8 Warmth

On her knees before the open ceramic throne in the lavatory down the hall from her room, Thea spewed with Caden holding back her hair with one hand. "Bleeegh..." Her face scrunched up from the taste, cringed from the burn. She was pale, clammy. It was clear she was having an anxiety attack from killing someone for the first time. She was panicking over the revelation that she had killed.

The suit she had once been wearing was now gone, but it had engraved all in which she had seen to memory. It not only had buffed her physical abilities and senses, but also her mental capacity. Which probably wasn't for the best.

In her mind, all she saw was the two people burning in green flames followed by death and ash. Tears were streaming down her face as she puked again. Why was she replaying that moment over and over again?

Caden just gently caressed her mid-back with his free hand. She was dressed in the same dress from earlier.

The more she expelled, the more he took in her scent. His eyes had been replitian, he gulped. It was like that of an animal, like a dog who ate its owner's waste and bodily fluid. He could feel his attraction to it, to her, not that he'd eat her puke. It was making him excited which he didn't entirely understand.

As he went to open his mouth, he quickly noticed his teeth had become more draconic, sharp. With restraint, he was able to force his mouth shut slightly. He didn't have the urge to eat her, it wasn't hunger.

The feeling was something akin of wanting to be close to her, to cuddle up. It wasn't some high form of lust, it wasn't like he wanted to dry hump her leg, but it was a strong pull.

Glancing over his shoulder towards the door as he heard Moira and Walter arriving home. He let out a sigh and looked down at her as he knelt down beside Thea. "You're going to be okay..." He whispered quietly, still rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her.

Thea paused of a moment, looking at him with her big eyes, before turning back to the toilet and puking. It was the same color as the punch and food she had at the party. There were even some little pieces of rice in there from the food they had before going in the first place.

The footsteps, their scent, Caden could hear the hurried footsteps. They could hear her puking from the foyer, she was just loud enough for that.

"Thea?" Her mother called as they made their way up the steps. "Are you okay?"

"I'm..." Thea gulped down the acid which was coming up her throat, "I'm fine, MOTHER. Leave me alone!" She shouted over her shoulder.

Caden pulled a piece of tissue out from the box sitting on the toilet's tank, then dabbed and wiped her chin. A small smile looming over his lips as he glanced over his shoulder again towards the door.

Moira stood there with Walter behind her. She wore a frown over her lips as she could hear Thea's pained panting. "Caden, what happened?" She asked through the door, demanding to know, while assuming he was in the room with her since she didn't see him through the open door of her bedroom.

Thea groaned slightly hearing her mother demanding an answer from her proclaimed boyfriend. "I told you I'm fine!" She howled at the door, as she went to stand up, taking Caden with her.

"I'm not asking you young lady!" Moira retorted when her daughter tried to shoo her away from the other side of the door without even looking at her.

Thea kicked the door with the ball of her foot, "And I'm answering for'em!" She argued as if she was pushing her mother away. "Leave us alone!"

Moira hissed, "Not while you're in my house!"

"Then I'll just go live with Caden!" Thea threatened to leave even though she knew that Caden had nowhere to stay. This was mainly to get her mom to back down.

"You can't do that..." Walter stated as he pinched the bridge of his nose as this drama was unfolding. He let out a sigh and placed a hand on Moira's shoulder. "It's too late for this... We'll see how she is in the morning."

Moira huffed as she was defeated and the two adults left the two teens alone in the bathroom.

"They left," Caden stated as he draped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her head against his chest, resting his chin on top of her head.

Thea closed her eyes and breathed in and out, calming down from the stress induced panic attack from her first killing. "When are we going out again?" She looked up at him.

Caden stared into her eyes for a few moments, seeing that she was being strangely haunted by what she had done. "We'll give it a few days. if we try too hard too fast, it won't be good for us." He wanted to protect her, as it was his fault he incited not only violence but murder. He was as guilty as she was, but because of his new physiology, he didn't feel as effected.

Thea nodded slowly, she didn't seem bothered by his physical changes. Though she could tell he was definitely aware of them as well. So it wasn't something she had to warn him about.

"Let's get you to bed," Caden said as he would gently keep just one arm around her back, grasping at her shoulder, as he lead her out of the bathroom after tossing the tissue into the toilet and flushing.

Thea let him lead her out to her bedroom, she closed the door and clicked it locked. Her eyes guided themselves along the floor before locking onto the bed. Leaving the warmth of his arm, she walked over and flopped onto it without hesitation.

Smirking at this, he walked over and slipped her shoes off her feet, and then moved her legs up onto the bed. "I call the floor," Caden said as he closed one eye looking down at her.

When he did this, Thea rolled onto her back and looked up at him with her eyes partially closed. She reached up and grabbed at his dress shirt, a frown across her lips, tugging at him until he put a knee on the mattress. "Don't leave me alone."

These few words echoed in the back of his mind, all he could do was nod. Caden crawled up onto the bed, wrapping an arm around her waist as he rested on his side.

Thea rested her face in his chest, dully staring at the white fabric. This felt like they were cuddling after their first date which wasn't abnormal. The warmth she gained from his embrace, it made her feel lighter, safer.

"Mmm..."

Within a couple hours she was asleep in his arms and Caden had used his magical prowess to turn the lights off. He slowly closed his eyes as he was going to go to sleep for the first time.

It was morning, her alarm clock was going off. Caden's eyes shot open, he was wide awake, as if he had never gone to sleep in the first place. It wasn't that he was a light sleeper, he wasn't human, he was a dragon.

Thea's eyes slowly opened as she stretched, smiling to herself as she found herself in his arms. She had been expecting nightmares from what she had done, but she hadn't gotten any. It was as if she had taken a large dose of good dreams from a charmed magic brew.

Slowly she sat up and looked at the clock. It was six thirty in the morning. She could hear the birds, their chirping, and the nature surrounding their home. It was time for her to get ready to go to school.

Thea slid off the side of the bed and pulled her dress up over her head, dropping it into her hamper before undoing the buttons of her skirt. Hugging herself with one arm, she looked over her shoulder towards Caden and smiled a little bit, flexing a brow.

Caden who had his eyes glued on her back, looked to her eyes as she gestured for him to turn away. He slowly sat up himself and turned around as he crossed his legs, putting his back to her.

"Thanks," Thea stated as she'd peal off her bra and undergarment. She walked over to her closet and pulled her bathrobe off the hook and wrapped it around herself; tying it shut.

He could hear her going through her morning routine, going about her room and collecting her school uniform. Folding it up, she grasped a towel and looked over at him as he turned to look at her as he heard her go to turn the knob of her bedroom door. She was entirely vulnerable the way she was.

Thea tilted her head a bit seeing his eyes, they were back to normal. With his lips open just a slight amount, she could see the normal pearly whites of a human being. "Seems rest did us both well, huh?" She commented before walking out the door, heading towards the bath.