The aftermath of their kiss lingered in the air, thick and charged. Elara stood, breathless, her heart racing in her chest as she stared into Aleron's eyes. His grip on her waist remained, his presence overwhelming, and she felt herself drawn to him once more, despite every fiber of her being telling her to pull away.
"What are we doing, Aleron?" she whispered, her voice shaky as she tried to make sense of the whirlwind inside her.
Aleron's lips curled into a dangerous smile, the hint of amusement in his eyes doing nothing to calm her nerves. "What do you think we're doing, Elara?" he said, his voice low, husky. "You know exactly what this is. What this could be."
Her mind raced, her thoughts a jumble of confusion and desire. She had never imagined that her life would take such a turn, that she would be standing here, caught between the man who haunted her dreams and the dark power she had always feared.
"I can't do this," she said, though the words felt weak even as she spoke them. "This—this isn't who I am."
Aleron's expression hardened, his grip on her tightening. "It's who you are, Elara. You can deny it all you want, but the truth is in your blood. And it's calling to you."
His words echoed in her mind, and the reality of what he was saying hit her like a blow. She had always known there was something different about her, something ancient and powerful that she couldn't explain. But to hear him say it, to hear him claim it so confidently, was a shock she wasn't prepared for.
"I don't want this power," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I don't want any of this."
But Aleron shook his head, his eyes dark with an intensity she couldn't escape. "You don't get to choose, Elara. You're already a part of this world, whether you accept it or not."
Before she could respond, he kissed her again, his lips insistent, hungry. His hand slid to her back, pulling her against him as though he couldn't get close enough. The fire between them burned hotter, fiercer, each kiss pushing them further into something neither of them could control.
But even as they lost themselves in the heat of the moment, Elara couldn't ignore the fear gnawing at the edges of her mind. What had she just stepped into? What had she allowed to happen?
And most of all, was she ready to face the consequences of her choices?