56. Make me a sinner.

Eros ran towards the place where he had left Lord Balthazar and his best friend, begging Gods for them not to be there. He knew that he wouldn't be able to control Ares anymore. If the two men threw so much as a glance at Eve, he would go through an incredibly painful force shift and end up with two bodies at his feet. He couldn't let that happen.

"Eros!" Eve clung to his shirt, tugging it gently. Her breathing was becoming ragged, her flesh burned in flames, and she seemed to get weaker by each second passing. She could barely hold her eyes open, struggling to stay awake.

"Hold on love, I'll get you to safety, just hang in there," he kissed her forehead to calm Eve down. As an answer, she let out a weak moan.
Eros groaned, increasing his speed. If she continued to fight her tiredness just to achieve any skin-to-skin contact and another moan leaves her parted lips, Eros would not be to blame for what he is was about to do to her. He smirked, feeling how her body relaxed. Hopefully, Eve would fall asleep for a bit, at least until they could get back home, and he was sure that she was safe.

"Eros, I'm so sorry. I didn't know this might happen. Human heat is so rare; it's almost impossible to be considered as something that might actually happen. She needed some time away, I just wanted to help," his mother's voice sounded suddenly from the back of his mind.

"Mother, drop it. I'll deal with you later. Now, I have more important matters to think about, and my main priority is to get her back to safety. I will visit the packhouse when I'm ready to speak." His reply was sharp and before she could keep talking, Eros blocked her out. As he raced through the forest, Eros wondered how his mother had got to him. She never tried to mind-link him, and since he wasn't part of the pack- the only way he could mind-link anyone was by using a special bond. The bond he didn't have with his mother. Soon enough, Eros noticed the dim car lights, nearly letting out a breath of relief. After that, he saw the two silhouettes standing near, growling in warning, Eros understood how close to the vehicle they stood.

"Zander, back away, slowly. No sudden movements, look down, and don't dare to look his way if you still value your life." Balthazar grabbed his wrist and started backing away slowly, his head hung low.

"Wait; what?" Zander tried to get out of his hold, completely confused about why he wasn't allowed to approach or look at his best friend.

"Sniff the air, can't you smell it, dumbass?" Balthazar whisper-yelled, doing his best to increase the distance between them as fast as he could.

"What's that smell?" Zander followed Balthazar's lead, eager to find out what was happening and why Eros stood by the car, growling, snarling, and showing off his canines. He was protecting something. But what? Or whom?

"Heat. A very particular type of heat, my boy. It's the human heat- one I've witnessed only once in my lifetime. And trust me, when I say this- I'm older than most of the vampires, you know. It's rare for human mates to go into heat, and it seems that Eve has been unlucky to be hit with one. Humans are not made for our type of lifestyle, especially the mating season. Eros is protecting what is his by the look of his tense body. I'll be bold enough to assume that he's fighting his beast to keep us alive. If Ares gets out, we're both good as dead. My boy, I know you're strong, so am I, but none of us can stand even close to the king," Balthazar kept whispering, hoping that his effort in educating Zander wouldn't be seen as a threat in Eros's eyes.

"Shit, that sounds bad," Zander added.

"Let's get out of here before anyone gets hurt. We can run and check if the coast is clear as he drives her home, in that way he won't see us as a threat, and we will make sure that Ares won't kill any innocents on the way," he suggested.
Lord Balthazar threw a glance at Eros. He didn't move a muscle, his hands still kept clenching on Eve's body. As much as he didn't like the idea, Zander was right. Eros wouldn't drop Eve and run after them; now she's the only thing which mattered to the beast, so they needed to use their chance.

