Novel Reader
Chapter-36. Hold tight
[Xanthea]
"I... am sorry..."
My heart hammered wildly in my chest as I impulsively blurted out the stream of apologies.
Still perched on his shoes, I loosened my grip on his clothes, but he still held me just as tight against himself until he let go abruptly and I stumbled to the floor. Bringing my hand to my chest, I cowered under his glare, nervously nibbling my lower lip.
"I... am really sorry, Alpha. I should have listened to you. I am sorry. I... shouldn't have acted on my own. I am truly sorry... Alpha. I don't know what I was thinking-"
I yelped as he grabbed my jaws. Pinning me against the wall, he crashed his lips against mine, muffling my incoherent words into desperate, breathless moans. His tongue dominated my mouth, stealing words right off my tongue.
In a daze, I knit my brows, shutting my eyes. My palms were between our chests and my weak pushes just triggered him even more, making the kiss even more violent.
Gasping and moaning, I grabbed his wrist with both my hands, grappling for breaths in his unyielding kiss. Making my body arch against his own, he closed all the distance and gaps.
I stopped pushing him away and gently ran my hands up his shoulders, clenching his jacket in my fists. Once I thought it was safe, I wrapped my arms around his neck. My fingers ran up his hair, caressing them in an almost undetectable motion as I tried to match his wild frequency.
"Ah!" Biting my lower lip, he stopped kissing me.
"You are not allowed to enjoy this, omega." His words were bitter with annoyed frustration.
His glare bore into me as he finally parted from me, our faces still merely inches away. I licked my lower lip.
My chest heaved faster, my breaths quickening as the rage in his aura crushed me under his scrutiny.
Breathing heavily through my mouth, I swallowed hard. My lips stung from his bite, pulsing as erratically as my heartbeats.
"Next time you fake an apology before me, your punishment will not stop at just a bite bruise on your lips. And in case you are wondering what worse could I possibly do to you, little omega, then let me make this very clear..." he growled, leaning closer to my ear. His predatory eyes fixed on me as he grabbed my ponytail and yanked my head backwards. "I will fuck that pretty mouth of yours so hard you won't be able to speak for days."
My breaths caught in my lungs. His taste still lingered in my mouth. I clenched my teeth, his body pressing into mine. His eyes dipped to my lips and then back to my eyes.
"You have not known my worse yet and just pray you never know my worst. Because your petty little heart won't be able to handle that." He let go of my ponytail with a jerk.
I wanted to tell him my apology wasn't fake, but I knew it was better to remain neutral to the accusation than to deny them when there was no solid way to prove myself. Especially with someone like Raven, who was very much capable of doing what he said.
"I don't need your sorry. What I want you to do is drive this slowly," he said, scrubbing away probably my smeared lipstick from around my lips with his thumb.
I nodded, lowering my gaze, as he distanced himself from me.
He stretched out his hand. Placing my hand on his, I stepped on his hoverboard. He walked beside me as I concentrated on maintaining a slow speed and taking calculated turns through the hallways. Maybe that's what he wanted me to do. To concentrate on learning rather than enjoying foolishly.
From the way he arranged his office and cabin, to his handwriting and drawings, to the way he dressed and carried himself... I wasn't sure before, but now I could tell... Raven was a perfectionist. Things that didn't go his way, according to his standards of excellence
erfection, pissed him off.
Maybe that is why he hates me, because an omega is not a standard match for an Alpha.
"Good..."
His praise shocked me and I tried to not look too excited.
I just took a deep breath and kept driving the hoverboard independently again as he walked behind me.
"Now speed up a little," he commanded, and I adjusted my body weight, speeding up.
As I took another turn, another wonder of the Glass palace opened up before me in all its glory.
There was a freaking private jet airport within the perimeters of the Glass palace.
I slowed down the hoverboard, gaping transfixed at the lavish futuristically styled jets that stretched before me.
Alpha Valdimir owned a jet, but it was nothing as magnificent as these.
Maybe this is what Mavka meant when she said her demon lords defined the matrix of this world and worlds beyond.
Maybe this was what she hinted when she said that Ezra handled the technology and development sector of the Infernal pack. Raven handled the healthcare, research and medicine while Asher regulated the lifestyle, security, politics and miscellaneous.
Now I understand why the Earthly realm shakes at the mere mention of their names. Mortals don't stand a chance against them.
"Stay grounded, omega. No matter how high you can fly, you must always stay grounded. If you behave, someday I can give you a ride on my jet, but today I am in a mood to ride..." he ushered hand towards the other side and a world of bikes opened up to me "... a bike."
He strode into a room filled with bikes of all kinds. Although it was dominated by sports bikes. I silently followed him on the hoverboard.
The staff hurried to him, bringing two helmets and a key.
