59. Sneaky, little devil.

Eve heard the apartment door opening and instantly hid under the bed. She wasn't sure why her instincts to hide kicked in, but Eve was rather happy about it. Being mated to a werewolf did put her under danger, that was a proven fact. Someone walked around the room and kept searching for something, it sounded like the person spoke, but her hectic heartbeat invaded her ears, muting the sounds from her surroundings. Eve thought about emerging from her hiding spot but was a bit scared of the outcome. What if the person wasn't Eros? Usually, he called out for her whenever she was left alone, so maybe it wasn't him, after all. The loud footsteps and muffled sounds of objects being moved made Eve bite her bottom lip, a palm covering her mouth- just to make sure that no sound escaped her lips. When the footsteps moved away, Eve built up the courage to come out and peek at whoever was walking around the apartment as if they owned the place. Slowly, she slid out of her cover and stood up. Eve thought that she heard her name being called but shrugged it off. Moving on her tippy toes, she neared the room in which most of the noise sounded from. Cautiously, she looked round the corner, and a faint sigh of relief left her lips.

It was Eros with his back turned to Eve. His broad shoulders seemed tense, his hair wet- droplets of water shining like tiny stars, reflecting the light. He grabbed onto something and headed towards the door. Eros stopped, tapping his pocket as if looking for something. Eve scanned the room and noticed apartment keys not far from her.
She quickly moved, grabbed them, held the keys pressed between her thumb and pointer finger, and raised them a little above her head.

"Looking for this?" Despite the fit of giggles, she was fighting to hold in, Eve sounded severe, her voice low. Eros stood frozen; a low growl escaped his lips before he turned his body. When he finally faced Eve, their eyes locked, shock visible on his face.

"You little, sneaky devil!" Eros dropped his jacket, stepping closer to Eve. She took a step back, not feeling as amused anymore. The spark of mischief danced in his eyes. A dangerous-looking smirk grew on his lips, making Eros look like a predator about to play with his prey.

"All this time you were hiding, letting me freak out over the possibility of you running away," Eros added, grabbing her waist, pulling Eve tightly against his chest. He leaned down, inhaling her scent. The mate bond grew stronger with each passing day. The shivers traveling over his body, whenever he got a whiff of her scent, were a lot more intense. Eve, on the other hand, developed an instinct to lean her head back to allow him greater access to her neck, each time closing her eyes and savoring the unusual intimacy between them. His hand travelled down from her waist to her ass. He withdrew it quickly and slapped Eve's ass, leaving a huge red mark on it.

"Ouch! What was that for?" She frowned, rubbing the sore spot on her ass.

"That was for being a little, sneaky devil and hiding from me. If you hadn’t stopped me before I left the apartment, someone could have gotten seriously injured." Eros smirked, moving her hand away, and gladly taking over the responsibility of rubbing her ass.

"What do you mean?" Eve looked up at him, his eyes darkened, making her gulp loudly. The thing about Eros was that she never knew what to expect. She never knew how he would react or act- the man was a beast, with a little part of a human in him. Eve knew she had fallen in love with him yet kept it a secret until she would be ready to give her whole to him. She wanted to be good enough, but the constant self-consciousness and doubt held her back. She was nothing like a werewolf woman; Eve couldn't notice the beauty in herself when she had to compare with women who were made to perfection. Eve kept doubting how good their relationship would ever be if he already cheated- a thing she wasn't brave enough to bring up, nor was she strong enough to forget or forgive. The little voice in her head kept urging Eve to talk about the matter, it kept repeating that she most likely misunderstood the whole situation, but the human girl wouldn't listen even to herself.

"Eve, if you hadn’t gotten out of your hideout, I would have turned the fucking pack territory upside down to find you. I marked you for a reason- our souls were made for each other, and I wouldn't stop until you are where you belong- next to me. Since the day I first met you, I knew that I wouldn't let anyone, or anything stand between us. The thought of losing you pains me to the bottom of my heart. I've given my all, put out everything on the palms of my hands- all that's left is for you to claim it. Life without you wouldn't be life. I might go insane, but I might as well die if you reject and leave me after we mate. I understand that it's in your nature to have fun and play games, but it isn't in mine. I do not play, I do not have fun, especially if it comes to my mate," Eros took a deep breath and let go of her. Eve stood shocked, watching how he lazily strode to the living room sofa and dropped his body onto it. Eros hid his face behind his palms, letting out a deep sigh of frustration. Out of nowhere, the thought of pain during the time, when, as Luna said, he cheated- invaded her mind. Anger filled her; she stomped to the living room, stopping right in front of Eros. Eve reminded him of an angry child, throwing a temper tantrum, despite her enraged state, Eros chuckled as their eyes met, feeling rather amused.

