Bare chest, tanned skin, blue gem-like eyes, who is he? I thought distantly as I observed the man before me.
There was a hint of familiarity about the unknown man who stood before me with his large frame blocking the entrance to the packhouse, his eyes lingered on my fit frame with a mischievous smile spreading to his lips. His gaze made my body feel hot as I redirected my gaze to the frame along the door, I trailed my fingers along my wrist and my arm before grasping my elbow nervously.
Have I been found out? I thought as I bit my bottom lip nervously.
He pressed his palm against the door frame and clenched the painted wood, his sharp nails dug against the surface and scratched the smooth surface, my breath caught in my throat as the aggression and dominance filled the air. His intoxicating blue eyes trailed over my body as he took in my curves as if the sight before him interested him with a definite craving along the tip of his tongue, a blush caressed my cheeks as his thoughts became apparent and yet I couldn’t entertain them as Odin’s finely chiselled face appeared within my mind. I unconsciously tugged on my blonde locks and held my breath as I waited for the man to move aside so I could finally enter the packhouse.
“You don’t belong here,” He said in a thick accent.
An islander? I thought curiously as I finally took in his foreign appearance.
His shaggy golden hair reflected the light from the sun as he glanced down at me with familiar blue gem-like eyes, his tanned skin appeared like caramel as the flawless surface seemed to blend in with its surroundings. My mouth began to water the moment his scent hit my tongue, it was appetizing as it held the flavour of both Coffee and coconuts. The indigenous shores of the Isle of Kea intrigued me as the lush land resided just south of Thallyn with the banks adorned with white sand that stretched out for miles, the inhabitants were said to have hair as bright as the sun they worshipped with skin tanned like the sandy shores they roamed upon.
“Say’s the one who is not of this land,” I shot back defensively as I sniffed the air defiantly.
Wait, I thought as my eyes widened from shock.
“Aren’t you intriguing,” he said with a mischievous smirk.
He smells like… the words teased my mind as I attempted to make the connection.
He dropped his hand from the door frame and reached out and captured a lock of hair that had hung loosely over my shoulder. The illusion that hung over the strand of hair seemed to be absorbed within his fingers as the once blonde colour faded away revealing my natural dark brown hair that I had attempted to hide from those around me. Dark chocolate streaks of hair merged seamlessly with the blonde that receded to the roots, only a small portion was stripped of the illusion magic that I cast over myself and yet that small reveal was all it took to set off my anxiety.
He knows, I thought as fear coursed through my veins.
“This is old magic,” he said approvingly as he released the strand allowing it to drape over my shoulder where the blonde once again overtook the brown locks.
“Don’t touch me,” I muttered as I turned to look away from him.
“You smell like death,” he said with a smirk as he tilted his head to the side.
“You’re one to speak,” I snapped back.
A curse hung over him like a thick blackened smoke that clung to its host, it was death incarnate as it would eventually lead it’s host to insanity before stripping them of their identity and driving them mad to the point of no return. He had the tainted blood of Elijah Ayer, the mad king who destroyed everything within his wake, the frail-looking man with the life stripped from his eyes as he tore loved ones from the embrace from their families and was on the ultimate quest to murder his flesh and blood, his first son Odin.
I should not mourn the lives of those who deserve the curse, I thought to myself sullenly and yet I was the only one who could save their decrepit souls.
“If you stay out here then someone will see you, you stick out like a sore thumb,” He said with a chuckle as he stepped aside and allowed me to pass.
What? I thought as my cheeks burned red.
I embraced my chest with my nipples brushing along my forearms, the beige areolas perked up as the chilled wind passed through my long hair and caressed my body. I could crumble the earth with my bare hands and snuff out the lives of those who the goddess of souls deemed precious and yet I couldn’t help the moment of vulnerability at that moment. The man released the remaining buttons from his shirt and pulled the material from his body with ease, his naked chest greeted me with a heated intensity making my mouth water instinctively. He draped the shirt over my small frame and wrapped it snugly around my shoulders as if to shield me from peering eyes.
He’s oddly comforting, I thought as the blush grew.
“I can’t risk others seeing you,” He said with a smirk as he leaned into me and scooped me up within his arms.
I nodded absentmindedly as I tilted my head up and sniffed his blonde locks that hung shaggily upon his head, a distinct scent of sea salt radiated from his pours as if he was one with the sea, it was comforting as I found myself instantly relaxing within his embrace. The only thing that I had once found comfort in was the sea that had kept me prisoner my entire existence and yet it was at that moment that I found myself missing it.
“I’m Storm,” he said amused as I buried my nose within his messy hair.
It suits him, I thought distantly.