Sweet Like Candy (MANxMAN)

06 - Worship

Chapter Six

Tobias's POV

I stared into the Alfredo sauce, imagining any number of ways Draven would punish me. Maybe he'd ram open the apartment door, grab me, and tote me in front of the pack. Since I wasn't particularly a fan favorite, they'd probably demand a bloody penance. Or maybe he'd hulk in and stare at me with that wholly grim look that was worse than any torture. Because he'd stare and know this was all rooted back one-hundred and two years ago when I was first born. When my father took me by the neck and watched as twenty men were obliterated in front of my eyes. When I'd run away, only to be caught with ropes and tied to a post for days.

I heard the bathroom door creak open, and seconds later the smell of lavender and the faint trace of old blood wound its way to my nose. Quiet footsteps filled the hall, stopping just before it broke off into the kitchen.

"Are you going to sit down or continue being a terrible stalker?"

I turned just as he emerged, drowning me in that clean, just out of the shower smell. Antoine's hair was usually a dark mahogany, but just out of the shower it was the color of a raven's wings. His eyes were even bluer now, almost unearthly as they cautiously eyed me. He sat now stiffly, staring at me with a look that said at the slightest chance he'd bolt and never look back.

Grabbing two green bowls from the cabinet, I heaped the chicken Alfredo in, adding in a few fluffy rolls. Antoine's eyes were dead set on the food, and his stomach shrieked as I handed him the bowl.

I figured he'd have a heart attack if I took the other barstool, so I leaned against the counters, inhaling the food. The warmth of the pasta filled me, instantly putting me in a better mood. I dipped the rolls in, all the while ignoring the looks Antoine sent me between bites.

I stuck a hand out, lazily reaching inside the fridge and grabbing a dewy Corona. I cracked the edge across the counter, watching the cap fly feet away. Antoine almost fell out of his seat from the sharp sound, red-faced and panting. When he traced back the cap, he lost some of that panic, forcing even breaths through his lungs.

I pretended not to notice, guzzling it down. The alcohol wouldn't do shit for me, but I still tried to trick my brain into pretending I was still human.

It didn't work.

Antoine went back to eating, but now his eyes landed on the bottle. He watched me bring it to my lips and drink, vainly hiding a nervous swallow. I held back a grin. Teasing the kid right now was probably the worst thing I could do.

I couldn't help it. "No ID, no beer."

Antoine's eyes sparked, some of that cautiousness leaking away. "So I can go to war and die for this shitty country, but I can't drink a beer."

"Watch your mouth," I said off-handedly, unable to hold back my amusement. "I don't make the rules anyway."

"You sure don't live by them either," he muttered.

So the kid had a backbone. I raised an eyebrow. "That's the thanks I get for saving you."

"Would you like me to get down on my knees in worship?"

I paused, the words in my throat cutting off. Again, lust, the cruel bitch she was, came back. Those same damn images filled my head. This time I was the one caught off guard.

Antoine narrowed his eyes in confusion, until something rippled behind him, and I could've sworn a barely there smile curved his lips. He was temptation, sinful and smug.