Chapter 10: The Haunting Touch
Kian's vision swam, the edges of his consciousness fraying as the drug worked its way through his system. His mind was a haze, everything blurring into a vortex of confusion. Yet, amid the fog, one thing stood clear—the sensation of her kiss.
Her lips had been soft but demanding, pulling him into a moment he couldn't explain. He didn't know why he had kissed her. The drug might have had a hand in it, but deep down, there was something more—something that called to him from within, a primal force that was far beyond the immediate chaos.
Seraphine. Her name echoed through his thoughts as he stood there, trying to steady himself against the wall. But the feeling of her touch, her presence, clung to him. The world felt unreal now—distorted, hazy—but she remained a constant, something he could no longer escape.
As he tried to regain his bearings, he heard her soft footsteps approaching once more. Her silhouette was sharp against the dim light of the hallway, her every movement as graceful as it was deliberate. She seemed untouched by the chaos surrounding them, poised and untouchable, as if nothing could disturb her.
"You shouldn't be out here," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper. But there was an underlying command in it, one that seemed to hold sway over him even in his drugged state.
He wanted to speak, to argue, but his body betrayed him, his limbs heavy, his tongue thick and uncooperative. Instead, he simply stared at her, feeling the weight of his silence.
Her lips curved slightly into a knowing smile, as though she understood everything without him saying a word.
"I'm going to take you somewhere safe," she said, the words quiet, but they resonated deeply within him. "Where no one can find us. Where no one can ruin this moment."
Kian felt a flicker of doubt in the back of his mind, but it was quickly swallowed by the overwhelming desire to follow her, to allow himself to be swept away by her. There was something in the way she spoke, something in the way she moved, that told him there was no turning back.
His head spun, and the world continued to sway around him. The ballroom was a distant memory now, the music and chatter swallowed by the drug's fog. Everything seemed too far, too distant to matter. He could barely recall how he had gotten here, only that Seraphine stood before him like a beacon, pulling him in with a force he couldn't resist.
"Come with me," she repeated, more firmly this time.
Her hand reached out, cold fingers brushing his skin. Her touch sent a shiver through him, igniting something deep inside, a longing he didn't understand. He wasn't sure whether it was the drug or something darker, something deeper. But when she took his hand, he couldn't pull away. He didn't want to.
The touch of her hand against his was enough to drive him forward. He stumbled beside her as she led him away from the ball, the sharp click of her heels against the floor echoing through the deserted hallway. Every step they took felt like a descent into something unknown, something dangerous.
The air felt heavy, thick with anticipation. The tension between them stretched taut like a string ready to snap. And though Kian's mind was clouded, something about this moment felt inevitable. Like they were two forces drawn together by something neither of them could control.
They moved through the hallways, unnoticed, hidden in plain sight. No one could see them, no one would. The night was theirs to command.
And as they reached the end of the hallway, Seraphine paused for a brief moment, turning to him with a look that held secrets he couldn't decipher. The touch of her hand on his chest seemed to anchor him, and Kian's breath caught in his throat.
She looked at him with a quiet intensity, her gaze holding him captive as if she could see straight through the layers of confusion the drug had caused. There was no escape now. Not from her. Not from this.
"Do you trust me?" she asked, her voice soft, but there was an edge to it—something dangerous, something that felt like a promise.
He didn't know what drove him, but the words slipped out before he could stop them. "Yes."
And with that, she led him away, into the night.