Chapter 111: _Cross A Line
Azrael’s POV
*****
Montecito, 2:20pm.
The beach house’s living room was... Serene. Not extravagant or flashy.
Just comfortable enough to make it feel like a home. If he could even use that word.
The ground was made with pristine white marble, sea shells painted into it in a myriad of colours. Four black sofas surrounded a small centre table.
Mounted on the walls were portraits of Celeste’s parents—the Alpha King and Luna Queen of North America.
Most of these portraits and photos made them seem human instead of the supreme rulers of a continent’s werewolf society. In one of the pictures, Kaelos had his arms wrapped around his wife’s waist from behind, pressing a kiss on her neck while she laughed. Behind them was a setting sun.
Azrael caught himself smiling at it.
Watching their family for twenty years, he could confidently say they weren’t perfect. But the love of these two never waned.
"Azrael?!" Celeste’s yell made him snap his neck in her direction.
She stepped out of an arched doorway leading into the rooms upstairs, sighing to herself as she rubbed her neck. "The power on this beach house... Isn’t the best. But there’s a generator at the back."
He could already see where this was going and nodded. "I’ll help turn it on."
Her cheeks reddened all of a sudden, making him frown. But she swung her head away from him, muttering something about being ’silly’ before advancing toward the kitchen where the back door was.
Azrael followed.
.
.
The sand outside was hot and prickly against his bare feet. Wind blew heavily from the north, carrying the ocean’s salty scent and wisps of sand.
Celeste shielded her eyes with one hand, leading him to the generator. "Gods, I don’t know why my parents didn’t upgrade the starter. Sometimes this thing refuses to kick on unless you pull it."
She glanced back at him, eyes almost pleading.
Without a word, Azrael moved to the machine. He placed a hand on its side, grabbing the cord with his other hand.
"I’ve always envied your strength as a witch." That sentence from Celeste made him freeze. "I still can’t get my mind off how we first met. In the woods that night."
Azrael blinked under his glasses.
Why bring this up now?
"I told you," he tightened his grip on the cord, "I merely used magic to heighten my physical prowess. That’s it."
He pulled once, the stubborn thing jerking in response with a loud start.
"I still find that hard to believe." Her voice sounded closer now. Too close. "Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but there’s this way you carry yourself. Even at the restaurant brawl today, you looked like you could wipe out everything with a finger snap."
Azrael chuckled. "You overestimate me, little miss."
"I’m being for real, Azrael." She sighed. "And... I’m thankful you reacted that way. For me. After the Blood Trials, I thought you wanted nothing to do with me and was already making peace with that."
This time when he pulled, the generator started, rumbling with a loud sound that drowned even the crashing of ocean waves.
"Celeste..." Azrael straightened, spinning around only to meet her standing just a couple of feet away from him.
Her violet eyes gleamed, cheeks still tinted with a hint of red. Azrael’s throat bobbed as his eyes wandered to the veins on her neck. The subtle pulse of each as they pumped blood made his mind spin.
"Yes?!" She yelled unaware of what she was actively doing to him by just being close. "That’s it? You’re not going to say anything?"
Slowly, her mouth twisted into a wry smile as she increased her voice. "Well, thanks for your help with the generator! I’ll go check on Luther and Silas."
The moment she turned away from him was when something snapped in the bond.
Azrael grabbed her hand in a flash, rooting her in place and making her whip her head back to him until strands of her lush hair hit his face.
"W–What..." She stuttered. "Azrael—"
"Do you think I don’t care about you?" He questioned, voice clear despite the noise from the generator. "Do you think I don’t bleed every day whenever I see you and the others? Or your—boyfriend?"
Those violet orbs blinked at him with shock, her lips parted with no words slipping out.
But Azrael didn’t mind, carrying on with a short breath. "I wish you could feel what I feel for you. All of it. And know why I act the way I act with you. But then you’d—"
"Then I’d what, Azrael?" She pulled her hand off his grip, head tilted with a frown. "Push you away? Call you a monster? I thought we’d established I won’t judge you for... Whatever you are."
So easy for her to say that now. So easy for her to think just because she’s seen his eyes then she’s seen all of him.
Suddenly, she took a step closer. Then another, her eyes shaking with hesitation. Like she knew whatever she was about to do would cross a line—
—She raised a hand, touching the edges of his sunglasses. Her fingers brushed his face slightly, enough to make his body tense.
When she took the glasses off—she froze. As if she were seeing those burning eyes for the first time. Soon, one of the brightest smiles he’s ever seen lit up her face.
"See?" Her voice was low but he managed to pick it up. "You can trust me. Tell me. Why do you keep putting distance between us? What are you so afraid would happen... if you let yourself want me too?"
He wanted to tell her. For the first time in his immortal life, he felt like sharing his secrets with another. Someone who wasn’t one of his brethren.
Alas, he couldn’t.
Not without incurring the High One’s wrath.
Still, "I..." He found himself trying to speak. "Celeste, I can’t—"
"You guys?!" Silas’ baritone thundered from the back entrance, disrupting the moment. The Beta’s eyes squinted for a moment, accessing the both of them.
Celeste quickly put the glasses back between Azrael’s nose, turning to Silas. "Yeah?!"
Blinking twice, the Beta cleared his throat. "Uh... Since we didn’t get to eat back at the restaurant, Atlas offered to prepare a meal. I didn’t know the witch could cook."
"Ouuu." Celeste beamed, already walking up to him. "Neither did I."
She flung her head to Azrael as Silas wrapped his arm around her waist. A silent claim if the vampire has ever seen one. And all Celeste did was purse her lips before looking away.
As they went inside, Azrael brought his eyes to his ring.
His object of office.
Remembering how he got it in the first place made a bitter smile twitch on his mouth.
"Jasmine..." He mumbled under his breath, mind wandering to the most pivotal moment of his life.
The days after he was turned by the High One. Becoming a vampire.
