C H A P T E R  F O U R

{Strangers and stranger feelings... that mean absolutely nothing, right?}

A fearful gasp—strangled and short burst from her throat as their eyes connected, goosebumps rising along her arms and hairs standing on end.

Rooted in place, she could barely get any breath into her lungs, the dark stranger seeming to be able look into the very inner reaches of her soul.

She couldn't grasp why...why she had begged the universe for his eyes not to fall on her: because trapped in their embrace now, it was like she was under a spotlight. Cold and warm and afraid and entranced all at once.

His stubbled face was no longer set into a bored expression, his prominent eyebrows rising in confusion, roving his piercing gaze over the features of her face before looking down to examine the rest of her.

Heart pumping frantically, she shuffled, discomforted when those irises of pure icy delirium burned into her. Meeting her stare again, he regarded her with a strange look on his face that she couldn't decipher.

An uncontrolled flinch passed over her, an odd pulling sensation in her chest. Without breaking their eye contact she raised her quivering hand and placed it over where the pain lay, hoping to relieve some of the pressure and scrutinizing her every little move as she did it...it looked as if he was realizing something—something she didn't understand. But she wanted to know. She wanted to be saved from this.

Her heart pounded hard beneath her rib cage, practically pressing to escape it as if it were a prison, and she forced herslef to look at the rest of them. The group he had dragged along with him.

It was unsettling, maybe a mistake to sit there like a fool. She could see now that the three dangerous men were already staring at her with the same expression as their 'leader', and as her eyes connected with each of theirs she felt the pulling tug in her chest become stronger, unbearable, her breathing shaky and hitching with the effort it was taking to function normally.

She felt she was drowning, suffocating under the intensity of them.

They looked at her with so much emotion, these strangers, made stern in their concern and she wondered why? Why they cared?

They didn't seem like they would give a fuck about anyone but their little group.

She didn't notice the crinkle of the comic book being removed from her destroying hands, didn't notice it be discarded like it meant nothing when it had been so wanted. Due to this, she was inbound for a fright.

A hand woke her from their mutual trance, the intrinsic spell wracking her with petrified wonder, touching her shoulder gently. But her body still jerked in response.

Cassius's face came into her view and she could just about function to know, he was now stood in front of her.

Placing his other hand on her unnocupied shoulder, he squeezed it reassuringly, puzzled by the state she was in. His thumbs rubbed her clothing covered skin and he leaned in closer, a whisper of space between them as if he was going to tell her a secret.

"What's wrong buttercup?" His voice was quiet, a difference to the pounding of her heart she could hear in her ears. An uneasy feeling settling in his chest when her panicked eyes lifted to clash with his.

At the name and his familiar, comforting smell she relaxed slightly and flopped jellied limbs
closer to her brother for comfort, shaking, trying to regain control of herself.

Cassius told her to copy his breathing and coached her through her anxiety. Slowly but surely, the odd sensation began to fade and she could finally think. A haze of mist lifted, clearing her mind.

"Tell me what happened." He demanded, protective, ready to fight whatever had caused this anxiety and paranoia and...narcosis.

"I don't know..." Her whisper was distracted, tone heavy with exhaustion. His concern for her doubled as her airy stare bounced around her. There was a loping heaviness to her every slight move, like she'd just taken some hard drugs.

Lifting his hands from her shoulders he looked around him briefly, happy to see that no one to the left or right of them seemed to be paying attention. He took the opputunity to unwrap the jacket from her waist, placing it around her shoulders and holding it tightly around her swaying body.

She hummed as the chill of the night left her and nestled into the jackets warmth, remembering him doing this for her the night he had saved her from her loneliness. She barely felt the pulling anymore, too focused on trying to regain control of herself. Sucking in a deep breath, she finally looked up at her brother, a smile struggling to appear as she attempted to convince him that she was alright.

He relaxed somewhat. He had to, seeing the beginnings of her being okay, and let her take all the time she needed to fully calm down.

Suddenly, a stone dropping into her tranquil pond of thoughts to disrupt them again, she remembered the reason for her suffering, peeking over Cassius's shoulder at the four bikers who'd made her feel so strange.

They were still looking at her, their stares so intense that a dark blush stained her cheeks.

They all smirked and seemed amused at the pink now dusting over her skin. Abruptly, though, their easy attitudes dropped, all glowering at something.

Wondering why their attitude had changed so quickly, she couldn't help but frown when she understood in her slow state, that they were apparently looking at her companion.

How...how was that possible? No one could see Cas but her, in fact it was always and would always be impossible.

