Fang War

8 ☽

Walking the side streets, they approached Adonis' apartment complex.

A shiver runs through her as the darkening neighborhood conjures memories of her attack. She waits for Adonis to open the door, closing her eyes against the flashes of disturbing images. 


Hands groping her, ripping her clothes apart, the sound of excited breaths that caused her stomach to churn...

The door opens with Lila suddenly aware that she's clutching onto the leather jacket in front of her. His back, warm through the cool material, drew her in when her mind replayed the horrors in that alley.

Adonis says nothing but looks over his shoulder to her. Almost as if, he knew exactly what she relived in the moments she clutched to him. Lila tells herself she's imagining his understanding and she creates some distance between his back and her hands.

Adonis' apartment rests on the first floor. Dark and dismal throughout this city, Adonis' apartment too, shied away from the light. It's still, far nicer than her hotel room. More on the plus side, it didn't smell like stale cigarettes and cheap sex.

It smelled like him, like spices and freshly cut wood.

It also smelled like Chinese food, but the open carton left on the coffee table explained that. The TV blared on a sports broadcast channel, that also lit up the room in colored flickers.

When he closes the door behind him, she notices that there are no decorations. No pictures of loved ones, no paintings, sculptures, books...

It's bland in decor like he'd just moved in. However, by the smell and feel of this place, she knew that couldn't be the case.

"Sorry, it's a mess. Have a seat." 


He drops her bag next to the broken-in-leather-couch, then walks to the fridge. On his way, he's tossing out that carton of Chinese food. Flawlessly, he makes it in from across the kitchen, but unlike most guys, he doesn't stand there and brag about it. It's done mindlessly like he'd done it with his eyes closed a thousand times.

Pulling out a can of soda, Adonis offers it to her after he's taken off that destroyed jacket and thrown it over the back of a kitchen chair. Pellets of glass caught in the rips hit the floor.

"Thanks," Lila says as she takes the cool can.

Both of them are rigid, leaning forward on the opposite sides of the couch, and holding onto the cans with both hands. Adonis shuts the TV off as he runs a tense hand over his charcoal hair.

Lila, sensing his unease, decides to speak first.

"So, are you like, a criminal or something and that's why you're so paranoid?"

It was a serious, valid question, but Adonis can't help but smirk.

"Something like that," he muses.

"What's so funny?" She asks.

"Nothing, it's just...I wish it was that simple." He shakes his head and puts the can on the table.

Then he clarifies, "I'm just trying to understand why you're healing so quickly. If anyone found this out, the wrong people, it might be bad for you. They might send you away somewhere to some military bunker underground...put you under experiments and stuff..."

He's rambling, hating the taste of his own lies on his mouth. Man, he sucked at this. He sounded like an idiot. If he had to sound like an idiot to keep his secrets, he certainly would. Trust, didn't come easily. Not to Adonis, not to most Lycans.