How to Douse a Fire
“Red, Red, Red, Red...” sings Caspian irritatingly. He's sitting on a bar stool by the kitchen counter, sipping wine from a crystal goblet.
“Hah! You can keep calling me that. Imma calling you Cass or Cass-cass. Yeah! Cass-cass sounds sooo cute!” I exclaim.
“Cass-cass sounds like a girl! You can't call me that! I'm a manly man,” he argues.
“I can't believe I'm listening to this,” complains Lazarus as he cuts the vegetables. Constantine just shakes his head. Constantine is...well, I'm not really sure what Constantine is doing. So far he has his arms wrapped around me and keeps nuzzling and kissing my neck from behind, making me giggle and my toes curl while I'm trying to stir the creamy mushroom sauce.
Serena finds my exchange with Caspian funny and is giggling hard while trying to flip the meat in the pan.
They've fired Lora, their fifth cook. Now I'm supervising dinner—or trying to. So far, I haven't burned the kitchen down yet.
I think they all know how to cook, they're just too lazy to do so.
We stop bickering as soon as we hear a car pulling into the driveway.
“Milan is back,” declares Caspian flatly. He then abandons his glass and chugs the expensive Dom Pérignon straight from the bottle.
I feel something changes in the air. I don't know what it is, but I guess I'm about to find out.
The front door opens, and a few minutes later, Milan breezes in. She is stunning. Flawless pale skin. Shiny baby blue eyes and straight jet black hair. Her perfect body is covered in expensive designer clothes and shoes. She looks like a model straight out of the runway.
“Hello. I'm back! Missed me?” she announces, giving Lazarus and Constantine a hug. She doesn't seem to be bothered to do the same with Serena and Caspian.
“Who's this?” Her eyes narrow on me. “Are we keeping company with the werewolves now? Or is she our new cook?”
She says the word werewolf in such a derogatory way; I can sense Serena bristles next to me.
“Milan,” says Lazarus warningly.
Constantine frowns. “This is my mate, Genesis,” announces Constantine as he pulls me into his arms.
“Your mate???” Her face turns ugly for a second, then she bursts out laughing. “Good one. Stop joking around. I think I saw her around school before. I know she can't be your erasthai. If she was, you'd have claimed her years ago. You would've known she's the one the moment you saw her.”
“Yes, she is my erasthai. I did know right away that she's my one the moment I set my eyes on her three years ago. She was just too young to be claimed back then,” announces Constantine.
“You've got to be kidding me,” she scoffs.
“Nope, he's not kidding you. Genesis is Constantine's erasthai and mate,” declares Caspian with a smile. I hear smugness in his voice. There's an undercurrent hostility in the way Caspian talks to her.
“Dinner's ready. Let's set the table,” suggests Serena abruptly. She wraps her hand over mine and tugs me away. I flash her a look of gratitude. I can't stand the aura of hostility coming from Milan too much longer.
Dinner is uncomfortable for me. The men eat happily enough. Serena cuts her meat and eats delicately, like a proper lady. Milan just sits there sipping her wine moodily. Once in a while, she would glance at me with narrowed eyes over her wine glass. I pretend to eat, but I've actually lost my appetite.
“So you two had been spending all evening in Constantine's bedroom?” asks Caspian. His grin is big and mischievous. His eyes flash to Milan for a second.
“No, we're in his studio,” I blurt out, totally mortified. My face turns bright red.
“You let her in your studio?” snarls Milan all of a sudden.
“Yes, I did,” answers Constantine calmly.
“But you never let anybody in your studio! How come she gets to go in?” She demands.
“Well, he let her in. Get over it.” Caspian snaps, sounding very irritated.
“But you never let me in it,” she argues louder.
Constantine frowns. “Genesis is my mate. It's my studio. She can go in whenever she wants.”
Milan gives me a hateful glare and walks out. I can hear her stomps her feet all the way up the staircase and slams her door shut.
Constantine sighs and pulls me close against his chest.
“I'm sorry about her,” says Constantine.
“It's fine,” I answer. “I think it's time for me to go home now.”
“Do you really have to go?”
“Yes, we have school tomorrow,” I remind him, looking at the time on my phone. It's almost 9.30 pm. As much as I enjoyed spending time with Constantine and the others, I don't feel like staying here right now. I'm feeling very irritated, and that warm feeling is starting in my chest again. I just want to get out of here.
Serena gives me an understanding look.
***
“Are you sure you're feeling okay, sunshine?” he asks for the third time in the car tonight.
“Yeah, why wouldn't I be?” I reply as he parks his car on the street in front of my parents' house.
He sighs. “I'm sorry Milan is rude to you. She just needs some time to get used to having you around, sweetheart. I'll make sure she apologizes to you tomorrow.”
No, I don't want a forced apology from anybody. “Yeah,” I answer simply. “I'll see you tomorrow.”
