My Wild Beast

Damn, that’s one way to get a girl’s attention.

Nova felt small under Aiyana’s cold stare. The female stepped closer until she looked down her nose at Nova, arms crossing against her chest. She felt incredibly small under that stare and from their height difference. That only made her feel bolder, though.

Holding the feline’s stare, Nova tried to figure out where Aiyana was going with this. She stepped closer, chin raising higher. "Am I stepping on your toes?" Aiyana frowned at Nova’s question. "From how you acted at the Apatka territory, I assumed Yoa was only a friend."

"He is." Aiyana’s eyes narrowed slightly at Nova. "He is like a brother to me."

Silence stretched between them for a moment as they stared at each other. Nova wanted to hide, preferably behind Yoa or under the covers and not deal with Aiyana’s intense stare again. Aiyana’s stare wasn’t like Yoa’s, whereby she wanted to melt, but it did make her feel trapped. Again, it only spurred her on to defend herself.

Nova had dealt with difficult clients before, and this was no different. That was how she needed to look at this. No matter if Aiyana was some warrior who obviously held a respectful position, even some of those crocodile shifters were cautious of her. "So... You’re protective... Do I seem like such a threat to his life then if you deem me so weak?"

"Yes," Aiyana answered firmly, without pause or thought. She glared past Nova’s shoulder, halting the men in the distance. Yoa took another step, but Atia held him back with a single hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

Nova glanced behind her to see Yoa glowering at Aiyana while Atia spoke to him. She then looked back at Aiyana. "So, you came to warn me away from him?"

"You will be nothing but bad luck to Yohuali. He holds a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders..." Aiyana looked Nova over. "And someone like you clearly cannot be with someone like him."