Cerebus || Book 2

Chapter 6: Halfway

The pair had been walking for almost a day, and not even an inch of distance had been closed between them.

The heat from the sun was sweltering, its rays unforgiving as they pelted down on the girl's skin, bronzing it even further.

Iris swore that the heat was making her delirious—or at least more than she already was.

Even now, as she lingered several steps behind, she was uncomfortably aware of her pulse racing under her skin and the clammy heat that warmed her cheeks and neck, both of which arose from just looking at him.

The girl held a defensive stance, her arms wrapped around her middle as if that would protect her from the lust-filled thoughts and feelings that threatened to penetrate her poorly crafted shield.

But still, those provocations were ever-persisting.

She lost count of the number of times that she caught herself focusing on the muscled ridges of his back, his lack of clothing doing nothing to subdue the constant urge to reach out and trace along the surface of his skin.

For the umpteenth time that day, Iris curled her fingers into her palms. She welcomed the faint burn of her nails digging into her skin, the pain acting as a brief distraction from her infatuation.

"You're bleeding."

Iris withheld a scream as Niklaus was suddenly right in front of her, grabbing her hand and unfurling her fingers.

Sure enough, as she stared at her shaky hand, there were crescent-shaped indents in her palm, some of which were stained with blood.

Her lips were parted open, but no words escaped. She could only watch as he lifted her palm to his mouth, allowing him to press a lingering kiss to her skin.

It was a gentle one—chaste. But the way he looked at her as he did it made her knees shake and her heart race as if his lips had connected with her own instead.

"I-I'm fine." Iris stammered as she pulled her hand back to her chest.

She eyed him warily, not particularly trusting his motives. Sure, he had yet to harm her or show animosity, but he was still a stranger, a very strong one at that. 

She was completely out of her depths.

As much as she was drawn to him, she couldn't pretend that she wasn't also probed by unease and uncertainty. And if she thought too much about the two, she could feel them amalgamate into something that closely resembled fear.

Niklaus' eyes searched hers, and she felt like he was picking apart the individual pigments that made up her hazel orbs with how intensely he gazed into them.

That moment didn't last long, though, as the alien stepped back suddenly, almost as if he could sense her underlying discomfort.

"We should arrive before nightfall. Keep close." That was all he said to her.

Iris gave a brief nod and waited for him to turn around before releasing a shaky breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

Ignoring his instructions, she waited until he was several steps in front of her before she resumed her strides. Shortly after, though, her brows furrowed as she realized that she no longer felt the residual stinging from her right palm.

"What?" She murmured in confusion as she lifted her hand and saw that there were no wounds. She rubbed at the skin to confirm, and sure enough, she was met with a smooth and unmarred surface.

She looked up from her palm and parted her lips to question the alien about it, but at the last minute, she thought better of it and chose to dwell on the predicament on her own.