#r16

Caleb

The celebration had already begun when you entered the vast hall. You arrived at Skyhaven on a covert mission, and your target was there in front of you. After a while, using some of your tricks, you were able to learn a lot of useful information. While conversing with enthusiasm, boasting about your identity to earn the target's confidence, your gaze wandered across the hall, beyond the group of individuals dancing. Standing there was a very recognizable face. Those amethyst eyes had also discovered you. At that moment, surprise and confusion appeared on both faces.

Why was Caleb there? You wondered. You assumed he was on a mission far away. Despite your heart's desire to go to him right away, the mission at hand prevented you from doing so. Thus you spent another half an hour pretending to laugh and getting close to the strange man - your target - while your gaze inevitably shifted to Caleb on the other side. He donned a pilot uniform and looked awfully handsome that night, as opposed to the other guests' formal attire. You had seen him dressed like that before, but seeing him among his colleagues, in his own work environment, was the first time. Needless to say, you were astonished and overwhelmed. Your eyes were focused on him, to the point that the person next to you had to call you a few times to get some of your attention back.

Aside from indulging your eyes and letting them appreciate Caleb's professional elegance, you suddenly felt terrible. You arrived at Skyhaven without telling him in advance, yet you still seemed to be overjoyed to be with this stranger. Caleb was still discreetly watching you from the other side of the hall, sometimes drinking and conversing with the other guests. But you knew he was also focused on you. He did not go over to greet you because he assumed you had something important to do there, which was true. You would explain to him when you returned home.

After gathering all of the necessary details, you refused a dance and walked out of the banquet hall. Outside, you encountered a path leading into a green maze submerged in a thin layer of clouds. The full moon poured golden nectar onto your figure as you clicked inside.

You immediately felt as if you were being followed. Your pace became hurried as the black shadow got closer to you. You needed to cut off the person who was following you first. However, after strolling for a bit, you found yourself lost. You used your skills to gradually advance into the heart of the maze, where you could hear rippling water. When you arrived, the black shadow emerged from the opposite side as well.

Under the moonlight, that person's face became more visible.

"Caleb?" Before you could exhale in contentment that it was Caleb, you observed his grim countenance. He was not pleased to discover you here, unannounced.

You suddenly realized that you had just fallen into real danger.

“Are you going to just leave without saying a word to me?” Caleb stopped walking a short distance away from you.

“Ah, well… Hello, Caleb…” You mumbled. “I thought you were busy with the guests at the party so I didn't bother you… I came for a mission. It's over now… See you later, then?”

You hesitated before turning your heel. Immediately, you felt a powerful force tighten around your hand. Looking down, you noticed the silver bracelet around your wrist pulling you in one direction. Your back quickly collided with the wall made of plants from the maze. Your hand was securely restrained in the lifted posture, while the other attempted to remove the bracelet but failed.

You stared at Caleb, who was steadily approaching you.

"Let me go, Caleb!" You yelled out.

"As you wish." He responded with a smirk. The force on your wrist lessened and vanished, but he immediately put his massive hand against yours, locking it hard. Caleb's other hand was around your waist, forcing you towards him.

"But first, you owe me an explanation."

You swiftly gazed into Caleb's eyes before carefully pushing him away.

"Stop fooling around. I already told you, I'm here for a mission..."

“And you're wearing this to go on a mission?” Caleb growled. He peered at you in a dark gown with exposed shoulders and a chest cut so deep that just by lowering his head, he could easily see all the delights from your body revealed under the moon. 

“This… Tara chose it for me!” You moved her free hand to conceal the flesh that felt hot beneath Caleb's intense gaze. Your cheeks were crimson under his heated breath, which smelled faintly of alcohol. But he was not drunk, and neither were you. That was why it felt a little embarrassing standing here with him, in this romantic pose you could only see in movies.

