Black Sapphire | Zilphyer

XLVIII

・・・　・・・　・・・

     "How was lunch?"  I glance over, finding Xaden taking up residence at my side.  I continue on my march toward my room and he follows.  
     "Fine."  
     "So cold, Vicious," he hums in my head.  I send him a pointed look to cut it out, finding that deviled smirk often present on his lips.  
     "I'm tired," I tell him.  As if to drive my point home, I lug myself up the stairs with a white-knuckled grip on the railing.  His hand settles on my back and I focus on the warmth of it instead of the burn in my throat.  I almost threw up this morning.  
     He hums once in acknowledgment but then remains silent.  It feels like it takes forever to get to the second landing and I twist my hand to unlock the door a few feet from it.  

     To my shock, Xaden takes a stride forward and pushes it open for me, still not entering.  I furrow my brows and my steps stutter before I reluctantly go in.  
     "Don't do that," I tell him quickly as soon as the door shuts.  I sit on my bed and stare at him settling back against the door.  
     "I'm not allowed to open doors now?" he asks me.  I shake my head.  
     "Not if I'm around," I say.  He raises his brows for a moment before reinstating his smirk.  
     "You take that way too seriously."  I shrug my shoulders and glance away toward the armoire.  Memories flash through my head and I close my eyes to wash them away, but it only makes the visions worse.  

     "You still have influence; I think that makes it valid," I state.  I pull at the strap across my chest and lift my glaive over my head to let it settle on my folded-up legs.  
     "Not really."  I cock an eyebrow and wait for a moment to give him a chance to retract that statement.  
     "You do.  You got me black metal."  That gets his attention, his smirk dampening out and his eyes wandering away.  They snap back toward me when he catches him, then stare at my brandished glaive.  
     "I was wondering if you were going to bring that up," he grumbles.  
     "Only high-ranking officials?  And they're only made into daggers?  Yet somehow, you got me a giant glaive with it making up both heads, including the decorative parts, and a dagger that you gave me without even a word about it until I tried to give it back."  I watch him as his expressions grapple with themselves and then get slated over with something uncaring.  "I'm not going to ask," I tell him quickly, since he obviously doesn't want to tell me.  "That's not why I wanted you here anyway."  

     He breathes out a little harder than usual, what I imagine is a sigh he doesn't want me to hear.  Unfortunately for him, I'm well-tuned to those small changes, but I pay it no mind and get up instead.  
     Xaden watches me walk toward him.  That little fire so often present in his eyes starts to flicker and he gazes down my form for a long moment.  
     "The private matter," he hums quietly, a hint of curiosity amongst his lust. 
     I pause only a couple of feet before him, then surprise him by turning to open my armoire.  It takes me a moment to wrangle the satche out and then I drop it onto my plush bed. 
     "What is that?"  His tone drops back down to that Wingleader command that's still far too hot to be alone with me in this room, but I shake my head so I don't think about it.  
     "Come look."