Nemesync (Soulfound #1)

Chapter 27 – Elijah

27

ELIJAH

O bsession was an illness.

Zanae Dellé was my illness.

But I didn’t feel sick; I felt privileged to have her existence running through my veins like the blood I needed to survive.

Even if it hurts. Even if she hurts. She felt better than emptiness.

I was mesmerized by her—her hair, her eyes, her face, the body she carried, the marks on it. I had been obsessed for years, wanting her to see pain, to feel it as much as I did. But the moment she sank into the warm water and faced me, I understood.

My heart was beating again after a long time, all because of the look she gave me. I recognized that look, the gold and brown in them. The last bit of color I saw before my world became red and black.

I was reading my book quietly in my room, wondering why my mother hadn’t returned from her weekend as my father had told me.

I miss her. And I miss her voice.

Then, I heard my father’s voice calling me downstairs to have dinner with him and my best friend, the son of his ally, Nikolai.

I descended, excited to see my friend, because my father had just picked up after his training. I loved Niko, he was so funny and so cool with me. We were discussing superheroes and video games when the sound of a car reached us.

My father said, “Get behind the door,” then he reached for his gun.

It wasn’t surprising; we had grown up in this world, where everyone had weapons, and in two years, I would begin firearms training.

A man entered our house. He looked both angry and so sad.

His eyes were dull and red, with tears still on his face. He held a gun pointed at my father. Should I react? I want to.

But Nikolai was looking at me with fear. He was a year younger than me, and I didn’t want him to be afraid, so I stayed calm.

The man pointing the gun at my father said, “How could you dare do that to her? Did you sell her out? You know damn well she’s already dead, you bastard!”

My father replied coldly, “How did you manage to come here? Did you pay my guards?”

“ANSWER ME!”

“Your wife was the one telling me about that. She should have stayed loyal. No one cheats on the Pakhan.”

The man shouted, throwing pictures at my father, “You sold her to the worst, look what they did to her, LOOK!” I ran from my hiding spot and grabbed the photos the man just threw at my father’s feet.

Why is my mom not smiling and naked in those pictures? Her long blonde hair covered her face.

Her eyes are closed too, and she has bruises everywhere.

I looked at my father and asked, “Dad, where is Mom?” But I received no response from him, only a look filled with disgust and sadness.

The other man fired a bullet straight into my father’s head.

Blood.

Blood everywhere.

I can feel some on my hands and face.

His body fell to the ground with a loud crash. A big hole in his forehead, I didn’t understand what happened.

I just went and took the gun he carried in his hand and turned it to the man that fired that bullet.

And I fired but I didn’t touch him.

I watched him walking towards his car as if nothing happened.

Before leaving, he turned around and said to me, “You’re just like him, a heartless monster,” and then he got into his car, like nothing happened.

In the back, a face lit up – a little girl with long black hair, a pale face, and big eyes. They look like two gold pearls.

Was she an angel? She looked like one.

She looked at me and smiled, waving her small hand to say hi, and blew me a kiss.

Amber eyes.

Hers.

The same eyes are making me feel again, but not pain this time. Something powerful that’s like life itself.

Leaning against the doorway, I observed her, curious of how this little human held so much power over me.

She was submerged in the water, lost in her thoughts.

I’m not sure if she is aware, but she always unconsciously holds herself in different ways, whether it’s her hands, her arms, or her legs.

With her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, she rested her face on them and looked at me.

And I smiled.

I smiled because she was watching me while holding herself close, and I knew she felt safe with me.

I wish I was the one holding her.

How can someone be this stunning, It’s infuriating.

“Hot water suits you.”

Her gaze was tender, gentle, soft , “Can you come closer?” she said.

I moved to the edge of the bathtub and kneeled.

Her face inches from mine. So many lashes and freckles. She is magnificent, her cheekbones flushed with the heat of the water, her golden eyes sparkling, her hair wet, tattoos emerging from underneath the water.

I wanted to trace them with my mouth and taste how good she tasted, feel the intoxication of her skin again.

Fuck , I miss her body.

“Can you pretend for me tonight?”

I caressed her lips with my thumb, looking inside her honey eyes and enjoying the warmth they bring to my chest, “I don’t even know how to do that.”

“I can try to teach you.”

“How?”

“Kiss me.”

And I did.

I crushed my lips on hers. Passion and vulnerability awaited on her lips, like an addiction, sweet and warm.

I was addicted the moment I saw her eyes again other than in my dreams. I knew I was fucked when I began seeing these colors again.

