Fallen (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 31 - Half a First Date

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"No."

The man beneath me opened his eyes. They were bloodshot and swollen, his eyes watering even though he wasn't crying as if they could not hold back the overflowing pain he felt. It was clear he had been crying even before he tried to attack me. At that moment, his face was covered in streaks of tears and drops of blood that had splattered from his fingers and chest. I grabbed his wrists to pin his hands at the sides of his head preventing him from trying to rip through his chest because he had not been fast enough to effectively kill himself. The injuries on his chest were already beginning to heal leaving just his shin covered in drying blood.

I would have killed him. Not just because he asked, but because he dared jump at me while I was with Talian, but Talian being there was also the reason I could not kill the wolf. I did not want to come across as ruthless or dangerous with him nearby, I didn't want him to see me that way. Something about how benevolent he was made me feel like he deserved someone who wasn't as cruel as I could be. I did not want to be destructive around someone who was obviously a natural healer.

The man seemed confused, and scared, as if he thought I had something more planned for him than death. He was right, but he didn't need to be frightened by what I intended to use him for.

Looking towards Talian caused a knee-jerk reaction that almost made me let the man beneath me go as my foot lifted to move towards him but I stopped my body. There were two things that would happen if I let the wolf go: he would either continue to hurt himself or launch at me or Talian again. I didn't want him to kill himself on our first date and I did not have time to fight the wolf while Talian was so shaken by what he had seen. I needed to comfort him and deal with the wolf later, so I turned back to the man lying on the ground.

"Go to the east entrance of my pack and tell them I told you to wait with Zev. If you mention your mate, he'll know who you are and why you're there. East. If you try to enter any other way, you won't have a word out before you're killed. We will talk about Lawrence later." He knew that was the only option I was giving him, because staying on the beach was not at all an option. He glanced over at Talian before nodding at me and I stood up.

He shifted almost instantly and set off running in the direction of my pack. I watched him disappear around a car in the parking lot before turning to kneel in front of Talian.

His eyes were still tightly shut, there small wet drops around his lashes, his fists at his sides, slightly trembling. I reached for his hands hoping to calm him. The touch seemed to work as the fists immediately relaxed in my hands and his tensed shoulders slumped slightly. He still kept his eyes closed as his head slowly turned back to look forward, his face eventually facing mine. One of my hands moved to caress his cheek gently, my thumb brushing over his lashes to dry them.

"Lian," Talian's eyes shifted over my face, they held so much despair and what looked like fear as they shifted between mine.

"I'm okay." I wanted to know why he would lie about that, but did not want to push him to tell me. I wasn't quite sure what to say next because he clearly was anything but okay and I could not address that point. I didn't have to decide what to do next because he just leaned his face into my neck, resting his head on my shoulder. Talian's hands traced over my body until his arms were around me and he tugged me into a tight hug. He smelled sweet and a little earthy, like he had been lying in the grass. The sweetness reminded me of flowers, particularly the purple ones that popped up when we kissed. I held onto him feeling him sigh against me. "Are dates with you usually like this?" His voice was muffled beneath my jaw.

"I wouldn't know, this is my first date. For your sake, I hope not." I smiled as Talian let out a breathless chuckle, but his hot breath brushing my neck made me have to bite my lip as the sensation sent a wave of warmth through my body. "Lian, I'm sorry about this..." Talian pulled back to look at me and I gave him a painfully regretful smile.