Zephyr's Promise

1:27

Something happened last night. I don't know when. I don't know how. Whether it stems from Fabian's appearance or not. All I know is something changed while we were apart. Not in the Beauty and the Beast kind of way either. There's nothing sweet or kind about the air around him. It's dark and eerily imposing. Something of which I have always known was there. Up until now Atlas has done a hell of a job of taming it, unless he wanted it to come out.

Now, for whatever reason, his ruthlessness is out in the open. Like a shadow it follows him wherever he goes. Crawling across the windows, sitting on the countertops, standing in between Atlas and I. A rift is starting to form. The less that is said between us the clearer it has become that something is wrong.

In the passing days when his attention was not focused on business it had been on me. Making sure I am taken care of in all ways. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. Now, I only long to feel the caress of his rough fingers on my skin. I wish for his piercing eyes to unleash the heat within me. It is nonsensical to think of how only a few weeks has changed the dynamics between us so starkly. Much to the point that I know something is wrong even if he won't admit it out loud.

Together in his bed I can still feel whatever is lurking in the shadows as he holds me. Unlike usual I am stiff in his arms. The possibilities of what is causing this iniquity is endless. My worry can't be tamped down. Especially when he has yet to say a word.

"Atlas." Worry is laced in his name. The trembling of my voice is not unbeknownst to me. A soft peck presses against my cheek letting me know he is listening. "What happened last night?"

"Nothing for you to be concerned about kitten." His voice is deep and gravelly. My body automatically reacts to hearing him first thing in the morning. "It will all be taken care of."

"And what is it that has to be taken care of?" Rage starts to bubble within. It is more than frustrating to know he is hiding something from me. The fact that he doesn't even deny the fact is an entirely separate issue. I have to wonder if he thinks I am dense enough not to notice or if he simply doesn't trust me as much as I do him.

"Something that doesn't concern you." His words are sharper than a katana. My skin feels sliced open. Completely raw from the dismissal.

Is this the man that the rest of the world knows?

At once the fog is lifted, reality peers down on us and I realize who I am dealing with. I am transported back to the moment I first laid eyes on him. The first time he spoke to me, how dangerous his words were. The underlying threat of them. This version of himself I have come to know is only a piece of him. No matter what he has shown me he will always be who he is. A monster. But it's too late to go back, I can't. I won't.

Pushing his arms off of me I get out of the bed. "Really Nile?" He questions me as if I am the one who has banished him from the details of my life. As if I am the brute who is leaving no room for us.

"Yes, really." I slip on the slippers that are too big for me. I don't know where I am going. All I know is I am not staying here with him. Not when he makes it clear that in this relationship he expects me to be his good little doll while giving me nothing in return. A relationship is a partnership. I am not one of his men who can accept or deny when he feels like it. There needs to be room for both of us to be there for each other.

Before I can reach for the door he is stepping in front of me. His massive figure blocks me from moving around him. Annoyingly so. "Move Atlas." I demand. "If you don't I will pry that window open and leave."

"And I'll fucking follow you. Even if you decide to jump off the damn balcony. I. Will. Follow. You." From here I can feel the rage coursing through his veins.