COUNTDOWN: 18 DAYS TO FULL MOON #4

                They’d decided that Kita should make the entire protective circle by herself, just in case. They’d also decided that they should do a practice run. So here she was, drawing on the wooden basement floor in thick black sharpie. The resonance runes felt strange to draw, but the were somehow familiar, just missing the subtle glow that they’d had in the forest. She’d just finished the second one when she heard slow footsteps on the stairs. Probably Kris coming to check up on her. She’d banished him earlier when he was being overly critical of her circle drawing. This was difficult enough, she didn’t need him breathing down her neck.

                “I thought I told you to go away?” she said, sticking her tongue between her teeth in concentration as she drew another folding line.

                He didn’t answer. There were no footsteps, he was apparently just standing back there watching her from the bottom of the stairs like a weirdo. Nothing new there then.

                She continued drawing, eyes flickering up to the piece of paper she was copying from. She’d spent the day before painstakingly coping everything from the books into a notebook of her own (that she’d ‘borrowed’ from Chanyeol). It was minutes later that she sat back on her haunches and admired the rune. Not bad for a first attempt.

                Rolling her eyes, she swivelled around on her knees, but the sharp remark died on her tongue as she realised who was standing there.

                Not Kris. Kai.

                He didn’t move a muscle as she locked eyes with him, his dark chocolate iris’s boring into hers. What was up with him, had he ever looked at her like this before?

                And it might have been that she was kneeling, but when did he get so tall?

                “I didn’t know it was you.” She admitted.

                He hummed, eyes glancing down to her drawings. “This is the protection spell?” he walked over and squat beside her, tracing his fingers over the curving lines. “it’s pretty. You’re good at this.”

                Kita floundered, “thanks. It’s a bit wobbly but it’ll get better with practice.”

                He smiled softly, “I know you will. You won’t let us down.”

                Erm… ok? “Are you ok Kai?”

                He stood, “yeah. I think I am.” He didn’t offer anything else, going over to plonk himself on the couch, arms spread over the back. “Just a little tired.” He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the cushions. “Carry on, don’t mind me.”

                What was going on? When was Kai ever this…. Relaxed? Maybe Baekhyun had spiked his tea or something.

                Kita shuffled over to where the third resonance rune would go, the one directly facing the boy on the couch.

Kai

                Kris had been complaining about how Kita had kicked him out of the basement, and briefly mentioned that she was working on the protective wall they’d be using during the next full moon. His wolf had stirred at her name, and it was almost without thinking that Kai found himself walking towards the basement stairs. He’d paused at the top when he realised what he was doing. But the wolf wasn’t angry, not at the minute anyway. It was more…longing?

                She said something as he descended the stairs, but he didn’t quite hear it. He was preoccupied with the way his wolf was jumping at her voice, and the lilt it had in the air.

                He slouched on the couch, closing his eyes as he felt his wolf pull on him, begging him to move over to her.

                I am in charge here.

                You obey me.

                The wolf growled, but quieted. It was far away from the next full moon, the wolf was at its weakest. Kai was in control.

                He opened his eyes, looking at the girl who was crouched on the ground, arm moving slowly as she copied the rune onto the floor. Her dark hair fell from behind her ear and hid her face for a brief moment before she sat back up on her knees and piled it into a bun atop her head.

                Kai barely held in his groan. Now he could clearly see the elegant curve of her neck – the visions from before flashed in his vision.

She stood, distracting him from his distracting thoughts as she moved over to were the last drawing would go. Kai shook his head to clear his thoughts, but she looked up at him with those big curious eyes.

“Everything ok?”

“Yeah, of course.” He floundered, she was still looking at him, “so what are these things?” He gestured at the circle, “how does it work?”

Kita raised a brow at his strange behaviour but thankfully decided not to question it. Great. Now she thinks we’re weird. Fantastic.

“Basically, I’ll put my magic in these runes which will connect to each other and create a circle that you shouldn’t be able to get past. It should keep you contained.”

“Should?”

Kita shrugged, “Well we won’t know until we try it will we?” She looked up, mischief gleaming in her eyes. “Come on then.” She stood, dusting her hands and pointing at the middle of the circle. “let’s give it a go?”

“Now?”

She shrugged, “why not?” the corner of tilted up, challenging him.

He stood up immediately, standing tall for a second before striding over to her and standing in the middle of the circle.

The air around them was heavy and thick, and the magic hadn’t even started moving yet. He swallowed, looking elsewhere as Kita walked around him. She was at the rune behind him, murmuring to herself but Kai wasn’t listening. He was adamant in focusing his thoughts, counting the ceiling tiles, flexing his fingers and cracking his jaw. Something about the environment, something was different.

She moved around him, he could see her in his peripheral vision. Still he looked forward.

Then she moved into his vision and she was kneeling directly in front of him. He looked upwards, but he could still feel her there. His wolf was watching, scenting her in the air, feeling the warmth from her skin in such a confined space. He closed his eyes.

