26.Round balls of magic.

**Eros**

They didn't speak anymore since Eros didn't want to let his little cousin find out more about what happened and how he was thinking of dealing with the problem. Afia left shortly after they reached the bar. Ares backed up, giving control over the body back to Eros. He headed inside, carrying his mate. The bar was still filled with shifters, all noise faded as their eyes fell upon him. Everyone there already knew- if they valued their lives, none would dare to make a sound. Eros nodded at them and left, heading upstairs. Only when they entered the apartment, he relaxed, feeling a bit better, knowing that his mate would be safe around him. He carried her to the bedroom and laid her down onto the bed; she still clung to him tightly. Amused, he unwrapped her arms from his neck and covered her with a blanket. Eros took a quick shower, trying to ease his mind about the crazy day they just had.

"How did everything go down so quickly? It was perfect, she even gave herself to us, and a moment later everything crushed down," Ares whined from the back of his head. Eros didn't feel like talking; instead, he suggested that they talk the next day since it was late, and all of them needed some extra rest. Ares didn't argue, even though he was overwhelmed at this point. He wrapped a towel around his hips and left the bathroom, seeing Eve, wide awake, sitting at the end of his bed.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," Eros smiled, slowly walking into the closet. Eve stretched her limbs lazily, getting out of the bed, nearly falling. Eros approached her quickly, holding Eve in his arms protectively.

"You should lay down, love," he suggested, lifting her on his arms just to lay her back on the bed.

"But I'm not tired," Eve whined, suddenly pouting like a toddler.

"But you have to. You're drained both emotionally and physically- you have to rest. I can join you if it makes you feel better, but I can sleep on the couch, that's not a problem either," Eros tucked her in, avoiding glancing at her face. He knew all too well that he would lose the moment their eyes met. A grown man, such as himself, being weak and entirely bendable to all her needs or desires.

"Can you hold me tonight?" Eve whispered. She felt ashamed of the need to have him close, yet too scared to sleep alone. Today's events have had a significant effect on her- first the man, then the creature, and from both, she had been saved by this man. Eve truly felt safe by his side, and now, at this point, she wasn't willing to leave his side- even in her sleep.
Eros flashed her a million-dollar smile and pecked her cheek.
"Let me change, I'll be back before you even know it," he winked and rushed back into the closet.
Eve looked anywhere but at the closet, her cheeks flushed- she was unsure if it was because she was ashamed or excited. Even her own emotions kept playing tricks on her. Eros approached the bed quietly; Eve avoided looking at him, she fixed her eyes on a tiny painting, placed above one of the nightstands. He didn't sit down; instead, his gaze was fixed on her face.

"Finding something interesting in that painting, little one?" He chuckled, finally gaining her attention.

"It's rather beautiful," she whispered, wondering why he kept watching her like a hawk.

"No, you are," Eros announced loudly, the bed finally dipped next to her. He hid his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply.

"How would you feel about a bath? I bought some stuff from the weird store, which all females are obsessed with. There are round balls of magic, which disappear in water and leave some kind of herbs floating in the water. I bought bath bubbles if you like those. Not sure yet, you've never told me anything about those things," he sighed, moving his body closer to hers.

"Oh my gosh, I must smell," Eve exclaimed. Of course, she hasn't showered yet, and she had run like a maniac for quite some time. Her body must be covered in the scent of sweat. She frowned, thinking about how disgusted Eros must feel being around her now.

"I don't know, your scent remains as intoxicating as it was the first time I caught a whiff of it," he spoke honestly, unaware of Eve's inner battle with herself.

"Let me run a bath for you and find some clean clothing," this time, he gently kissed her neck without a rush. Eros got out of the bed and strode into the bathroom, a gentle smile glued on his lips. Eve was left stunned; she had no idea how he still felt comfortable around her, even more- why he became so gentle, literally out of nowhere. She heard him running the water into the tub, debating whether she should help or just enjoy the quiet suffering, he showed off by repeating cuss words. Eve got out of the bed and tiptoed to the bathroom, stopping, and leaning against the door frame. Seeing him, with multiple bath bombs in his hands, completely lost as to what to do with them made Eve giggle. Eros turned to face her, smirking as his eyes fell upon her frame.