Caleb took your hand and clutched it firmly. "Dammit! Let me see you." He grumbled softly. You stopped resisting and glanced up at him. The moon cast a beautiful halo over his hair and back, but you had never seen him so aggressive before. As if he was jealous.

"I won't ever interfere with your missions," Caleb remarked after a lengthy silence. "But at the very least, tell me what you're doing. I do not like seeing my girl having fun with someone else."

"I'm sorry…" You murmured. "Because I thought you were on a distant mission, I didn't want to make you worry…"

"Seeing you here in such a seductive gown doesn't make me worry any less, right?" Caleb frowned. His breathing became heavy, causing a burning sensation in your neck and shoulders. He squeezed his body into yours, pushing you deeper into the soft wall of leaves that supported you from behind.

Then, Caleb began kissing you. Unlike usual, the kiss was much more urgent and intense. He softly nipped your lower lip before pulling away, leaving a tiny silver thread under the enchanted moonlight connecting the two of you. Before you could say anything, he continued kissing you. On your neck, on your shoulder. Wherever the moonlight touched you, he left a trail of red kisses, as if terrified that if he did not leave his imprint on you, someone else might steal you away.

You shuddered in response to Caleb's sudden and fierce attack. He was not his normal compassionate self, but somehow you were drawn to the possessive side of Caleb. When he drew away to gather his breath, your fingers ran lightly into the knot on his tie around his neck, loosening it and drawing him closer. 

In the maze, Caleb and you together, immersed in the light of the full moon.

Sylus

You traveled to N109 Zone to carry out a secret mission. Of course, at the lavish party, you were an uninvited guest. But you were welcomed there because of the brooch on your chest, which featured a raven grasping a ruby. Since Sylus had given it to you, this was the first time you had returned to N109 Zone with its aid.

Without letting him know, you went to this extravagant party by yourself. You did not want to owe him any more. Nonetheless, thanks to his brooch, you were able to access another event in N109 Zone. You meant to keep this a secret so that he would not compel you to pay off a fresh debt.

Everything went quite smoothly. The target you approached was from a major organization in this region. As soon as he spotted the brooch on your torso, he recognized you. You took advantage of the chance to boost your profile by claiming to be from Onychinus. You even said you were Sylus's. The target had no suspicions and was very comfortable conversing with you, even offering you some wine. You had acquired a lot of information, but not enough to report right away. So you purposefully lingered for a bit longer. The clock struck midnight. The guest by your side was a touch drunken. He invited you to join in the dance. You intended to accept the offer to continue gathering more information. However, as you extended your hand, it was tightly grabbed by someone else.

A large, rough hand sent warmth to you. Astonished, you raised your head and beheld a pair of fiery red eyes, similar to the gemstone you had on your attire.

"Sylus?!" You attempted to maintain a cool demeanor, but your heart began to race.

"This lady already has a dance partner." He spoke to the other person, but his gaze never left you. When your target noticed Sylus approaching, he immediately greeted him before disappearing into the crowd of guests.

You exhaled. You only had a few to report then.

“Where are you going, kitten?” Sylus's voice rang out, very close to your ear. He leaned down. The light scent of perfume wafted through your nose, intoxicated you despite the fact that you had not had a lot of wine just now.

“Hello, Sylus.” You smiled. “I didn't expect to see you here.”

Sylus gazed at you for a moment, then he smirked as if curious about what you were up to.

“You came to my area, attended the party I was invited to. Are you certain you don't expect to see me again?”

The truth was, you had no idea that Sylus was invited. While perplexed, you noticed him pulling you to the center of the banquet hall, just as the music began.

“Sylus? I don't want to dance..."

"Oh? You don't?”

Unfortunately, it was too late. He gripped your hand and waist, directing each move for both of you. While dancing, he whispered in your ear: 

“Good thing, I came to this party just in time to see a little kitten trying to seduce Onychinus's business partner.”

"I was only doing my job. But you showed up and drove my target away."

