All For Not

Page 65

I loosened the grip on his throat first, my claws retracting from his skin. The feeling of wetness on my fingertips was a clear sign I had injured him. I stood there, his back still against the tree but when I tried pulling my hand away he held me there, "i'm sorry..."

I swallowed after the soft whisper left my mouth, I even tried pulling away again but he kept me there, "are you okay?"

"Let go Xavier," he shook his head, "not until I know you're okay," I stayed silent for a moment, "I'm fine, can you let me go now. Please?" He didn't, he just stood there looking at me until his grip on my wrist and shoulder loosened and he allowed my hand to retreat from his neck, the claw marks not as bad as I had thought they would have been when I looked down at them, merely scratches that matched his healed ones, but the slight red was something I hadn't expected...

I had burned him.

I chewed on my inner cheek at the sight, his eyes only watching me for a moment as my hands retracted up to my sternum, cradling and rubbing each other in my anxiety, "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I didn't know that it was you, Xavier..."

His hands grabbed my face and suddenly he's leaning down and kissing me. I stood stock still, unsure of what was happening. My eyes closed to keep it from being awkward as his lips molded against mine, subconsciously I hadn't wanted to watch his face as he kissed me, my hands pushing at his sternum halfheartedly as I basked in the shocking warmth and the situation. All of it foreign to me.

And then I kissed him back.