"Am I amusing you, little one?" he asked, somewhat amused himself.

"Are those the 'balls of magic' you mentioned?" Eve barely held her laughter, pointing at the bath bombs.

"Yeah. I have no idea how much I should use. Have you had any of these before? Be a sweetheart and help me out a little," he whined. Eve couldn't hold back, and the laughter finally escaped her lips. This man, no matter how strong or terrifying he looked at times, was nothing but a softie trying to please his mate.

"Alright, don't make fun of me, and move that cute, little butt of yours here. I need your help." Eros loved hearing her laugh, the sound she made, when she was delighted was like a symphony for his ears. He had dreamt of hearing it out loud for so long; now he couldn't imagine the day when he would get tired of it. Eve approached him, grabbed one of the bath bombs and placing it under her nose. She inhaled deeply and smiled.

"I want this one, it reminds me of you," she blushed, slowly opening the packaging, and dropping the bath bomb into the tub. Her eyes watched the fuzzy bubbles filling the bath. Eros stood behind her and whispered into her ear: "Hands up."
Eve did as she was told. She didn't feel shy, nor the need to overthink her actions. He helped her to undress, taking her clothing off rather slowly. The moment Eve came out of her hazed state of mind- she realized she was standing bare in front of him. She had forgotten that the only decent piece of clothing she had been wearing was his hoodie. Her arms went around her body instinctively, hiding the 'imperfections' from his eyes. Slowly, he placed his hands over hers and turned her around. His eyes looked deep into hers, never glancing below her face. He raised her hands to his lips, and tenderly kissed her knuckles.

"Don't hide from me, kitten. You're perfect," he spoke sincerely, it was noticeable in the way he looked at her. Eve closed her eyes and nodded. As time went by, Eve found herself relaxing in a bath as Eros gently scrubbed her body. At first, she wouldn't allow him, yet gave in quickly, enjoying the love and care he was showing. When she was done, he wrapped her into a towel and carried her to the bed, helping her to dry and get dressed. Not long later, Eve laid under the sheets, dressed in his t-shirt, waiting for Eros to come back. He had headed to the kitchen to make Eve a cup of peppermint tea. She didn't ask for one, yet he knew a lot about her habits- having a cup of tea before bed, being one. He came back into the bedroom, placed the cup on the nightstand, and lay next to her, slowly tracing circles on her leg with his fingertips.

"Why did you run away?" he suddenly asked, his facial expression changed from one of happiness to one of despair in second.

"I don't know. I guess I was overwhelmed and scared, confused even. So much happened in such a short time; I didn't feel like I should be around here. After I got that text message, I was genuinely worried about you, almost falling down the stairs when I ran to your office. Then, I saw THAT, and my mind became blank. It was instinct; I just ran where she told me to. I'm sorry, if I would have known what was hidden there, I wouldn't even think of being near that place," a single tear rolled down Eve's cheek, she felt guilty for her reaction, trying to avoid talking about the position she caught Eros and Kali in. He wrapped his arms around her body and held her tightly, his lips leaving butterfly kisses all over her face.

"Kitten, nothing happened in there, I swear. Since the moment I found you, I cannot physically get hard for any other woman. I cannot want any other woman; it's impossible for me. You are the one I want and need; you are the only woman who will share the bed with me and I with her. You are the centre of my universe, Eve," as the words left his lips, she felt at ease. Eve was unsure why the view had hurt her so much, why she couldn't accept him wanting another woman more than her. Maybe, she started catching feelings or perhaps she wanted him to want only her. She nodded her head, trying to listen to her intuition. Even though her mind found a lot of wrong things about his words- she had to learn to trust him. If he didn't want her, as much as he said, he wouldn't save her life twice in one day.

"Okay," she whispered, a gentle smile appearing on her lips, assuring Eros that she believed him. They laid quiet for a moment, enjoying holding each other until the realization hit Eros harder than a wall of bricks.

"Kitten, what kind of text message? Who showed you the direction of where you should run?"