You had no idea if it was deliberate or not, yet you stepped on Sylus's foot. His brow wrinkled, then instantly relaxed. He softly pulled you closer to him, lowering his head a little. His breath turned your ear crimson and ticklish. "Was it my fault then? If that's the case, I must assist you complete the mission. What would you like to know about their organization? I can offer you whatever piece of information you require. In exchange, think of me as a target you're supposed to approach. Seduce me."

Your face was burning. Your breathing was erratic, and your heart pounded louder than the music. You pushed Sylus aside and this time stepped on his foot, hard. You flashed him a furious glance and turned to leave while the song was still unfinished.

Sylus's expression revealed a tinge of disbelief, which was quickly replaced by amusement. He went after his kitten. As soon as you left the dance floor, he caught up with you and hoisted you with one arm.

"Ouch!"

Sylus seized you tight, your thighs resting on his muscular arm and your entire body dropping into his shoulder as you lost balance. You hurriedly held Sylus's neck to avoid falling, but it appeared that he had no problem lifting you up like that.

"Sylus! Put me down!" You cried out in a failed attempt to break free from Sylus. Many guests in  the banquet hall turned to stare at the two of you. "People are looking!"

"That's even better. Didn't you just tell someone that you're mine? Now the entire N109 Zone will be aware of this."

You remained dumbfounded for a while. He hoisted you in one arm and marched straight out, while you scratched his back.

Sylus brought you outside to where his car was parked. The full moon, crimson as blood, surveyed you from above. You fiercely bit Sylus's earlobe and yelled, "Put me down!"

Finally, he listened. He put you down right next to the pitch-black automobile and said: 

“I expected you wanted to do business with me? Scared now, kitten?"

You stared at Sylus. His ear which you had just bitten was red and swollen. If you had to think about it, it would have been much easier to ask him directly for help. But you did not want to owe him anymore. You thought dealing with him was always a very dangerous thing. Not for his status, but because you were always irresistibly drawn to him. And it drove you crazy.

"There's no way to please you." Sylus responded after hearing your silence. "You didn't want to ask for my help, yet you took advantage of my name to get in here. You don't want anything to do with me, yet you told people that you’re mine.” With each step Sylus took forward, you retreated further. It was not until the rear door of his automobile hit your bare back that you realized you had no way out. You replied without looking directly at him:

"I had to do it to gain the target's confidence... I apologize for borrowing your name…”

Sylus grinned faintly. He leaned towards you and whispered:

“Why should you apologize for telling the truth?”

You stared at his half-joking, half-serious demeanor with wide eyes. It made you uneasy. There was a tingling sensation on your wrist, where Sylus’s fingers were messing around and finally squeezing yours.

“Sylus?…”

Before you could regain your composure, he kissed you. A gentle kiss that only brushed your top lip before drawing away. He observed your reaction before proceeding to devour your red lower lip. His fingertips found the exposed back of yours and danced there. You shuddered, pushing him away somewhat yet just making him grasp you closer. Sylus's hand grabbed your thigh and raised it, slamming your body into the automobile. You pulled away from his lips.

“Sylus—”

He was silent, but when you cried his name, he appeared to grow even more ardent. He placed deep, wet kisses against your neck and shoulder. You turned aside, frightened to confront him and succumb to the temptation. But in that instant, you noticed yourself and him in the rearview mirror.

It was Sylus; his entire body crushed on yours, his hand not obediently grabbing your thigh and squeezing it against his body. You were unable to see his face as he was rubbing it all over the crook of your neck, leaving his marks there. But you saw yourself. It was you; a complete mess in his hands. You were absolutely shaken and unkempt. Your lips were glowing red, yet you longed for more. You inhaled deeply, unable to believe the way you appeared anymore. But Sylus caught your reflection in the mirror. His hand remained on your neck, forcing you to see the way you were craving his every touch. 

"You have to be responsible for your words, kitten." Sylus’s voice echoed through the sound of his kisses.