She was imagining it. She had to be. If she wasn't...then they were in some deep shit.

Her theory was sadly proven true.

Her brother moved closer to her, pulling the jacket even tighter around her.

Their glares in response were acerbic. Allegorically burning him alive.

'Well...fuck.'

She felt sick.

"We need to go." Cassius blinked, but she'd catch him up later. This was drastic. "Like, right now." Her command left no room for argument, calm despite her sudden overwhelming urge to get away from the boardwalk as fast as possible.

Pulling a face of rejection to the idea, he didn't get to voice his concern over her her odd behavior. Not giving him the chance, Hesperia slid from rail and grabbed his hand tightly, speed walking toward the boardwalks entrance, leaving a wide birth between her and the rabble as she passed who all stood to attention when she got closer.

Cassius bumped shoulders with a middle aged man who turned and snarled irritably at Hesperia, assuming it was her who had shoulder barged him.

Her angry amber eyes in response to his nasally complaints were like pure fire and made him back up. She sneered, apologizing half heartedly.

Currently, she had greater things to worry about then some prick getting offended.

Since she was facing that way...she allowed herslef to look at the strange men one last time. They were watching her with even more intent and subtle anger at her very obviously fleeing from them—hawks on the hunt and she the prey, staring with upset frowns as she rushed to leave.

It was on catching their leaders eyes that she paled the pallor of a corpse. They were strikingly dark and held a promise in them—a promise that this wouldn't be the last they saw of each other.

Whirling around with even more intent to get the fuck out of there, she increased her pace, refusing to look back at them despite her mind screaming at her to just take a little peek.

It was almost...a voice that wasn't hers.

Turning a corner, she was never so relieved than she had been then—To feel their burning stares leave her back, vanishing from their hungry sights.

She had to ignore the slight ache beginning to form in her chest as they got further and futher away from the boardwalk, pain consuming every atom of her being—so harsh and unrelenting it felt like all the nerves in her body were on fire.

She could do nothing about the harsh way she snapped at Cassius when he began to complain, the rest of the walk heavy with depleted silence.

Against hotel regulations, Ria's trembling fingers were holding on for dear life to her aflame cigarette, half burnt already, the thumb on her other hand clicking the flame on and off on her lighter.

"So you're telling me," Cassius started slow, at the end of the bed, pacing to and fro, "Four  mysterious, hot bikers caused you to nearly have a fucking heart attack just by looking at you? Lets also not forget the bit where they could apparantly see me, a fallen angel who is invivsible to the human eye." Cassius braked when he started to give himself a headache.

He massaged his forehead with his hands, calculated emerald eyes trained on the wall. Turning his skeptical gaze on her he concluded, "It's not possible. You were out of it and could barely think straight. It must have been your imagination." His tone implied it wasn't up for discussion.

Snorting at his attitude, Ria sat up and leaned her aching back against the head board—every joint in her body was stiff and protested if she moved too much. Still, she half assed the task of pulling her knees halfway to her chest, abstaining from stopping when her muscles burned their protests.

After a long drag of nicotine and tobacco filled plumes of smoke, she leaned her forearms on her legs, the cancer stick dangling from her fingers.

"Cassius, in the three years we've been together have I ever lied to you?" She queried. Heaving out a heavy sigh he shook his head and mumbled no.

"Exactly," She cocked her head, imploring. Another click came from her lighter, the muted orange flame dancing shadows over one side of her face. "So why would I lie about this? I know its hard to believe but I'm telling you that they could all see you. Every single one." She stressed.

Studying her for a moment, he softened his refusal at the honesty in her eyes and murmured, "I believe you, I do. It's just hard to get my head around. I mean the only reason you can see me is because we're bonded as siblings, our souls chose eachother. So why can they see me? Why did they seem so bothered by me being near you?"

He didn't know if he really wanted to know the answer to that. The possession, the envy, he'd felt it, even when not looking at them.

Clocking the scared expression on his sisters face, he decided something needed to be done. He wouldn't allow her to be harmed or even let anyone attempt it.

"We're gonna have to find out whats going on. We'll go back to the boardwalk tomorow to sniff them out. I don't care what it takes, I'll figure out whats happening. It'll be okay. Nothing will happen to you. Not on my watch." He promised fiercely.

Still, she wasn't convinced, finishing her cigarette with a grimace and tears wetting her eyes. He sat next to her and pulled her into a side hug, tucking her head under his chin.

She relaxed...a little, hoping he was right, but the growing ache in her chest told her differently.

It was safe to say she didn't get a fucking wink of sleep that night.