Shades of Moonlight

Chapter Five- Staking a Claim

Not allowing Mollie to spot the man they both shared as a professor, Luci crossed the threshold and closed the door behind her swiftly as August could not take his eyes off of the young woman blossoming before him. Although he had seen her in a dress, as well as stark naked, there was something about this ensemble that made his eyes magnetize onto her. But it wasn’t the tight fabric or the way it had hugged her figure-it had been the new sense of confidence that was now worn by the woman within the dress. It had been this sense of self-assurance that had made him develop a melancholic flicker within his eyes as he was aware that she was not dressing like this for him. 

“Who is the guy?” August asked as he pushed himself off of the wall before running his fingers through his long sable hair before returning his hands over his chest in a resting cross. 

“I’m just going to a party with Mollie…” Although she was speaking her words with conviction, there was a nervousness that he was able to read within her eyes-a sort of polygraph as a gift as a lycan. 

“Do you remember what I told you? Back in the classroom?” His voice lowered as she nodded, wishing she could forget every word he had ever spoken to her as they were far too fantastical to believe. But it had been the sweet timbre dancing upon her eardrums and the chills forced upon her skin to each word that made them difficult to forget. “I know it’s all very medieval...but if you are seen by anyone in my...circle...then you will be hurt..if not worse...You cannot give yourself to anyone else-”

“Are you insinuating because I am wearing a dress, hairspray, and a little makeup that I’m gonna have s*x?” She questioned in defense of her own reputation as he now dropped his hands at his sides while releasing a deep exhale. 

“I am not ‘insinuating’ anything…” August now stood over her, his shadow casting down her as if it had been a quick and sudden thunderstorm rolling in above head, as his palms pressed to the door frame behind her. “I can feel your heartbeat as if it’s my own...I can hear your blood racing and smell your sweat…” Although she was disgusted at the thought, there was something about the way he said it that made it so sexual...so forbidden. “And I can sense your nervousness...the same one you had the night we met...excited….” His head now draped towards her ear so his breath would be felt upon her lobe. “Aroused-” Her eyes closed for a moment as she thought of his hands sliding up her thigh and over the wound he created before taking her into the dorm-without the presence of Mollie, and claiming her virtue in the way she had imagined in the matter of a few seconds. But suddenly the sound of her phone chiming with a text had caused her to bring her hand to his chest and force him to stand at a distance. 

“I look forward to seeing you...” Paxton texted as she released a smile before hiding it deep within her expression, despite the fact she was well aware that it had been seen by August. 

“What exactly am I supposed to do? Never let anyone touch me because you decided you were going to ‘mark’ me? How is that fair?” She asked in a reasonable tone that was on the verge of escalating depending on his response. 

“It is only until I find my mate...my genuine mate...Until then, my father is going to set me up with any blueblood furball he finds…” She smirked at his choice of words before returning to her indifferent expression of a firm line over her lips and a deadpanned gaze and matching brows. “If anyone sees you with another guy, they’ll realize what I did to you wasn’t with your consent...it can get us both killed…”

“So how long would it take? Days? Weeks?”

“Maybe…” She scoffed as he didn’t exactly specify where she had been correct. Nevertheless, she let out an annoyed exhale before attempting to move beyond his body but felt his hand take hold of her wrist and her body became electrified to this connection. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you a choice...but in place of that selfishness, I vow to you that I will protect you.” Although she wished that she could claim the ‘feminism card’ and explain how she was not in the need of a man-or anyone protecting her, she took comfort in this. After all, there was so much about the world that remained a mystery to her-and now becoming aware that creatures in folklore were now real-she needed all the help she could get. And so she swallowed her pride, commented a kind ‘thank you’, and exited her dormitory. 

Although she had waited for this moment with Paxton for the better part of four years, she could not shake August from her mind. Maybe it was just the excitement of being forbidden that he was her professor-a detail that he didn’t seem to mind, or perhaps it had been that he was this large mystery of both man and beast and her natural curiosity kept her clinging onto him. But no matter the reason, she attempted to refocus upon the dream come true at her fingertips-but she came to pause for a moment as she looked back towards the dorm. Did she prefer the nightmare August could be to the daydream Paxton was? 

She told herself she was insane and continued to walk the half a mile across campus to the party that was already in full swing by the time she arrived. With her peers, both older and younger as witnesses to this sudden change of confidence in her attire, they stared as she made her way through the fraternity house until she was inside the kitchen. To supply herself a level of comfort and an edge over her anxieties, she pulled a red cup from a large unused stack before pouring a shot of peppermint schnapps into the cup; unsure of her choice but committing to it as it had been between that Tequila or Vodka.  