He pulls me straight into his lap before my hand could reach the door handle. His arms wrap around me and his lips descend on mine. His touch and his kiss always take my breath away. I wanted the kiss to be brief, but with fireworks and explosions—the kiss deepens. His lips are devouring mine. My tongue exploring his tongue. His warm hands exploring my body. Then his hungry mouth moves to kiss and nip and lick my neck. I bury my fingers in the thickness of his hair. He pulls the neckline of my dress down and his mouth trails down to the rise of my creamy skin above my lacy bra. Pleasurable shivers run down my body.
“Genesis...baby...” He moans against my skin in between kisses. My hands in his hair, tugging him closer to me with a small whimper.
With a groan, he deposits me in the passenger seat. We are both breathing hard. Our hearts are racing. His smoldering eyes move over me and stay to where my black lacy bra is still showing.
“Goddess, you are beyond tempting,” he growls, tearing his eyes away, running both hands through his dark tousled hair. When I mark you and take you the first time, it's not going to be in a car,” he vows.
He clenches his hands over the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles are turning white. “Every night I come to see you...just to breathe you in. I wish I could stay and hold you all night, but I don't trust myself. I don't have the strength. I want to do more than just to hold you. It's becoming harder and harder to leave you.”
I swallow nervously. If he meant to douse the fire in me with his words, he's doing a very poor job at it. In fact, he's doing a very very crappy job. Right now, I just want to jump him and yell, “The hell with it. Let's do it in the car, let's do it anywhere...”
Crazy bunnies! Wow! That sounds like green eggs and ham.
“Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then,” I hedge closer to the door. He just stares out the window without saying a word. I peer at his beautiful profile while fumbling with the door handle.
Tell him you're ready!
I straighten my dress up and walk out.
Gah! I'm such a coward.
I take off my dress to change into my pajamas. My tummy clench at the sight of red marks all over my neck and my chest. I can almost feel his mouth on my skin.
Just after I step out of my closet, I hear a soft tapping on my window.
Serena! She's holding onto the window frame outside, grinning in through the window. I rush over and open the window for her.
“That's very polite of you. Constantine never knocks, he just barges in whenever he wants,” I inform her.
Serena giggles softly. “I'm guessing he does that a lot,” she teases me as she steps into my room.
I can feel my face turning red. “It's not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?”
“I know how upset you were. I just wanted to see how you're doing,” she says as she looks around my room.
“Thanks, Serena, but I'm okay...”
“Genesis, you don't have to pretend with me. I know how you feel. I know what Milan is up to.”
“I thought you and Milan were friends,” I ask her.
Serena sighs and plonks herself on my bed. “I wouldn't go as far as calling us friends. Milan is not the easiest person to get along with. Milan and I, we tolerate each other.”
“It's no fun having someone you tolerate around all the time,” I say and drop myself next to her.
“No, it can get a bit tiring sometimes. Thankfully, she grows tired of this place very quickly and very often. She rarely stays longer than two weeks at the most. She'll take off to Europe like the last time or somewhere else like she always does soon...hopefully.”
“So, why is she here?”
“She's been following Constantine and Lazarus for a while now. Over a hundred years, on and off. She gave me some problem when I first met Lazarus over sixty years ago, even though it's not Lazarus that she's after. She's been hoping that Constantine would take her as his mate.”
“But she's not his erasthai,” I blurt out. I feel a pang of jealousy in my chest.
“Yeah, but that didn't stop her from trying...but you're here now” She smiles. “Constantine had been waiting for you. He wasn't willing to settle for anything less, just like Lazarus before he met me. The same with Caspian.”
“Genesis,” she chews on her lips while her perfectly arched eyebrows furrow as if she's contemplating whether or not to tell me something. “Lycans have a massive power that can be felt by werewolves. Much like the dominant power of an alpha...but much more compelling and over-powering. They can control it. They can mask it, by keeping it down so no one can feel it, or draw it out and encompassing the one they love, especially their mates...so you'll feel protected and powerful. They can also cast it out to dominate others, especially werewolves. It can make you feel uneasy and dominated, ready to cower and do their bidding. Might make you feel upset for no reason. If projected too much, it can drive a werewolf or a human into a hysteric...or worse. You'll be able to do that too, in time.
“Milan used to do that to me. She claimed that she couldn't help it, but I don't believe her. I think she did it on purpose. I'm pretty sure she'll do that to you too. The thing is, you can block it, Genesis... if you're strong enough.”
“Block it how?” Now I'm pretty sure she did it to me tonight. It didn't make me feel like cowering to her, but I did feel very upset and uneasy the whole time she was there.
“I'm not sure how far your lycan has taken over, but I know you have alpha blood in you. Imagine you project your dominance over some werewolf. Project that power, not to dominate, but wear it like a shield around you. If she can't penetrate that power, she'll have no effect on you.”
“Okay.” I sigh. “Thank you for telling me this, Serena.”
“It's not a problem, young Genesis,” she says as she takes my hand in hers. “I like you. It's been a while since I have a girlfriend that I can talk to. I had been waiting for three years for Constantine to claim you. I don't want Milan to draw you away from us. Now I have to get going. I told Lazarus that I just needed to go for a quick run.” She giggles. “I think he knew that I was coming here. He knew how excited I am about having you as one of us now.”