Hekate’s Bride

I take laps beside Darian, trying so hard not to look left.

He is there. Ginevra is there. They sure are doing something because I can hear Ginevra moaning all the way over here.

The sounds make the fine hair on my skin rise and it doesn’t matter how nice and cool the water is. I keep feeling hot all over, also in places I cannot describe.

“Would you like a drink?” Darian asks while I seat on the slated edge of the pool, kicking at the water that has taken on a beautiful blue hue.

“Yeah,” I say, suddenly feeling parched.

Darian asks Maya as well but I can hardly hear anything past Ginevra’s girly giggle and the sharp sigh that leaves her lips when Rune’s fingers caress her inner thigh.

A sharp sigh leaves my lips and I catch myself biting on my lower lip, nearly wishing I were in her place.

What is wrong with me? I grip my fists hard enough to hurt, forcing my gaze elsewhere.

“This is awkward,” Maya whispers, sliding closer to me and usurping Darian’s space. At this rate, I really don’t mind. I just want someone to speak to me and take my mind off the nonsense going on in front of me. Seeing Ginevra’s look of pure ecstasy is doing things to me and I hate it.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

I hate the fact that I know what it feels like to be in that place. I hate that I know how Rune’s fingers feel against my inner thigh. I hate that he knows what I look like when I moan. I wonder if my eyes rolled back the same way Ginevra’s has. I wonder if he moans for her the way he did me.

I shouldn’t have come to the pool tonight. I hate it all.

“Yeah,” I whisper, rubbing the length of my arm and finger the delicate healed skin on my forearm.

“So… you like Darian?” Maya asks.

I make a face. “I’ve only known his for a couple of days. He’s charming and really cute, but no.”

Her eyes widen slightly and then narrow. “I find that very hard to believe. It’s obvious he likes you. He’s started laying claims on you.”

I pause in confusion. “Laying claims, how?” I have been extra careful with Darian, especially since I know lycan traditions differ from ours. The smallest actions could send a message and tip them off in the wrong direction.

“He left his spot with Star Raven to come say hello and he’s stuck by your side since then.”

“That doesn’t mean anything-and how did you even notice that?”

“It’s a super power of mine,” she grins, kicking at the water and brushing loose strands of her hair back. “You don’t talk much.”

I grip the cool slate, reveling in the contrast it gives against my spiking temperature. “It’s just been an exhausting day and-” There’s that rich, deeply masculine laughter coming from Rune and my claws suddenly jut out.

The slate gives under my hand and snaps in two as easily as twigs would.

I hiss at the sudden sting in my palm and when I upturn it to take a look, there’s blood.

“Oh my, are you alright?” Maya’s voice rises and carries well, causing a lot of eyes to turn in our direction.

I hide my palm in my lap to hide the evidence of my jealousy. “Yeah. It’s a small cut. Already healing.”

My eyes meets Rune’s briefly and I can tell that he knows from the slight tilt to his lips. He knows why I’ve cut my palm, even if it’s by mistake. He knows how I feel. He only needs to look at me once and peer into my soul

It is one of the reason why I hate him, and he hates me in turn.

Because we know each other way more than we know ourselves and we see things no one else does. It comes with a sort of weakness; a vulnerability that none of us are willing to accept.

So we fight it. Again and again. Even if we aren’t exactly sure why we are fighting.

Darian arrives in a few minutes, holding two wine glasses in his hands. “I couldn’t find anything without the spikes. Be careful while drinking that. It packs quite the punch.”

I raise my glass, feeling perky again. Or maybe it’s my need to smile to let Rune see that licking Ginevra’s neck isn’t affecting me. “Oh, I can handle it,” I announce proudly, raising the glass to my lips.

“Maybe… slow down, Astrid. This isn’t regular human alcohol. It’s been mixed for specifically for us since it’s normally hard to get tipsy,” Darian is saying but I have nearly emptied the glass. I have never tasted anything this sweet before. It goes down my throat smoothly, untangling the knots of anxiety and frustration in my belly.

The more I drink from it, the lighter I feel. My eyes flutter close as I savour the taste of it. I don’t know what it is, but it is exquisite.

I empty the glass and wipe my chin, giggling. I look around in awe. Everything looks so much brighter and the colours are sharper, more alluring. The ceilings, the floors, the water, Darian’s eyes… everything is pretty… and blurry.

“Astrid?”

I squint up and I giggle when I find two Darians. Two Mayas.

That can’t be right. It was just one glass. I can’t be drunk.

But… I am.