Cruel Kiss (On Hold)

Chapter 6- Hidden Identity

Old dusty volumes slam onto the table in front of me, the books were huge and covered in shapes. The pages had long since turned yellow and there appeared to be a few that had been chewed on by something. I look around, coughing slightly as dust particles invade my nostrils. I am sitting at a large wooden table surrounded by rows of bookshelves. The walls are lined by old looking portraits of various men and women, and there is a small fireplace to my left.

Alaric flips open the book, scrolling through the pages as I watch. The pages are filled with elegant handwriting, the letters looping and swirling like works of art. He stops on a page near the middle that has a drawing of a crown of stars surrounded by a sort of knot in the center. Alaric looks down at me, his eyes scanning my face before he begins speaking.

"This book is a written history of our people. The author was a prophetess who saw the horrors of the wars that took place centuries ago. It was during the end of those wars that your prophecy was seen by hundreds of seers all over the world." He tells me, as if everything he just said made sense to me.

"What war are we talking about?" I ask, I'm determined to figure out what these people thought I was and why.

"Centuries ago, a group of our people decided to turn away from our goddess and determine their own destinies. They wanted to change their fates, you see. One of them was a prince of our people, and when he left, his actions caused an uprising. Those were dark times, there were many casualties, both our kind and human." He informs me.

"Our kind and human? What, are you not human?" I ask sarcastically.

"No. We are not human, and neither are you." Alaric tells me evenly.

"So what am I, then? An alien, I suppose?" I question, my tone dripping with annoyance. This has to be some kind of joke, and I was getting pissed.

"A werewolf, actually." Emir's rough voice calls from my left.

I swivel my head around to look at him, convinced that he'd be over there laughing at me, but instead his face is serious. I hold his gaze for a moment longer, before rolling my eyes and turning back to Alaric. I have to say, I'm quite impressed by his acting skills, I wouldn't have been able to keep a straight face for this long.

"Alright, smart guys. You've had your fun, but this has gotten old. You can tell whoever hired you that you both did a good job, you really had me going there for a minute." I tell them as I rise from my chair, running a hand through my hair as I begin to walk toward the door.

I make it all of two steps before Emir is in front of me, blocking my path. This close, I'm forced to notice how tall he is. He towers over me, which is saying a lot considering I'm five foot six. I lift my eyes and peer up at him. Strands of dark brown hair have fallen into his face, and I get the sudden urge to brush them aside.

What are you thinking, Kenna? This man is clearly being paid to humiliate you. Stop wanting to touch him!

The feeling doesn't go away though. Instead, it just gets stronger as his mouth tilts into a smirk. He starts to lean down, my eyes shooting from his eyes to his lips and back again. My cheeks burn as he leans down and his face comes close to my ear.

"I haven't had my fun yet, Kenna, but I intend to. What's the matter? Don't you believe us?" His voice sends a shiver down my spine.

His words sounded like a taunt, but his tone didn't match up. Instead, it made it seem as though he wanted me to challenge him, like the thought of having to prove me wrong delighted him. There was something else in his voice too, something that made my toes curl and my breathing to hitch for a moment.