Ominis Gaunt Loves a Pureblood

2. Bargains

~Ominis's POV

   I listened for the sound of her shoes and the pacing of her steps for her return. I had slept poorly, fretting over losing her and Sebastian and also remembering the feel of her plump lips when she kissed me. It had been a surprise, even though I had been so close to kissing her just a moment before. I've loved her all this time, believing she could never think of me that way. In truth, I hoped she wouldn't. It would only make it harder for her to lose a friend and a lover. Surely she only reached out to me last night as a desperate attempt to convince me to stay with her and Seb. It was heartwarming that she would pretend in that way just to keep protecting me.

   Although recently, I noticed how attentive she had become toward me. My difficulty in concealing my fluttering heart and flushing face had been great. When Sorsa's hand would linger in mine, she would bring a treat from dinner to my lips. Her lips were against my ear as she whispered something utterly silly. That kiss had been everything I had imagined it would be. It built a fire in me that was all-consuming. It made me want to consume her.

   I heard her approaching, and as she neared me, I could smell her apple-scented soap.

   "Sorsa," I say, holding my arm out. She made a little noise. It was one she commonly made when I surprised her with my awareness. My mouth pulls into a half smile. I hear her clear her throat nervously.

   "Gaunt." She says, and I have to mask my accidental smirk with a harsher expression.

   "So that's how it is today, hmm, Doll?" I say, holding my elbow out. She hesitates, and for a moment, I'm slightly afraid she won't take it, but I feel her small hand slip under my arm. Her hands are cold, likely from being so recently wet from bathing. The thought of her bathing lingered in my mind longer than it should have. I imagined feeling her bare skin in hot, bubbly water.

   "Are we to act as though nothing happened last night?" She asks, pulling me from my increasingly wicked thoughts.

    I place my free hand over her hand on my arm, rubbing the back to warm it up. It had been an instinctual action. I had always done these sorts of gentle affections toward my dearest friends, but with Sorsa, everything was becoming the touch of lovers. I felt her shudder softly as I stroked her.

   "No. I know you don't want me to leave you and Seb. You didn't have to go that far to try and convince me to stay." I say quietly as we walk.

   She lets out a frustrated sigh. Several students are near us now, and I can tell she waiting to speak. I'm leading us, despite my wand in my pocket. Sorsa is someone I trust more than even Sebastian at this point; she wouldn't hesitate to let me know if we were straying from the path. As it is, I'd grown quite used to this old school. I could likely navigate it independently if not for the students I would inevitably run into.

   She halts, which causes me to jerk backward. She grips my arm to steady me."My actions were entirely too genuine and selfish even. Even if it's true that you really have no interest in me, my opinion stands. You deserve to be free, even if you have to fight for it. You deserve to have friends. And I'll always stand by you. I'm not afraid of the House of Gaunt." She sounds flustered and somehow also nervous and brave.

   At first, I'm taken aback by her words and their meaning. She wanted to kiss me? She wants me in that way? Her belief in my goodness, what I deserve. But her last statement stands out the most. She is so stubborn sometimes. She is so stubborn she is sometimes blinder than I am.

   "You should be," I say, harsher than I intended. She needs to know how dangerous my family is. She needs to understand why she and Sebastian need to separate from me before they become pawns.