“Whoa-” Paxton spoke as he suddenly took the cup from her hand before replacing it with a wine cooler-unopened from a box on the floor. “How about we start slower?” She was relieved at this sudden care to her well being by him and gave a smile-momentarily forgetting about August. 

“Is that better?” He asked as he watched her take a few small sips of the strong cherry-flavored drink before giving him a nod of approval. Although she would have still preferred sweet tea or coffee to this, she knew it was ‘normal’ to give into it-and after all, she was of age. Momentarily bringing the cooler to her lips, she would take a few sips whenever her words would fail her; which was quite often, and follow Paxton around the party until he led her up a set of stairs to give her an official tour. 

“And this is the game room-it was once a study room and we convinced our council to give us a place to let off steam or we would ‘seek it elsewhere in the depraved forms of illegal drugs’.” His words spoke in a teasing tone of having imitated someone else before he pulled away from her and brought her to his bedroom. “I hope it’s okay I brought you in here, you just can’t hear a damn thing over that music…’ She nodded but became anxious as she remembered August’s words. However, surely if they had been watching her as he had feared, they would have spotted her venturing with him like a lost puppy dog the twenty minutes until arriving at the bedroom-so within her mind, she was safe. 

“I’m really bummed that I never asked you out before-” These words surprised her as she nearly choked on her drink before recovering, blushing, and scoffing with anxiety. 

“You wanted to?”

He nodded. “The first day of freshman year, I saw you get dropped off by your mom and some guy that you didn’t care for...And you went into the guy’s hall instead and...I thought you were cute walking around trying to find where to go.” She was taken aback by the fact that he had noticed her at all, let alone three years prior, and kept his distance until now. 

“Then why didn’t you ever ask?”

“I kind of got the vibe that you were a lesbian-” Her mouth came open in shock as he held his hands up in defense. “And that’s cool, I mean, if you’re bisexual or pansexual or...I wasn’t sure…” He spoke nervously as she chuckled against him. 

“I guess I’m just more reserved…”

“So...you DO like guys?” She nodded as he crossed the room towards her before allowing his fingers to trace her exposed knee as he hovered over her. “And me?”

Her mind began to scream for her to relinquish every single one of her morals and try out every chapter of the kamasutra on him after four years of pining had now seemed to pay off. But she couldn’t get August’s words out of her mind no matter how much she wanted this with Paxton. 

“I…” She struggled to explain her feelings as he suddenly pulled himself backwards. 

“I don’t want you to think I brought you up here for that-oh God...I just think you’re kind of a badass and I like that you didn’t let what happened earlier destroy you-or let Isabel win...How about we go back downstairs? Maybe get another drink so I can drown myself?” She chuckled before accepting his invitation and allowing herself to be led down the steps and back into the kitchen. However, as Paxton focused on mixing a cocktail that would expel his own anxieties, Luci found his hand to suddenly land upon the base of her back and stake a claim on her before all of their peers. Instantly, her mouth curved into a smile as he then escorted her outside where the stereo had been up loud. 

“Is it okay if I put my hands on your waist?” He asked her as she nodded as they began to rock and jive to the music of Hailee Steinfeld blasting around them. Something about this remix of “Love Myself” had unlocked a part of Luci that she was unaware was inhibited. With Paxton’s body behind her and the music flowing through her, she was able to ignore the thoughts of those around her that had been worn upon their faces. She closed her eyes and suddenly became connected to Paxton in a way that she couldn’t explain-and didn’t want to. In this instant, she became shameless-and with this burst of confidence and lack of self awareness, she turned to him and pressed her kiss into his. He welcomed her immediately with his hands remaining at her hips until she pulled back and revealed a large smile. 

“You asked me earlier if I like you...I hope that answers your question.” She licked her lips before suddenly rounding the corner to return back to the kitchen and get another drink. Turning back to Paxton for a second to watch him shake his head with a smile and move across the lawn until he claimed a chair for her return, she was pulled by an unmatched strength until she was secluded from anyone nearby. Before she was able to scream or bring her hand back to her side, she found herself pushed into the ivy upon the side of the building, by a figure she knew all too well as she had known his physique against her own as having been their form of ‘hello’. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” August asked as he held her in front of him as she came to regret her dancing and her relinquishment of her having kissed Paxton’s lips-and now came to fear her own life and that of her kissing partner. August’s eyes lit momentarily red before fading when seeing her fear and returning to their haunting blue that were now adorning her with sadness and even jealousy-confusing her heart and her mind.