?An embarrassing squeak comes out of me as I try to side-step the professor but he only tightens his grip and one of his thumbs rub up and down making my stomach dip. Then he pullsme closer into his chest and snakes his hands around my back. Pushing my head into pure rainy dewy meadows.
?He smells like a field after a storm right before sunrise. Everything tinted in cool colors and such a freshness. Clean and like life. The red devil with his shadows and truth-pulling and world-destruction smells like life.
?I take in a deep breath of it as a hand begins stroking up and down my back. Then shadows begin swirling from the corner of my eye and everything dips for a second before my bare feet are no longer touching stone.
?I wiggle my toes and it feels like some sort of wood or laminate flooring.
?Did we just shadow twist?
?His chest rumbles and I realize I’m still plugging my ears. Dropping my fingers, I keep my arms up because his are still wrapped around my middle and I have nowhere to put mine. I don’t take my face from his chest though because he smells so good.
?I feel like I could lay against a grassy hill right now and take a nap. A rainstorm around the horizon but enough of a gap to allow the pink and orange sunrise through.
?His hand hasn’t stopped stroking my back, but after a pass he changes from the pads of his fingers to his nails. It causes a shiver to run up my spine and the feeling has me arching against his hand. It tickles, but it pushes my front even more so into him.
?I wrap my hands on his biceps since there’s nowhere else to really put them – though that’s putting it lightly since my hand barely extends around half of his giant arm. I don’t think even using both hands would wrap around completely.
?Maybe I should try.
?His chest slightly rumbles again and I finally pull my head back and look at him. Gold is ringing red irises, but his pupils are nearly swallowing all of the red. I also now notice his blood is rushing and his heart is beating hard against his chest.
?“You were right.” His voice slightly raspy and low. “It was not runic magic turning me on.”
?And right at this moment I can feel the bulge digging into my stomach which has heat flushing my body and my stomach dipping again.
?My brain glitches and I have no idea what to do next. I can feel every point of contact from him to me with his fingers still stroking and lightly scraping my spine. It feels like a slow burning fire building.
?His eyes that are nearly swallowed by his pupils rove so slowly over my face. Like he’s trying to memorize every feature. It makes my cheeks burn with how close we are.
?Wait.
?When did his face get this close?
?His nose is about to brush my own and my soul within yanks the hardest it ever has. Jolting my body against his and his scent turns heady making my eyelids flutter down. My control on my blood gone as my heart beats nearly as fast as his is. That building fire licking throughout my body and my scent swirls within his.
?Berries and florals with fresh rain-cleared meadows. A rainstorm on the horizon with rolling hills full of blue bell-shaped flowers.
?His lips make the smallest of contact against mine. Tracing over mine as he mouths my name and I tilt my head and close my eyes right as a door busts open.
?It makes me jerk back as someone shouts at us to stop. A growl begins vibrating in Varian’s chest as my cheeks go red and I shrink down in his arms before looking back.
?Callahan is behind his father with a scowl on his face and his aura swarming around him. The devil councilman the one who busted through the door. Entering a room I don’t recognize with his arm raised and another plea for us to stop.
?“There is a raging red electrical storm going on outside that no one can stop. And a fire at the edge of Nagihoshi Sea no one can put out. Most of the flames are red and orange but they’ve started tipping to blue. You both – whatever you were doing – needs to stop.”
?My brows immediately furrow as I push out of Varian’s hold and this time he lets me go. Within all four of my keys are turned and their doors are open wide.
?Everything goes still for a moment as I snap each of them shut and lock them as I look down at my hands. Faint lines of red were starting to trace along my hands and wrists. I can feel the storm stopping and the fire disappearing.
?Uncontrolled.
?But I’ve always had control. I’ve always been able to open and shut those doors within me at will with ease.
?Though what had stilled me most, what keeps me frozen as tingles from lightning sparks continue to trace along my lips, was that there was no pain.
?Without thinking my fingers come up and trace my lips themselves. He had nearly kissed me – made physical, skin on skin contact with my face. . . and there was no burning.
?I look up to Mr. Arcturus with a finger pointed at Varian looking like he’s scolding him. Mr. Armani behind him with a disapproving expression and arms crossed behind him and Callahan watching me. His eyes zeroed in on where my fingers are still touching my lips and I drop my hand.
