Hurricane - Book 2

Chapter 17

TW in the description
Thank you to rare.candykale.arts and Choo_arts for these images!

Alberto POV

Alberto woke to the sound of a shower being turned on. He groaned. Just one morning, he would like to be the one to wake up first. Alberto wanted the chance to see Luca asleep, curled into his arms. But Luca was always up bright and early. He was usually already out of bed before Alberto even noticed.

"Why is my mate such an early bird?" He thought as he rubbed his eyes awake.

He forced himself to sit up and get out of bed. He wore shorts and a plain tank top. Opening the door to the bathroom, Alberto was greeted with a wave of steam. He grinned as he saw a long green tail peeking out from behind the shower curtain.

Luca was humming to himself as he showered. Alberto stopped to listen. It was a major tune, maybe something his mother sang to him when he was young. The tip of his tail twitched back and forth.

Walking quietly so Luca wouldn't hear, Alberto snuck across the tiled floor until he was right outside the curtain. Then with both hands, he grabbed Luca's tail.

"Gotcha!" He said.

There was a loud, "AHH!" and the tail jerked from his hand as Luca stumbled around in the shower.

Alberto began laughing, then Luca's head peeked around the corner of the curtain.

"Alberto! I could have tripped!" He said with an adorably grumpy look on his face.

"Sorry, sorry," Alberto said, still laughing. Then he caught a glimpse of Luca's bare chest, the rest of him hidden behind the curtain. He raised an eyebrow.

"Mind if I join?"

"No way!" Luca said, shutting the curtain back over himself. His tail hung out for only a moment before he jerked it back in.

"Are you being shy?" Alberto said, teasing. "You know I've already seen everything, right?"

"I-I know that," Luca said, his voice small.

Alberto blinked hard through the steam. He could see Luca's outline from behind the curtain. His shoulders, the arch in his back, the way his tail sloped away from his body.

A sudden rush of yearning hit Alberto so hard he gasped. All at once, the playful teasing was gone - replaced by.... desire.

He blinked at the rapid change in his attitude.

"What is this?" Alberto wondered as his heart raced and his eyes continued to watch Luca's outline. He wanted to rip that curtain open and have his way with Luca in the shower. The knowledge that Luca was undressed only feet from him sent his mind into a frenzy.

Alberto took a deep breath. This wasn't coming from him - or was it?

"I'll see you downstairs." He quickly said and raced out of the room and to the first floor.

As soon as he put distance between him, the desire loosened its grip. He could feel the tether inside him... the Bond. It was alive with electricity and heat. Was he feeling this way because... he was sensing Luca's desires?

No. He would be able to tell if these feelings were coming from Luca. This was... something else. Then a thought hit Alberto, stopping him midstep.

Is the Bond itself - Alive? Does it think for itself, regardless of Luca's and Alberto's wishes? The thought of a separate entity controlling them scared Alberto.

"I need to talk to Mattias." He thought, skipping coffee and marching down the hall.

He was so lost in thought he ran headlong into someone coming around the corner.