Gentle Wildfire

Intoxicating. That’s what his scent feels like. And truly, the fact that as soon as it floods my lungs, all the demons scurry away, it’s all I need right now. My frenzied heart feels as if it’s about to get out of my chest, rip right through my ribcage and leave a hole in my chest. 

The man is silent, but there is gentle care in every single touch he offers me. A gloved hand moves over my face, his fingers hooking under my chin, and making me look up at him. His ruby red eyes pin mine into a soft and calming gaze.

“I am not letting anyone lay their hands on you, Nesta.” he whispers, his hand moving up slowly and cupping my cheek. “Now, breathe-” he takes in a deep breath as a demonstration of how I should calm my frenzied and uneven breath.

With a few shaky attempts, I follow him and eventually end up breathing slower, following his example. Happy with me, he offers me a smile, a kind one that reaches all the way to his odd eyes.

“Good. Now-” he whispers and before I can understand what he wants, he scoops me right up into his arms and walks back into the room with me, heading for the bed. 

My fingers sink into the fabric of his shirt, and my eyes don’t leave his face. There is something hypnotic about him. About his ethereal beauty. And I don't want to look away. I Don’t want to let those ruby red eyes out of my sight again-

When he sets me on the bed, and his arms slowly leave my body, I find myself clinging onto his shirt, not allowing him to pull away. 

“Please don’t!” I hurry to speak, my words tumbling out of my mouth as one. I am not sure he understands what I am saying, but the way he looks at me is far from being mean.

His eyes are not scolding me and he does not look as if I had just angered him. Instead, he looks calm and peaceful and I wonder who this man was? No man would take demands like these, this lightly.

“Stay with me!” I dare to demand, my voice still shaky and unsure, just a bit more confident. 

His hands come to rest on mine and he guides me to let go, before slowly taking a seat on the edge of the bed. He brings my hand into his lap, one of his hands stroking my cheek slowly, stealing a blush from me.

“I apologize for not protecting you from them-” he whispers and I am utterly confused about what he is talking right now. There is visible pain and remorse in his eyes and I can’t wrap my mind around what he is talking about.

Before I am even given the chance to, he suddenly pulls me into a tight hug, his face burying into my shoulder, my chin resting on his, as I stare at the fireplace, startled and confused. My arms slowly raise to wrap around him, my fingers pressing into his back slowly.

“I have waited for you for so long-” he whispers, his voice in a chokehold. “I was not sure how to approach you at all. I just watched and never-” he speaks and suddenly stops when he understands I am more than confused right now. 

But the truth is, it doesn’t matter. The calming effect he has on my mind is not something I can get anywhere else, so, I will take any odd declaration of love if he promises to keep the demons at bay as well.

I feel his hand travel up my back and he gently pulls his face away from my shoulder, his nose brushing over the line of my jaw. I feel him breathe in my scent and my heart picks up its pace.

“You should get some more rest, Nesta.” he speaks softly, his lips so close to my ear, I feel them brush against the lobe.

A shaky breath escapes me, my skin turns to goosebumps and despite the fact that I am trapped, I don't feel like that. 

His hand brushes over my back slowly and before I can pull away, he presses a kiss behind my ear, his lips cold, and maybe a bit wet. A shiver rushes down my spine and I feel it settle at its base, spreading a comforting warm all over my body. The kiss multiplies and it trails down my neck, stopping right above my collarbone. 

I feel him draw in a shaky breath before he pulls his face away from me, and straightens himself. 

“You should rest- “ he whispers and slowly evades my gaze, his eyes scanning my body before they move to the floor. “And I should get away before I do something foolish~” he almost sighs, his brows narrow and there is so much guilt dripping from those words, I feel like he’s been feeding himself poison for a bit too long. 

When he pulls away, a surge of panic forces me to reach for him. My hand takes hold of his wrist and I feel my heart skip a beat as He freeze and his eyes pin on me with confusion written all over his face. 

“Stay-” I whisper, the words choked by my own emotions. 

“I am nothing but a stranger. Why would you want me to stay?” he asks, in a mocking voice, his eyes scanning me with skepticism.

“A kind one. A very kind stranger who stopped my pursuers and-”

“My reasons were nothing but selfish. Do not look at me with those eyes. I do not deserve such things.” 

He frees himself from my hold and gets up from the bed, his eyes trailing to the fireplace, while I chew on my bottom lip, trying to find something to say to stop him before he leaves. I feel that if he will leave me alone, the demons will all swarm me at once and they will surely swallow me right now.  

“I will be by the fire. I’ll be close if you need me, alright?” he speaks and his voice is now gentle, all the bitterness from his voice now vanished, replaced with a genuine feeling of care and gentleness. 

The man leans down, his hair brushing against my face slowly, his forehead resting against mine, his hand cupping and holding my cheek with his gloved hand. 

“I promise, nothing will ever come to harm you ever again-” he whispers, and my heart fills with an odd fuzzy and warm feeling that spreads slowly, like ivy, into my ribcage, and seeps into my veins, carrying this feeling all over within my body, spreading it like wildfire, until my cheeks heat slowly and my eyes swell with tears.