He wanted to break every boundary and pull her flush against him, feel the shudder of her breath against his skin, taste whatever magic she held between her lips. Caius felt his fingers beneath the towel curve, prepared to gently hold the nape of her neck and–
The spell was broken in an instant. The thunderbolts and following lightning made him curse himself. He could hear the sound of her unsteady heartbeat, smell the blood rising past her neck, settling in her cheeks. Was that his doing? Caius was unable to contain his smirk. “Please, make yourself at home.” He gently draped the towel around her shoulders, held out another and waited for her to take it.
He pulled off his sodden jacket and sweatshirt, throwing them into a pile at the foot of the stairs, leaving himself in only a (still-soaked) tank. He went ahead upstairs, leaving wet footprints in his wake. It didn’t take long for him to navigate the bedroom in the dark, find a pair of clean sweat shorts and a faded T-shirt. It all felt strangely intimate. He almost felt human. Caius left the clothing neatly on the bed for her, then with inhuman speed, returned downstairs.
“You’ll have privacy on the second floor. Get changed and dry off. I’m gonna see if I can get the power going.” He offered Norah what he hoped was a reassuring smile, was quick to walk away. Envied the dark shadows in his home for getting to see more of her than he likely ever would in his lifetime.
It was like an out of body experience, like she was watching from above, had no actual control over herself. For decades, she’d taught herself that vampires were the enemy. They’d taken her parents from her, had thrown her into slavery. They were to blame for every wrong in her life. But here..now, the way she always felt around him…..how could any of this be bad? How could she not want the way her heart fluttered every time she caught him looking at her, the way electricity zapped through her with every brush of his fingers along her skin. It was intoxicating. It was addictive.
For now though….for now she’d try her best and focus on the here and now. Instead of the goosebumps, she focused on the cold shivers going down her spine, the heaviness of her wet clothes, the chill reaching her bone despite the sticky summer weather. Focus on the actuals and not the feelings. Norah stayed still as he draped towels over her, watching as he stripped some of his own drenched clothes and dropped them onto a heavy pile on the floor. She practically stared at his retreating form, hesitantly taking a couple steps further inside, her shoes wet and squeaking against the floor, leaving little puddles in her wake.
He came back a moment later, arms full of dry clothes, his clothes, and she tentatively took them, listening as he rattled off a list of almost-orders. “Yes Sir.” she found herself murmuring before she could even stop herself, eyes down for a moment more before she tried to smile back and she headed to the stairs, trying not to think about the water droplets trailing her path (or the longing she felt with every step she took further from him).
It was dark, unknown, but with the dim light coming through the windows she managed to find the bathroom and she stripped, tugging off her wet, heavy clothes, even her undergarments too cold and uncomfortable to keep on. She tried to towel-dry her hair as best she could, leaving it in damp waves along her shoulders before pulling on his clothes. The shorts were passed her knees, his t-shirt large and baggy, hitting passed her elbows and practically to her thighs, but they were dry and clean and..smelled like him. She happily wrapped herself in his scent, tucking damp strands behind her ears as she headed back downstairs, bare feet padding through the place unknowingly, not sure where he went. “..Cai?” she called softly, biting her lip as she walked further through the halls.
