Igniting Sparks

Chapter 24.

Edited by KitWulf                   18-11-2020

*

First light seeped through the small slit between the curtains. Azura stared at it for a while before looking at Lucas, who was fast asleep next to her. He lay on his back, hands behind his head, mouth slightly ajar. The blankets only partially covered his body, exposing his chest and one leg while just barely covering his groin. His hair was disheveled and his skin still looked sweaty after round two.

He'd fallen asleep quite fast after their workout, yet she had barely slept at all. Maybe an hour or two max but after she'd woken up, she wasn't able to catch any sleep again. Azura stared back at the ceiling overthinking what had happened, every moment from the first kiss, to her deciding to sleep with him, and everything that followed. It was driving her mad, her thoughts were driving her crazy, pestering her and keeping her from falling asleep.

With a soft groan, she got out of bed slowly, just as naked herself. Trying not to wake Lucas, she softly tiptoed to the bathroom to relieve herself. Before flushing, she closed the lid so it would make a little less noise hoping it wouldn't wake up the man asleep two doors away. She quickly washed her hands before gazing up at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were back to their original color and with it, all the feelings of doubt and anxiety.

After the first session, she had gone to the bathroom and Lucas had told her to take a good look at her eyes before she came back. She was shocked at first when a pair of red eyes stared back at her, but it also intrigued her and she even liked it. The Phoenix had spoken to her, telling her it was who she really was. It was quite content with itself as she tried touching the power that resided within.

The confidence she held right then had been shocking. At one point Lucas had shown up behind her, hugging her from behind. It was clear he could and wanted some more action to which she had gladly obliged. But that confidence she held then was gone now and all she could think about was probably the stupidest decision she had made in her recent life.

Azura took a deep breath and leaned on the sink with both hands as her gaze fell from her reflection to the white porcelain. A shimmer of gold caught her attention as she looked at the ring around her finger. It was itching so she shifted it around a bit but it didn't give her the relief she was looking for. Her chest constricted and breathing was getting harder. A strange uneasiness was growing deep within her as her mind was being flooded with the images and contradicting thoughts of the night before.

She just slept with someone she saw as maybe her closest friend, what would that make them now? Would he regret it? Did she regret it? She sighed and splashed some cold water in her face to help clear her mind, not that it did much to help. Bile rose in her throat as the knot in her stomach tightened even more. Swallowing it down, she sat down on the lid of the toilet, underarms resting on her upper legs as she put her head down and focused on her breathing.

'I slept with my best friend.'

It was the only thought that kept racing around in her mind. At moments, she felt like laughing about it, then she had to admit she had loved it and wanted more, but now she was feeling more and more anxious about it. Did she even have feelings for him, or was it the rush of the evening? The itching feeling spread from her finger through her hand and she tugged at the ring, rotating it and adjusting it in the hope it would ease the strange feeling. It was getting uncomfortable and more prominent as both her inside beasts were getting restless.

Just take it off.

She shook her head but the idea wedged itself in her brain. Taking the ring off would mean exposing herself, not an option yet she couldn't dismiss it. Azura noticed her gums starting to throb as her body involuntarily seemed to prepare itself to shift. The urgency to run, to clear her mind and be almost one with nature was something she could not ignore for much longer. Adding the strange sensation that the ring seemed to provoke and her own mind wondering what to do next with the situation at hand, she was one step closer to a mental breakdown.