Page 18 of Elas (Mate’s Mark #2)
Xeni shrugs and leans forward to pluck the raisins off my plate like the maniac he is, popping them into his mouth. “Give it time. They’ll get used to you. I did.” He winks at me and a kernel of discomfort forms in my stomach as I remember Elas’s jealousy.
But Xeni isn’t flirting with me.
Is he?
“We’re stubborn, August, but we are able to learn.
You’ve taught everyone here a few lessons, just from working with us.
Even the chief, except she’ll never admit it.
But they don’t get that same level of exposure, and you can’t blame them for their anger when they’ve only ever been told horror stories about your kind.
” I bite back my retort that we were the victims, deciding it isn’t worth the argument.
Fighting will only make him mad, and I have enough enemies.
History always has been rewritten by the victors, and I suppose this is no different.
“Glad I could be of service,” I finally settle on, and he chuckles again.
“Well, I better get out of here before your boyfriend comes back and throws an even bigger tantrum.”
“Elas isn’t my boyfriend.”
He lifts a brow, those solid white eyes unconvinced. “Funny how you knew who I was talking about without me having to say his name.”
A flush burns at my cheeks. “We’re just… friends,” I insist, although I’m questioning if that’s true.
He hums in a noncommittal tone, drawing his lip between his teeth as he inspects me. “If he’s not your boyfriend, then how about you get dinner with me one day this week?”
Surprise forms a pit in my stomach and morphs into uneasiness. Elas was right. Xeni was flirting, and though I’m flattered, I’m not sure how to feel about it. “Oh, um, I’m not allowed to be unsupervised on the base.”
“You wouldn’t be unsupervised,” he says as he pushes off the wall, taking a step closer. “You’d be with me.”
“I, uh… I don’t know. That doesn’t seem like the best idea, given… everything.”
He scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Everything meaning Elas. ”
The flush on my face burns darker. “Tensions are high, and everyone here needs time to get used to my presence. I need to get my bearings before I risk shaking things up even more.”
Xeni is quiet for a long second, still chewing on his lip. “Right. Well, let me know when your bearings are steady enough.” He takes a step closer and pulls the empty plate from my hands, brushing my finger with his. “I’m patient.”
He pushes out the door to find Elas standing directly outside.
His jaw is tight and nostrils flared, which means he heard at least part of our exchange.
Xeni freezes for a moment, and Elas’s stony eyes don’t even blink as he hurries away.
They dart to mine as he takes a long stride forward, pulling the door shut behind him.
“Was he bothering you?” The words are deathly quiet, piercing through the enclosed space.
“He brought me lunch,” I say as I stand. “He didn’t touch me.”
Elas cocks his head in a deliberate way that screams at my instincts.
Goosebumps lift on my arms as I’m reminded he’s the apex predator here.
Another long step forward and he’s directly in front of me, my chin tilting up to keep his gaze.
He grabs my wrist, and my heart kicks into an unsteady rhythm as he lifts my hand to his face.
He drags my fingers under his nose before he bares his teeth.
“I thought you said he didn’t touch you.”
“He didn’t…” I trail off, remembering how Xeni brushed his finger over mine when he took my plate. “How do you—”
“You stink of him,” he snarls, then takes that single finger and places it against his mouth.
“It’s dirty… wrong. I don’t like smelling him on you.
” He drags the edge of my fingertip against his bottom lip before he kisses the end, and I stare, transfixed by the softness of his lips against my skin.
“Why not?” I whisper, and his eyes that had been trailing along my hand snap back up to mine. He moves closer and I counter it with a backwards step. Something predatorial blazes in his eyes as we do it again, and he chases my retreat until my back is against the wall.
A dark curtain of braids surrounds us as his forearm hits the wall. He leans forward, turning the already private space more intimate. “Dangerous game you’re playing, doc.”
My hands shake at my sides as I fist the fabric of my pants to keep from grabbing him. “You’re the one chasing me.”
“I am, aren’t I?” he mutters. “Question is… do you want to be caught?”
“Something tells me whether or not I wanted to be caught would matter very little if you decided you wanted to catch me.”
He chuckles quietly as he slots his leg between my thighs, and my eyes roll into my head at the sensation. “Sidestepping the question, are we?”
That sensation inside me erupts once again—the desperation to touch him in every way possible. To feel his skin on mine, our mouths moving together, with his hands everywhere they can reach. Elas’s lips part as he glances between us, locking on to where my cock pushes against his thigh.
This insatiable, demanding need is something I’ve never experienced in my life. I’ve never looked at someone and needed their hands on my body more than the air in my lungs.
Never thought I might suffocate unless they touch me.
“Elas,” I whisper, and his eyes find mine as he leans closer.
“What do you want, baby?” He’s so close his breath blows over my lips, mingling with mine in this charged atmosphere around us. “Tell me what you want.”
“I… I want—”
“Elas!” A fist thunders on the door and we pop apart. Elas stands tall while my hands fall to my crotch, covering the indecent bulge against my pants. “We have to get moving!”
A bark of a sheepish laugh, the closest thing I’ve ever heard to embarrassment out of Elas, diffuses some of the tension in the room. “Fuck me,” he mutters, dragging his hand over his face. “Talk about awkward timing.”
“I’m… I’m sorry,” I stutter with a nervous smile, and the humor slides from his expression.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, August,” he says gently. “But I came here for a reason before I got… sidetracked.” My quiet, huffing laugh makes him grin. “I’ve been put on a new watch rotation for the next few days. Once I deliver you home, I won’t be back until morning.”
“Oh.” Disappointment coats my words, erasing the last of the embarrassment between us. He offers me a sweet smile—one I’ve never seen him share with anyone else. I force one in return and nod towards the door. “I’m assuming that means I need to pack up for the day?”
“I’ve already cleared it with the chief.
” He notices my apprehension, because he steps closer again, seeming to realize that his presence calms me.
“It’s just for a few days, August. There’s food at home, and a few books, so you’ll have something to do.
Once I leave, you aren’t to go anywhere or open the door for anyone, alright? ”
“I wouldn’t—”
“ Anyone ,” he stresses, and glances over his shoulder at the door with a scowl.
“I don’t want him, Elas,” I whisper, and he freezes. It’s a reminder of his monstrous, primal nature—a stillness so complete that it’s unnatural, as if even the air around him is holding its breath. The level of control he has over every single muscle in his body is astonishing.
“Maybe not, but he wants you.”
“Well, he can’t just proclaim that I’m his and make it true.”
His eyes find mine, a warning written in the lines of his face. “We’re monsters, August. Never underestimate what we’ll do when we decide something belongs to us.”