I had to find a way out. A way to break free, even if it was just for a moment.
Think, Seraphina. Think. What's next?
I forced my frantic thoughts into focus, my eyes darting around the darkened woods. Searching for something, anything, that could give me an edge. A plan. My pulse was still hammering, but my mind was racing even faster. He was close—too close—but I had to outwit him. If I didn't, I was trapped.
That's when I spotted the opening. The slight pause in his pursuit. A crack in the armor. He thought I was slowing. He thought he had me cornered.
Time to throw him off.
"Lost your patience, Vaelen?" I purred, a sly smile playing at the corners of my lips as I turned to face him. I stood tall, hands on my hips, projecting confidence I didn't quite feel. Inside, though, I was a mess—a storm of fear .
He came to an abrupt stop, his eyes narrowing, his lips pressed into a thin, dangerous line. The tension between us thickened.
"You think you can outrun me with words?" he asked, his voice low, dangerous. Bingo.
I took a slow, deliberate step toward him, closing the space between us. My body language shifted—playful but calculated. Feigned confidence was all I had left now.
"Oh, I don't think I can outrun you," I said, my voice dropping a little lower. "I'm simply... tempting you into a mistake."
I saw it in his eyes. That moment of hesitation. A flicker of something—curiosity, maybe. Or was it something else? Something… human?
"A mistake," he repeated, his voice darker, more thoughtful. My pulse quickened at the unfamiliar vulnerability I saw there. I pressed forward, taking another step, so close now that I could feel the heat of his body radiating toward me.
His scent—dark, sharp, dangerous—coiled around me like a storm. My breath hitched. The air between us felt heavy, thick with something electric.
"Is that so?" I whispered, my voice barely audible now, the tension building. I reached out, letting my fingers brush lightly against his chest. I felt the tension in his body, the stiffness beneath my touch. But I didn't pull away.
His gaze dropped to my hand, and I could almost hear his heart beating faster. Was he tempted? Did he feel it too? That pull between us?
"You're playing a dangerous game, Seraphina," he growled, but his voice betrayed a hint of something else—a tremor. Uncertainty.
"You have no idea," I whispered, leaning in just a bit closer, my lips brushing against the side of his neck. I could feel him tense beneath me, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. His warmth, his strength, wrapped around me like a cage I couldn't escape. But I wasn't ready to back down. Not yet. I needed this.
"I'm not playing," I murmured, my breath hot against his skin. "I'm offering you... a little distraction."
For a heartbeat, everything around us faded. The woods, the night—it all disappeared. It was just the two of us, wrapped in a silent war of wills.
His breath caught in his throat, his chest rising and falling as though he were struggling against some kind of invisible force. I could feel the struggle within him, the way his body was taut with need but his mind fought against it.
Then, in an instant, he reacted.
With a speed I didn't expect, his hand shot out and gripped my wrist so tightly it made me gasp. The sudden pain was sharp, and my heart skipped a beat. But I didn't pull away. I stared him down, meeting that cold, unreadable gaze with my own defiance.
"You think you can manipulate me?" he snarled, his voice dark with something I couldn't quite place. There was a rough edge to it, something raw that I hadn't expected.
I didn't flinch. I stared right into his eyes, my voice steady despite the chaos raging in my chest. "I don't think I can manipulate you," I said, my words clear. "I think you're not as immune to temptation as you like to think."
His grip tightened painfully, and for a brief moment, I braced for whatever would come next. But even as his fingers dug deeper into my wrist, something shifted in his eyes. Something unspoken passed between us—an understanding, or maybe just an unspoken warning.
"You don't get to make the rules here," he growled, pulling me in close. The heat from his body enveloped me, and I almost swore I could feel his heart beating through his chest. He leaned in, his lips brushing the curve of my ear, sending a jolt of heat straight to my core. My breath hitched in my throat.
This isn't what I want. Not like this.
And yet. I couldn't back away. I didn't want to back away. His presence, his power—it was intoxicating. gathering inside me, sweeping me under, erasing everything else.
I should've been terrified. I should've fought harder. But in that moment, I didn't.
Instead, I leaned in closer, a fraction of an inch, feeling the unbearable tension between us. The world held its breath.
"Maybe you'll let me show you," I whispered, my voice trembling, "A taste of freedom... Vaelen. Freedom."
His eyes flickered—cold, unreadable, but something more there now. Something shutting down, closing off. In a blur of movement, he spun me, the force enough to make my head spin. My wrist throbbed where he held me, and I struggled ughhI needed refuge, somewhere—anywhere—away from him. My heart thundered as I spotted an old chapel on the edge of the woods, its crumbling stone walls offering a semblance of protection. I threw myself through the heavy doors, slamming them shut behind me, my chest heaving with the strain of the run.
I pressed my back against the cold stone, trying to steady my breath, but my heart didn't slow.
The taste of his presence still lingered on my skin, and I couldn't tell if I was running from him… or running from myself.