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“I'm sorry,” I whispered. “You have no idea what he would do, and I just can’t let him take you. I’m not strong enough for that.” Then I closed the zip, and walked away, feeling as though my heart had shattered for good.
ChapterTwenty-Nine
COLE
The flickering fluorescent light above my head was giving me a damned headache, and I stabbed at the remote in growing annoyance three times before I actually hit the button that would turn the thing off. The trailer plunged into darkness, and I blinked in the blue glare of the screen as I leaned closer to try and make out the next line. I copied it down into the leather notebook I was using to record my translations, not wanting my notes left on my computer. I might be the tech whizz in this team, but I wasn’t arrogant enough to believe I was the best in the world, and some things needed to be protected at all costs.The more I was translating of this scroll, the more I believed this was one of them.
I rubbed at my temples, murmuring the words back to myself. No, I had been right. Fuck. The more I read of this thing, the more disturbed I became and the more convinced that we should have left it hidden in the city under the care of the golems.
"Damn it," I muttered under my breath.
The trailer door burst open with a violent slam, shaking the makeshift walls and making me jump. A huge form staggered inside, stumbling heavily towards me and reeking of alcohol. His eyes were wild, and he turned towards me, losing his balance and crashing into the wall, causing the trailer to shake again.
“Shit, Alastor, what the fuck?” I demanded, rolling out from behind my desk and moving towards him.
He righted himself, and leaned against the wall, taking another drink out of a half empty bottle of either whiskey or brandy by the colour.
"Can't stand it anymore, Cole! I don’t know how you…” He took another drink. “Being alone... It's fucking killing me!"
"Alastor..." I began cautiously, unsure how to handle his emotional outburst. Alastor didn’t do emotion. He was always so levelheaded, so controlled, even with that beast raging inside him.
“So fucking shit!”
"What happened?" I asked. "You know you're not alone, right? You've got me. And Theo and Carlisle. And Lily too. We’re a team, remember?"
"Us?" he spat bitterly. "Don't make me laugh. You’re all fucking terrified of me. Don’t see…" he muttered, trailing off.
“I think you’re getting a little big headed there, Alastor,” I said sternly, moving closer. “We’re not scared of you.”
He glared at me. “Fucking should be!” he snapped.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re drunk, Alastor. What happened to not celebrating too hard because of our early start tomorrow?”
“Fuck you,” he said. He straightened up, and stalked towards me, his dark eyes fixed on mine. I shivered. I wasn’t scared of him exactly, but Alastor was fairly intimidating at the best of times, and I had rarely seen him drunk. He didn’t like the lack of control. He set the bottle on the desk, and I watched as it wobbled before thankfully coming to rest upright.
He leaned down, his hands resting on the arms of my chair, bringing his face close to mine. He smelt of alcohol and sweat and the desert. And something else, something sweet and intoxicating I couldn’t quite place but that made my heart beat faster and my breath hitch.
“Why aren’t you scared of me, Cole?” he whispered, his voice raw with emotion.
I chose to ignore the question.
"Alastor, listen to me," I said firmly, returning his stare. "You're not alone. You've never been alone."
He snorted, a bitter sound that echoed around the small trailer. He leaned in closer, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body as he loomed over me.
"Well," he said in a low growl, "isn't that just fucking comforting?"
“Alastor, what’s going on? This isn’t you.”
“The fuck do you know?” he said, moving closer so he could lean into my neck. He didn’t kiss me, just breathed in my scent. I sucked in my breath, trying to ignore the effect this man had on me.
“Perfect.”
“Alastor, what’s going on with you?”
Before I could say anything else, his mouth was on mine. The force of it shocked me but I didn't pull away. He tasted like whiskey and smoke and something undeniably wild - a headymix that sent my head spinning. His hand tugged at my hair, pulling a soft groan from my throat as he deepened the kiss. There was no gentleness in the act; it was raw and demanding and absolutely intoxicating.
I should have pushed him away, told him he was drunk and didn't know what he was doing. But Alastor was not one to kiss without intention and there was desperation in this kiss I found myself responding to. I raised my hand, cupping the side of his face, my thumb brushing over dampness on his cheek. Tears. In the dim light, I hadn’t noticed them. I pulled away, shocked and angry.
