SERAPHINA'S POV
I can't believe I let it get that far, succumbing to desires of the flesh. I blame it all on my lack of a dating history.
Yeah, that's probably why my body reacts that way just from his touch. I'm a horny 18-year-old virgin. Sue me.
My own heart pounds faster, and the room feels too hot that I fan myself with my hand, just to feel a little bit of breeze.
The next time I turn to Artemis, he's holding a broom brush, pounding at the floor with a frown on his face.
"Hey! Would you keep it down there? We're trying to watch a movie." He yells to whoever it is blasting the earsplitting music.
My eyes fall to the said movie with the credits already rolling in, but I make no comments on that.
"Who is it?" I ask now when my voice doesn't feel shaky.
"That bastard; Jasper. Ace is probably out fucking some chick somewhere else, leaving the entire room to him, so he can do shit like this." He fumes, running his fingers through his hair in a frenzy.
I guess that means that the night is over, right? We can't do anything else because of the noise. Yet, the realization of it fills me with a small sense of dread. I tell myself it's because the movie and the snacks were good.
He rushes out to his balcony, yelling to the floor below him, and I take the initiative to begin packing up my clothes, folding them into a neat pile. When I look up again, he's back in the room, staring at me with a small devious smile.
"What?"
"I have an idea."
"What do you mean?" I raise a brow, looking at him, and he grabs the white sheets we've been using to watch the movie.
"Are you in for a little more fun tonight?" He asks.
I instantly feel my own heart beating faster and pulsing with excitement the second he says it before stretching his hand out me.
My brain again screams caution.
Don't let your guard down - not around him.
Don't let yourself fall for his gestures and his words, but my hand moves on its own, grabbing onto his and accepting whatever plan he has, and a smirk forms on his lips.
He pulls my body closer to him just before he whispers.
"You won't regret this."
***
His plan fundamentally involves pranking Jasper, and according to Artemis, he's scared of ghosts.
While in his arms, he drops us down into the balcony below his, which belongs to Jasper. And because of the loud noise, he doesn't hear us.
The moment my feet hits the ground, I put more distance between us, not wanting a repeat of what happened in his room earlier. Right now, I don't trust my body not to react on its own.
"Wait for my signal." He whispers in my ear, and I shiver from the hot breath rushing in from his words.
In the next second, he leaps off the floor, grabbing onto the ledge of the balcony now above us with so much ease. He makes it look simple to lift himself up, but I know its cause of his perfect Alpha genes.
I peek into his room through the door that is slightly open, crawling into the place and hiding myself, and still, he doesn't notice.
He's completely absorbed in dancing to whatever 90s jam is playing while in his briefs, staring into the mirror with a cow boy hat on.
I only barely hold back the urge to laugh, knowing it would give off my position, but thinking about it now, I don't think he'd even hear me over the loud thumping of the music.
I hide in place, waiting for Artemis's cue to proceed. He said I would know it when it happens apparently.
Five minutes in, and suddenly, the lights turn off all at once, as well as every electrical appliance and the four speakers - which I guess is the signal I'm supposed to see.
In an instance, the room grows silence.
"Fuck." He swears, moving over to the light switch, flicking them on and off until he's confirmed that the power really is out, and he immediately moves for his phone, dialing down a number.
I take it as a cue to proceed.
"Hey, Ace. The power's out." He speaks into the phone, fully annoyed.
Ace speaks through in an inaudible mumble.
"Yes, I checked the lights. It really is out." He responds again, listening to the phone for his next response.
"No, it's not a prank to get you to cancel your date and get back here sooner." He continues to argue.
I move to a shelf now, picking an ornament sitting on a table and tipping it over until it falls to the ground with a loud clatter.
He pauses from his call, turning to his left swiftly as soon as he hears the sound. I retreat back into a hiding spot, remaining silent.
There's a moment where he says nothing until he speaks into the phone.
"Man, I swear, I'm hearing shit right now." He speaks again, this time in hushed tones.
I bite my lips, holding the snicker that desperately wants release from inside me.
He continues his phone call, trying to convince Ace to cut his date with the girl short and come back, and from the looks of it, he's not budging in the least.
I run into another hiding spot, finding a pen on top of it and tossing it across the room.
This time, he jumps up, screaming into the phone in the process.
I vividly hear Ace yelling over it, telling him to shut up. Jasper momentarily lets it from his ear while he screams, until Ace finally calms down.
"I know, I'm sorry, but I swear there's something in the room."
Ace screams again.
"I swear, there is!" He tries to argue his point, but the call suddenly clicks off. Ace must have cut it after finally being fed up and frustrated.