He heard her move away and let out the breath he’d been holding. He opened his eyes and looked back down to the ground where the rune was glowing. It was the soft white and gold of Kita’s magic, a gentle pulsing all of its own. As he watched, the light flooded out and hovered along the black line connecting the runes. It raised above him, melding and caging him in.

Kita walked around to face him, looking ethereal through the light. Her brows were knitted together as she concentrated and Kai felt a fleeting desire to kiss that furrow away. He looked where her gaze was and noticed flecks of blue dancing with the motley of white and gold.

“Is that…?”

“Your magic.” She answered, hesitating and refusing to meet his gaze. Was it the light, or were the tips of her cheeks flushed with colour? He hadn’t felt her casting any of his magic or pulling from him, and didn’t she need to be in contact with him to use his magic? Unless… she had parts of his magic inside her? Was Kita really as connected to him as he was to her? He knew that a part of him belonged to her, somehow. But he’d never considered that maybe she carried a part of him with her.

“What do you want me to do?” He asked quietly.

She hesitated, “try and break out, I guess.”

He raised an arm, reaching out to touch the barrier. It was warmer than he expected, but hard like glass. Huh, it looked softer, more like a controlled haze. He placed his whole palm on the barrier, feeling the magic move underneath. As he decided what to do, the shards of blue were moving towards him. He took his hand back in shock, not ready for the barrier to actually respond to him. He looked at Kita, thumbing over his palm.

“Well it is your magic,” she said, “it’s not surprising that it reacts to you.”

He wanted to ask more, but he didn’t dare. Not when she could leave at any time and he was trapped behind this wall.

Focus Kai, you’re supposed to be making sure this barrier is strong enough that you don’t kill her on the next full moon. He grit his teeth, focusing.

He placed his hand back on the barrier, prepared this time for the way the blue would skitter to him, interlocking together with his contact. As more and more gathered, he felt the barrier shifting under his hand, straining, thinning, and a slight push was all he needed to break through the blue magic, the golden light fading in glimmering specks as they fell to the ground.

She was frowning again. Biting her lip as she rethought.

“Stay there.” She said, as she went back to the runes and tried something else. Kai closed his eyes again, breathing deeply.

I can do this.

Kita

                She supposed that it really wasn’t a surprise that Kai could break through a barrier that was partly built with his own magic. Theoretically, all she had to do was isolate Kai’s magic inside her and not let it flow through when she was charging the runes.

                Just like a sieve. I can do this.

                She breathed deeply, separating the magic inside herself as she placed her hands back on the first rune. The first time, it was easy.

                The second time only needed a bit more concentration.

                The third time was harder, she was focusing on holding back Kai’s magic, and it took longer for the rest of her magic to go into the rune.

                The fourth time was difficult. There was so much of Kai’s magic in comparison to her own, and she was already missing so much from the last barrier she’d made. Her magic was barely trickling into the rune with all of the concentration she had to spare on restraining the excitable blue magic. 

                She sighed in relief as she saw the barrier rise again, with no blue flecks this time. She leaned back on her hands, not expecting to see Kai towering above her behind the barrier, watching her.

                A jolt burst inside her, her breath catching as she met his gaze. His magic inside her was racing, faster and faster until he looked away and it slowed.

                “I’ll try again.” He said, not looking at her.

                Kita nodded, not otherwise responding. Was his magic speeding up because he was looking at her? Was she feeling a reflection of the magic inside him?

                Do I… affect him?

                It would be a thought for another time though, Kai was placing his hand on the barrier again. This time there was no blue light to help him, and he didn’t break through. In an explosive motion, his arm flew forward and his fist connected with it, again and again.

                Should it hurt this much? He wasn’t having any effect on the barrier, she couldn’t even feel the effect because she wasn’t the host anymore, the runes were sustaining it. But to see him caged and unable to get out…She thought of the wolf he’d turned into, the wasted away form of what had once been a creature of the wild.

                He was shouldering it now, and Kita had to force herself to not look away. Her heart clenched and she wanted to tear the barrier down herself, not that she even knew how to bring the barrier down… wait… what?

                How was she going to get him out?

Kai

                His wolf was furious. The golden light around him was tinting red un fury at being caged.

                It was the Fey, it was her fault.

                He would break this barrier, he would tear it apart piece by piece. He’d go over to her and show her how powerful he was, he’d claim her, he’d let her know her place.

                Who was she to think that she could cage him, tame him?

                She needed to learn. He would show her, he would take that pretty neck and bite deep to mark her as his own-

                He collapsed to his knees, hands bracing on the barrier to hold himself up. His breathing was ragged and tearing through his chest.

Where was he?

What was going on?

He raised his bleary eyes, seeing Kita barely a breath away from him, pressed to the other side of the barrier, calling his name. She darted away, scratching at the floor with something, breaking the rune.

She barely made it back to catch him before he hit the floor.

His fingers gripped at her, as if daring her to try and let him go. He was out, he was free.

And by the way his wolf was curling in comfort at her, he was all hers.       

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Ahhhh things are starting to progress! 

(finally, it only took 30 whole chapters!)