Raven took a helmet from the staff.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
"Dismount it," Raven commanded. I looked at him. "Without my help." He added, reading the small plea of help in my eyes. "Do it like I taught you." Hesitating for a few seconds, I shut my eyes and tried to dismount the hoverboard as smoothly as I could by jumping backwards, but I lost my footing... Instead of falling to the floor, I found Raven's arm wrapped around my waist as he pulled me back to my feet.
"Poor dismounting." He remarked, but instead of annoyance, his eyes held a subtle smile.
I corrected my skirt, regaining my posture as I cleared my throat.
Taking the key from the staff, Raven walked to a black sports bike.
"Never rode a bike before?" He asked, and my heart skidded in my chest at his casual tone.
I shook my head, glancing at him.
He smirked, and I didn't have a good feeling about it at all.
He reached out and placed the helmet on my head. Maybe this was why he asked me to take off my spectacles and give it to Mavka.
He effortlessly swung his leg over the sleek bike, assuming a commanding and effortlessly suave astride position.
I took in his features as he swung back his head. Running his fingers through his long hair, he raked them back before he put on his helmet.
He smoothly inserted the key into the ignition, and with a subtle twist, the bike came alive. In an instant, the bike console lit up with a green glow reaching up to his tires.
"Hop on," Raven said, looking over his shoulder.
With a decisive motion, he lowered the black shield of his helmet over his face.
The texture of his lips was still fresh on my lips. I unconsciously ran my tongue over the bruise on my lips.
Raven glanced at me and I instantly lowered the shield of my helmet to hide my face from his. Something about everything about him was doing something to me and I knew, like he said, I wasn't supposed to enjoy it or like it. I knew it was physical, raw lust. But was I supposed to feel its warmth in my chest - in my heart?
"Hop on, omega," Raven's voice was a little muffled when he spoke from behind the helmet.
I contemplated the bike's slanting seat. It was so high. How was I supposed to sit on it?
"When I said I wouldn't let you fall... I wasn't just talking about the hoverboard," he said in an impassive tone.
I contemplated my reflection in the shield of his helmet. I couldn't see his face or his expressions, but I wanted to.
"Put a leg on the support, grab my shoulder and straddle the bike. From the way you ride us, I can tell it won't be a difficult position for you to get into."
A tantalizing flutter erupted in my chest as heat shot up my already flushed cheeks. I quickly shoved away the sex flashbacks and scurried towards the bike.
Like he instructed, I grabbed his shoulder and awkwardly managed to sit on the back seat, creating whatever distance I could between us.
I knew he could already hear my heartbeats. I didn't want him to feel them as well.
I held the grab rail of the bike for support when he revved the engine and rode the bike out of its parking before bringing it to an abrupt halt outside the bike collection.
I gasped as my body flung forward, pressing against his back. I was about to slide back when he grabbed my wrists and wrapped them around his waist.
I could feel his firm muscles beneath my palms through the fabric of his clothes.
00000
"Hold tight if you do not wish... to fall off," he said, riding the bike out of the Glass palace from some other exit.
My heart thumped at the speed and the roar of the bike on the smooth black roads. He accelerated the bike, tearing through the air.
The houses and trees sprinted behind us in thin colorful lines. I hugged him tighter. The pressure of the squalls storming around us and our fluttering clothes and hair rise considerably. He was driving at a dangerous speed and I felt my body grow cold with an uncanny thrill churning in my guts, rising to my chest.
The air howled past us, screaming at the booming engine. The tires screeched against the road as he abruptly decreased the speed.
Holding the bike's control with one hand, his other hand slid from my thigh to my knees before he pulled me closer against himself. He raced the bike on the road, fixing his position before he rose the bike on its hind tire.
I cried, shutting my eyes tightly and clung on to him for my dear life.
He chuckled. "It's exhilarating, isn't it, omega? Is this how you felt when you sped up on the hoverboard earlier?"
I shook my head against his back.
It wasn't the same.
Riding the bike was scary. The fear was similar to the one I felt when Nikolai pushed me out of the speeding car.
I clenched his shirt in my trembling fists.
The bike hit the road on both tires, still zooming at full speed.
Handling the bike control with one hand, Raven placed his hand on my fist. Freeing his clothes from my grip, he intertwined his fingers with mine.
"I have been wondering for a long time now. Why did Asher choose you that day? Maybe it was because back then, you picked yourself up when there was no one to hold your hand. Although Asher never goes by the emotional aspect of a situation... but however weak in the end you were brave for yourself."
The winds didn't bruise past my skin; they caressed just like his words.
He slowed down the bike even more, letting go of my hand.
My hands weren't trembling anymore.
Before I could let the warmth of his words sink in, he stopped the bike.
"We're here," he said, taking off his helmet, running his fingers through his tousled hair.
I followed his gaze to the gothically magnificent university building that stood before us.
"This is..."
"The international university of Alchemy, Research and Healing - my second home - Helxton."