Jasper sighs deeply, dropping his phone on the bed right next to him, but he remains on edge, looking around the room cautiously.
He points the torch from his phone around, hoping to see something that might be the cause of the noise he's been hearing.
This time, I aim for something bigger, picking up a glass snowball next to me and throwing it against the wall when he's not looking. It hits the wall closest to him, shattering into a million pieces very dramatically.
Now, he screams louder than ever, retreating backwards and falling on his ass in the process while whimpering.
"W-Whoever you are... sh-show yourself." He cries with a trembling that sounds as though he's close to tears.
I chuckle out before I can stop myself. The sound escapes from my lips and echoes from where I'm hiding.
I clap my mouth shut with my hand, but it's already too late.
He gets up on his feet again, grabbing the torch in his hands and drawing closer to where I am slowly. I know that he just needs to take a whiff of the air when he's close, and he'd figure out that it's me.
Shit.
Luckily for me the entire room is pitch black with the only source of light being his torch, so even with his wolf senses, it might not be easy for him to catch me.
I pick up another object lying around, tossing it into the other direction, making a sound that distracts his attention the other way.
I quickly take the opportunity, rushing into a different spot before he can catch me.
My heart pounds hard with every careful movement I make, trying my best not to make a single sound that might get me caught. Excitement courses through my veins even with the adrenaline, but there's one problem left.
How do I get out of here?
While I try to figure out my next move right now, the answer presents its self.
A white ghost-like figure appears right in the center of the room from nowhere, and Jasper spots it as soon as it does, falling backward with another scream.
It's the typical white sheet with black holes for eyes, floating meters off the ground. Then comes the classic ghost 'wooing' that adds the icing to the cake.
It draws closer to him, waving its arms around in the air while he continues to scream.
Its only seconds in before it dawns on him to actually run away, before he gets up from the floor and darts out the room through the front door.
I wait for a few more seconds before I stand up from my hiding spot, peeking a bit just to be sure he isn't there, and luckily for me, he isn't.
Artemis walks into the room, holding the movie projector in his hands, which explains the mystery of how he was able to summon an actual spirit at this time of the day on such short notice.
He laughs hard while clutching to his abdomen to the point that tears gather in his eyes.
"Did you see that? He ran out like he was being chased by an actual ghost. Fucking child."
I hate to admit it, but in all honesty, it was funny actually. A smile forms on my lips even with me trying to hold it back, and my heart feels lighter.
The thrill that came with teasing him and also almost getting caught was exciting to say the least. Maybe playing pranks weren't so bad.
As long as said pranks aren't detrimental to anyone, of course.
He reaches for me, picking me up by my hip and raising me high up above him, before spinning me round suddenly.
"Hey!" I shriek from the fear of heights and spinning at such high speed out of nowhere, but he only laughs louder
"You're so stiff; don't tell me you didn't find that funny." He teases me further, not stopping even with my protest.
It takes a second before I get used to the feeling of being so high up in the air until it begins to feel somewhat fun - as though I'm flying around in circles.
I fight the smile until it morphs into a light chuckle that escapes my lips uncontrollably.
"Fine, fine. I admit it was funny." I say, giving him wants.
He stops spinning me, dropping me back down on the floor, and I feel a bit disappointed.
"Surely, you don't think that will be enough for me?" He says, leaning in and tilting his head to the side.
"What?"
"Call me the best Alpha you've ever met."
I stare back at him as though he's finally lost his marbles. That's the only logical reason why he expects me to say something so silly
"You must be dreaming if you think I'd ever-""
Hands shoot forward and begin tickling me before I can complete my words. Laughter is forced through my lips now in continuous torrents that shake my entire body and hurts my chest.
I try to push him away and fight back, but he's stronger and bigger than me.
"Fine, fine! You're the best Alpha I know." I repeat the words just as he wants.
"And the handsomest too."
"You're handsome."
"And irresistible, even for you."
I remain silent, not wanting to comply any further, but the intensity only gets worse.
"Yes, you're irresistible and I'm just dying to get a piece of you! So please, let me go."
He finally does, and I take a step back, still laughing while clutching my sides.
It takes a while for the after effects to subside, and when they do, I can finally look up at him laughing lightly. He looks at me without a single care or worry in the world, wordlessly.
There's something about this moment that seems too surreal, maybe the way his blue eyes burn brightly even while we both stand in this dimly lit room, but I don't seem to hate him as much.
Almost seeing him as something close to a simple person.
It's new.
"Hello?" A voice calls from behind the door, suddenly taking us off guard and the door pulls open with a head peeking in, revealing Lucian.
He looks in with his silver eyes immediately falling on me, and they widen with realization.
"Sera? What are you doing here?"