me.
If Julius walked in, he’d definitely get the wrong impression. I took in his unruly hair that draped over his eyes, obstructing his view a bit. He was only able to see through the slits in the strands. I could see his dark, cold, beady eyes, penetrating deep into mine, sparking an uneasy reaction out of me.
The outpouring of emotions he shared with me seemed like he’d been drowning in them. It merely fueled the way he was watching me, making me question what or who he was truly seeing in front of him.
Him.
Me.
Julius.
Or worse, his mom…
I seized, locking up like I did only hours prior.
Staying firmly rooted to the place where I lay on the couch, I was held hostage in his haunted composure.
In his tormented expression.
In his conflicted demeanor.
And he knew it too, the conflicting effects he was having on me, and I’d yet to realize if it was a good or bad thing.
He grinned, reading me like a book. “You scared of me, Isla?”
I shot straight up, angling my chin in defiance, challenging him. A hint of amusement passed through his gaze, but he blinked it away. Making me think I imagined it as if I needed to cling to some connection with him.
My thoughts were lying out in front of us, and I was unable to run away like I usually did.
Wanting.
Needing.
Waiting.
Holding my breath with every fiber in my being. I couldn’t breathe, and I counted silently in my head. It was the only way to keep myself from passing out over the sensations I couldn’t control for the life of me. Shivers coursed down my spine and back up my neck. My heart pounded harder against my chest.
Beat.
Beat.
Beat.
“What, Kitty? Cat got your tongue, or do you only reserve your voice for screaming my name? Is that how I make you purr?”
“More like hiss.”