"We're going to shift, my boy. We will not approach your mate by any means. We offer you to run ahead and check the road, cleaning any civilians in your way. Both of us will run to your bar and leave the area before you park the car," Balthazar lifted his hands, to show Ares that they meant no harm. Eros nodded his head and gently placed sleeping Eve in the passenger seat, returning his gaze to both men. Zander had already shifted to his grey wolf, while Lord Balthazar placed one hand on his chest and closed his eyes. He took a couple of deep breaths before the terrifying sound of breaking bones filled the whole area. His shift was slow, and by the look on Lord's face- it was way more painful than regular werewolf shift. His body stretched inch by inch; muscles trembled, bones kept breaking, making Balthazar clench his jaw. After precisely two minutes, instead of Balthazar, there stood an enormous Lycan, bowing his head to his king. Eros returned a nod and gestured towards the direction where both men should go. They took off immediately, leaving Eros alone with Eve.
Eros got into the car, put a seatbelt on Eve, and drove away from the place, trying to spot his grandfather and best friend in the distance. First, he saw Zander- his wolf was strong but unable to keep up with the Lycan, even though he had an advantage of four legs, while Lord ran on two. There were a couple of wolves in their way, they ran screaming and running away from the road. Especially after noticing the beast, which was rumored to be extinct.
Balthazar laughed, thinking about the shocked faces of pack members, after they had found out that they had a Lycan living on their lands for years. The only difference was that the Lord was old, and Eros was a lot younger- meaning that Ares must look a lot more impressive than he does.
Balthazar reached the bar and checked the surroundings. When he was done- Zander ran to him, eyeing him suspiciously. Balthazar nodded, and both left as soon as they noticed car lights coming into view. They had done the best they could; now it was up to Eros to deal with everything else. Eros parked the car, turned off the engine, and stepped out of the vehicle. He took his time to breathe in the fresh air, afraid that after taking her scent in one more time, he might not be able to stop anymore. When he looked back at the car, he noticed that Eve was awake, her body trembling violently. Instinctively, he ran to her, unbuckled her seat belt, and lifted her, pulling her body close to his chest.

Eros didn't bother to lock the truck, or even unlock the bar door- he simply kicked it open and closed. He ran upstairs, holding Eve as if she were about to disappear, and this was his last chance to be close. Without any hesitation, he did the first thing which came to mind- he carried Eve to the bathroom, filled the tub with ice-cold water, and put her in.

"You need to cool down, this temperature could kill you," he whispered, stroking her hair.
Eve didn't utter a word; she felt more energetic as soon as her flesh became less hot. She sighed, happy about the feeling of relief washing over her for a bit. Eros stood up, kissed her forehead, and announced that he was going to find some clothing for her.

"It's still packed," Eve said, a little surprised to find her voice again.

"I don't need your clothing, kitten; I need mine. You're in heat. My scent and presence will help you go through it easier, less painfully." He left the bathroom, leaving Eve alone with nothing but her thoughts. Now it was her time to process whatever was happening. She did know that the heat was normal for werewolves, yet nobody ever mentioned that it could happen to humans. How could this be real? She wasn’t supposed to feel how her body was suddenly burning up, nearly shutting down.

"I hope you're okay with t-shirt and sweatpants, that's the best I could find. Later, I'll put some of your favourite clothes with mine, to get my scent all over them. I'm sure you'll be more comfortable wearing those." Eros stood in the doorway, admiring the adorable pout on Eve's face. Of course, just like any other wolf, he preferred to see Eve in his clothes, yet at this point- he was ready to do anything to make her feel better.

"I like your clothes better, thank you," Eve whispered, blushing beet red as soon as the words left her lips. The human girl couldn't understand why she still felt so shy around him. He had seen her naked, they had been intimate before, yet she still felt ashamed of her body.

"Come on; I'll help you out. The bath is meant to cool you off, not to freeze you to death," Eros smiled, extending his arm to Eve. She grabbed on it and a weak moan left her parted lips as a bolt of electricity travelled from where their skin met.

"Kitten, don't do this to me," Eros growled in a warning tone.

"Do what? I'm not doing anything." Eve lifted her eyebrow, forgetting how big an effect she had on Eros. She kept putting herself down, completely ignoring the constant praising and adoration from his side.

"And I'm the fucking Pope," Eros replied sarcastically, refusing to let go of her tiny hand.

"Don't be an asshole, I didn't do anything," Eve kept arguing, feeling her cheeks flushing, a hint of desire building up in her core.

Whenever he growled, Eve couldn't help but think about those times they spent in his bed, her under him, a wave of ecstasy hitting her over, and over again.

"Having little, naughty thoughts, are we?" Eros leaned to her neck, tracing his lips along her flushed skin, purposely teasing her.

"I'm not," Eve half moaned, leaning her head back, giving him more access to her neck.

"There we go again," he growled against her skin, nipping onto the mark he had left there.

"S-stop it." Eve's knees trembled. She was fighting the urge to wrap her arms around his neck and jump onto him like a hungry nympho.

"Stop what?" He did stop the nipping, his lips still incredibly close to her skin.

"This," Eve moaned again, letting her instincts run wild, wrapping her arms around his neck, and jumping onto him, pulling their bodies incredibly close. Eros reacted instantly, grabbing onto her ass, his erection tightly pressed against Eve's burning folds.

"You're such a saint, it would be a shame to ruin you," Eros whispered in her ear before he smacked her ass roughly, grabbing onto the sore spot he left.

"Make me a sinner," Eve moaned, crashing her lips onto his.