Strange Nights ( Dr Strange #1)

Chapter 23 : Origins - II

W/N: Finally I'm back. Hope you're all are doing well. Btw, it's gonna be a loooong chapter - the longest I think I have ever written. Hope u all enjoy.

Stephen winked at her conspiratorially. She had to bite the insides of her cheek to refrain from smiling and appear a perfectly normal companion of a wizard. Although she had been apprehensive about walking into a room full of wizards and claimed not to be a witch, Stephen had managed to talk her into this. And she knew she was going to give him anything he wanted.

She looked into his calm eyes, ones that were glowing with a faint silver light a few minutes back, the eyes that held the ability to persuade anyone; the eyes that had charmed the wizards, at once, into letting them stay in the valley and use the twilight well.

"How did you pull that off?" Y/N whispered, even though they had walked out of the wizard tower. She pressed her lips gently, tentatively to his cheek.

"Perks of being an alpha-vampire." He grinned.

They followed one of the villagers through the chilly wind and icy spray of rain. Y/N walked irritably as their guide led them through narrow, muddy lanes. Her new outfit was damn heavy, rain-soaked it weighed tons; the we-won't-change-our-mage-outfits had more been like I-won't-be-changing-my-outfit.

Their lodge was a dilapidated, musty old hut. It had two rooms - one with a large bed occupying most of the space, a fireplace and a wooden table with a pot, the other was a lavatory. The inside wasn't that horrible except for the wind whistling through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the dampness of the floor and walls. The fireplace was unlit but not empty and the sheets were fresh and crisp.

Once the man was out of sight, Y/N snapped her fingers, changing the drenched gown into her comfy PJs.

"You can't be wearing that," Stephen complained. He emptied the scrolls, given by the wizards to help him with his fake expedition, onto the table. Over his arcane collection of mystic texts, these were nothing nevertheless he was going to give them one read.

"Y/N, can you help me with the scrolls?" He stacked them into two piles of twenty-three and eleven.
When there was no response for a long time, Stephen turned around to find no sign of her in the room. "Y/N?" He hesitated at the threshold of the other room. She hummed softly.

He peeped in and caught his breath. Not that she was beautiful- but the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and something more than that. She was like a mermaid - exquisite and alluring; an enchantress who was bewitching his body, mind and soul.

"How did you arrange the hot bath... and bubbles?" His voice was a soft whisper as he trudged towards the tub. She didn't open her eyes, only lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers. The corner of her lips tipped up when she felt his warm breath over her shoulder. "I should have thought," he whispered once again, punctuating every word with a kiss. "So, so delicious."

Y/N whimpered as he sucked and assaulted every inch of exposed skin. "Stephen," she gasped, feeling the pad of his thumb exploring the curve of her breast. "Are you... are you making love to me?"

Her eyes were wide and bright. He watched her, up from close, with a lustful gaze. "No, I'm not," he said. Struggling to check himself, he withdrew himself from her.

"Why not?"

"Because I can't!"

She stirred up in the tub to face him. "Why?"

"For heavens, Y/N, don't you get it?" He pumped out all his pain, desire and anger at her. "I can't lose control. An absentminded caress - the slightest of manhandling, could crush- kill you, baby." He wanted to let her know how much he craved for her and how much he couldn't give her. "You have no idea how much effort I have to put into not fighting you when we spar. Anticipating every move of yours so my natural instincts of a predator don't kick in. That same goes for every moment I spend with you..." He ran a hand through his damp curls, "I know I won't be in full control if I ever tried making love to you. Baby, all it would take is one deadly kiss..."