I couldn't stop thinking about him.
Every moment since that night in the library, Rael'Zhar's presence lingered like a shadow over me. His touch, his words—they consumed me. I couldn't escape him, not even in the sanctuary of my own thoughts.
The mark on my chest throbbed in time with my heartbeat, each pulse a reminder of his power over me. I'd tried to ignore it, tried to push it down, but it was as if it was branded into my very soul.
The thing is… I didn't want to fight it anymore.
The next day was a blur. My mind was too full of him. I could feel his eyes on me wherever I went, even if he wasn't physically there. There was a part of me that was scared—scared of what I was becoming, what I was willing to do. But there was also something else, something darker and more thrilling. Something I couldn't control.
That evening, I found myself in the gardens, standing under the pale moonlight. I had no intention of seeking him out, no intention of letting him have his way with me again. But when I felt that familiar pulse in the air, I knew it was already too late.
Rael'Zhar appeared before me, stepping out of the shadows as if he had always been there, waiting.
"You can't stay away, can you?" he asked, his voice a low, seductive growl.
I swallowed, heart racing. "I'm not here for you, Rael'Zhar."
His lips curled into a wicked grin, and before I could blink, he was in front of me, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. I tried to step back, but he caught my wrist with a firm grip, holding me in place.
"You're lying again, Elias," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. "Your body betrays you. You want me. And you're starting to realize that you need me."
I could barely breathe. His touch sent shivers down my spine, my skin prickling with an undeniable hunger. I wanted to push him away, but all I could think about was the way his body moved, the way he made me feel—alive, dangerous, wanted.
Rael'Zhar leaned in, his lips brushing against my throat. "Say it. Say you want me."
"I—" My voice faltered, but the words came out before I could stop myself. "I want you."
A dark laugh rumbled in his chest as he pulled me closer, pressing his body against mine. "I knew you would."
His mouth crashed against mine, fierce and hungry. I kissed him back without thinking, my hands grasping at his shirt, pulling him closer. The taste of him—his kiss—was intoxicating. I could feel his power, the weight of it, pressing down on me. And I couldn't fight it. I didn't want to.
Rael'Zhar pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes, his pupils dilated, his breath ragged. "You're mine now, Elias. Whether you like it or not."
I shivered at his words, a strange sense of excitement flooding through me. His hands moved to the hem of my shirt, tugging it up. "I'm going to make you mine in every way."
Before I could protest, his lips were on my neck again, hot and insistent. His hands traced the lines of my body, leaving a trail of fire wherever they touched. I gasped, every nerve in my body alive with a need I couldn't name.
"Rael'Zhar," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Please…"
He smiled, his teeth glinting in the moonlight. "What is it you want, Elias?"
"I want… you. I need you."
He growled low in his throat, the sound raw and primal. "Good. Because I'm not going to stop until you've had every part of me."
Before I could say anything else, he lifted me off my feet, pressing me against the stone wall of the garden. His body was hard against mine, and I felt the undeniable bulge of his arousal pressing into me. The heat between us was suffocating, consuming.
Rael'Zhar's hands roamed over my body, tugging at my pants until they were discarded on the ground. My breath hitched as he exposed my bare skin to the cool night air, the contrast between the chill of the garden and the heat of his body making me shiver.
"Are you afraid?" he asked, his voice dark and possessive.
I shook my head, unable to speak. I wasn't afraid. I was drowning in desire, in the need for him.
His hands slid down to my underwear, pulling it away with a single, smooth motion. I was completely exposed to him now, my body aching for him, trembling under his touch.
Rael'Zhar's gaze darkened as he looked down at me. "You're so beautiful, Elias. I'm going to make you mine in every way."
Without another word, he kissed me again, deeper this time, his hands roaming everywhere, touching every inch of me, claiming me in ways I had never known. I melted into his touch, the heat between us building higher and higher, until nothing else existed but him and the fire we were creating together.