Shadows of a Broken Future

Chapter 8

My heart is thundering in my chest. Calm down, Sonic. Calm down.

But the more I try to stop thinking about it, the worse it gets. His leg moves again, and I feel it slide, pressing against the bulge of my sheath. My body can't calm down. I feel like I might spontaneously combust. This whole situation is way too much.

I need to get out of here.

But before I can figure out what to do, the worst possible thing happens.

He starts to stir, his eyes opening slowly, and in a sudden burst of panic, I kick him off the bed.

There's a sharp thud as he hits the floor, and my stomach drops.

Oh god. What did I just do?

I quickly brush it off though as I don't have time to waste. I pull the blankets up quickly, hiding my now obvious problem. My hands are shaking as I grab the nearest pillow, holding it down in my lap like some kind of desperate shield, praying he doesn't notice anything.

Shadow slowly gets up, looking at me confused before his eyes then blaze with anger and annoyance.

"What the fuck was that for Faker?" he snaps, his voice low and dangerous.

My face is flushed-god, why am I still flushed?-and I scramble for an excuse, my mouth dry.

"I-uh-well, you scared me," I blurt out, my words stumbling over each other. "You know, just woke up and... uh, yeah, just scared me. That's all."

His glare is almost tangible, and I feel my throat tighten. "So you kick me off the bed for that?"

I can't even process how much I've messed up. He has no idea how close we were, how I literally couldn't move. I need to change the subject-now.

"Um, yeah, but... how did I even end up here?" I ask trying to sound casual and hoping the question will shift things. "I swear I was on the couch last night."

Shadow rubs the back of his head where he landed, wincing slightly as he stands up, cracking his neck as if to shake off the surprise. He glares at me for a moment before responding, "I went to get some water," he says, his voice still a little rough from sleep. "And I heard your horrible snoring from the couch. Figured out you lied about the guest room, so I decided to return you to the room that's-you know-actually yours."

He crosses his arms unamused, eyes piercing into mine.

I chuckle nervously, trying to cover my awkwardness. "Oh, right. That." I cough, the heat in my face still burning. "I didn't tell you there was no guest room because...I really wanted to help you out, okay? Thought it'd be a good idea to... you know, get closer as friends."

He doesn't seem convinced. "You're full of it," he mutters, eyes narrowing. "Why's your face so red Faker? You sick or something?"

Crap. Crap. Crap.

The words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop them. "I'm not sick! I'm just-uh-I mean, I might be getting something? I just... need some rest, I guess."

Before I can recover, Shadow leans over. My breath hitches as he moves closer, his face drawing so near to mine that I can feel the heat of his skin. Our noses are practically touching, and I can't think. I can't breathe. I'm fucked.

I can feel the heat radiating off him, every inch of his body burning into mine. My body is betraying me, tingling all over. He leans in a little more, and then-he takes off his glove with his teeth.

My brain doesn't know how to process it. Why was that so hot?

He places the back of his hand against my forehead and I freeze. I can't move. My body doesn't want to move. His scent, that damn lavender and the sheer presence of him... it invades my senses. I hold my breath, feeling his bare fur hand against my skin. It's driving me crazy. It's too much.