"Yeah? And where in this damn mate law does it allow cheating? Because I, sure as Hell, am not willing to spend my life next to someone who keeps putting that pain on me. You know, it's simpler with humans- when they cheat, it's up to them whether they will let the other half know that or carry the guilt silently. When you cheat, I'm the one who has to endure actual, torturous physical pain. How is that fair? How are you going to sit here and tell me how you can't live without me if you cheat whenever I turn my back? I do have feelings for you, but I won't let that happen, sorry, but this life is not for me." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, doing her best to sound seriously set on the goal. Eve wasn't sure what she wanted to happen or what her goal was. She did know that she couldn't go through the agonizing pain ever again. Would she be brave enough to leave him? Should Eve stay and try to fix things? Or should she give up to live her life in peace, without any shifters involved? So many questions crossed her mind, yet the man, who held all answers, just stared at her with his eyes wide open.

"So? You're going to sit here and act as if I didn't say a thing? Are you seriously ignoring my words now? Unbelievable!" Eve stomped her feet, turning around, ready to bolt away from him. She was determined to run as far as she could, dedicating her whole life to avoiding Eros. She didn't get far- strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her into a rock-hard chest. Eros buried his face in the crook of Eve's neck and smiled against her skin.

"You have feelings for me," he whispered, sounding a little happier than Eve expected.

"And that's what you heard from all the things I said? That's it? How could you?" She looked down at her feet, fighting the tears, pulling her hands into tight fists.

"No, that's not all I heard. I heard your words about how being with a human is easier. I heard loud and clear how you accused me of being a cheater, which I'm not," Eros traced his lips along her skin, enjoying the shivers which travelled over Eve's body. Even when she was angry and wanted nothing to do with this man- her body betrayed how affected she was.

"I'm stating facts, stop pretending to be clueless. All you do is run around and brag how important I am, yet you run to others when I'm not on the radar. Are you planning to spend your life like that? Keeping me locked like a prisoner while having fun with your whores?" Eve couldn't remember the last time she had guts to yell out cuss words, yet here she was- spitting them like venom through gritted teeth. Eros took a deep breath and turned her around, pushing her body against the wall. He leaned a little lower, grabbed the sides of Eve's thighs and lifted her body, wrapping her legs around his waist. She was trapped between the wall and his body; pitch-black eyes looked straight into her soul.

"Now listen up," he spat back, pushing his erection against her core.

"I am not planning anything until you’re on the same wavelength as I am. I've been patient to bits, giving you time and closing my eyes to all of those tricks you played on me. Not anymore. You have two weeks to decide what you want, and if you don't make your decision before the deadline, then darling, you're getting marked and properly mated with or without your consent. Keep acting like a little, spoiled brat, and I'm going to fuck you as one. Be a good girl and explain to me what the fuck you mean about me, being a cheater? It's a low blow, kitten." Eros stared in her eyes, any emotion he felt was instantly written all over his face. The man was fighting with himself and the things Eve had said. No matter what was going on, he had to find that out, so they wouldn't struggle as much in the future.
Eros didn't want much- he didn't want to become a King or hold any high rank in the first place. He wasn't a man led by greed or seeking power. Eros was used to a simple life, doing any job he was given, and slowly building up the little bar business. His biggest dream was finding a mate and having a family. That's the main reason why he built the house. If he didn't want the family, he would spend the rest of his life in the apartment above the bar. Even looking at Eve made his heart melt, he could only imagine how amazing their family would be, the beautiful children they would have, and how delighted he would be with her. The dream faded though; it vanished as soon as she spoke about him being a cheater, about him not caring enough. Eve kept quiet, hazed out, looking in one spot, rarely blinking. Both of them lost themselves in their thoughts.

"What if mother told her some fucked up stories while they were together?" Ares suddenly invaded his mind, sounding rather aggressive.

"I'm thinking about the same," Eros replied, already overthinking the same idea for the fifth time.

"Let's find out then," Ares added and took control over his human form.

"Explain!" Ares yelled straight into Eve's face. He breathed heavily, somehow enjoying the terrified look on Eve's face.