I didn’t even let her kiss me back, I was so fucking hungry, starving, and her lips were the only meal that could satisfy me.

I sucked on her tongue, her lips, I couldn’t have enough. Each contact was another level ahead of my addiction.

I stood up and carried her out, she was dripping wet and naked in my arms and the only thing I was thinking of is that I wanted to feel her and make her feel me .

When we finally pulled away, Zanae’s eyes held uncertainty and relief. “Show me Elijah. Show me if you can’t tell me what you feel.”

So, I took her to my room, she has never been there, she was looking everywhere while I let her stay on her feet. I grabbed a towel from my drawer and dried her before grabbing her ass again and lifting her in my arms.

I leaned my face closer to hers, “I want to see you and I want to see you all.”

She looked at me with her beautiful eyes again, consuming me, and I didn’t even hate that feeling. It was new to me, I never was this intimate with a woman, never needed it. I didn’t like kissing before her, and now it’s like I only breathe when I kiss her.

Fuck, was I missing out on this?

I laid her on the bed, the only light coming in was the moon, brushing softly against her features, as if the night itself was drawing secrets on her face.

Ethereal. Dark. Enchanting .

I took off my shirt with one hand and leaned closer to her. Tracing every part of her skin and staying a lot more on the inked parts.

I didn’t even know about all of them.

“ Milaya , all these tattoos...”

A little moan escaped her, her eyes glued to mine. The little gasps she drew made me eager for more, because they were for me, and me only.

So sweet and greedy.

I sank my hand deeper into her flesh grabbing her hips to keep her closer to me, “Have you ever been caressed and had your body worshiped, Miss Dellé?”

“Never,” she replied.

“Let me show you.”

My lips met hers with ardor and desire, her hands wrapped around my neck, while I caressed her hips in circles. Her skin was just as warm as her presence to me.

Every part of her felt like she was made to be touched by me, owned by me, marked by me.

I leaned against her like I was trying to fucking drown her in me, my knee pushed between her leg, and she did these little sounds and moans again. I never heard something this sexy.

“Tell me, Zanae, do you want me to show you how fucking good you’ll feel between my hands?”

Breathless, she answered, “I do.”

I pushed my knee harder between her legs, “And do you want me to show you how my cock is so greedy for you?”

She grabbed her lower lip between her teeth and nodded.

I pushed again with my knee, knowing that this friction was bringing her pleasure, “I want to hear you with your words, Zanae. I need to hear you say it.”

“Elijah Volkov, show me,” she finally let out.

My name never sounded better than with her voice, breathless and aroused, begging me to fuck her.

“You’re so beautiful laying on my bed, naked, waiting for me to touch you and devour you.”

I traced out her breasts with my hand, she shivered, and her nipples hardened.

My fucking Zanae, so sensitive, so responsive even.

My mouth was so hungry of her that I just made my way down her with kisses. I bit and sucked her skin on her breasts, her collarbone, her stomach, everywhere I could reach.

Then, I spread her legs open with my hands, like I was opening the heaven’s gate. “Now let me hear you scream while I show you.”

I gripped her thighs, tasting and biting her, savoring the way her back arched and her attempts to breathe turned jerky. I sucked and bruised her delicate flesh, leaving a mark there while dangerously approaching her sensitive spot.

It was raw, it was fucking primal, a state driving by something stronger than desire, it was instinctive—I craved to possess her, own her, feel every inch of her beneath my touch.

“You’re soaked for me, Zanae,” I said with a smile as I gazed up at her. “Never in my wildest dreams could I have you in my bed. Isn’t that what you said? And yet, here you are, absolutely drenched for me.”

A soft whimper escaped her lips at the contact of my fingers on her, “Elijah...”

“It’s okay, don’t be ashamed,” I reassured her. “Your body craves me just as much as mine craves you.”

I moved my fingers on her throbbing clit, stroking it slowly as I readjusted myself on top of her. “Look at me Zanae, look at me. Give me your eyes, I need them.”

I pushed a finger inside of her, her eyes widened, and I saw them again, the colors, the life in them.

I plunged them in and out again, never stopping.

“Fuck, you feel good, Milaya .”

I kissed her while continuing to fuck her with my fingers and pushed another one.

A moan escaped her mouth in mine, and I smiled against it.

Her voice was so low and sexy, I wanted to fucking eat her sounds too, “You’re so ... You’re so you .”

I thrived hearing her breathless voice, I could just listen to that until I die. Music to my ears.

“And you’re so fucking mine .”

I thrusted my fingers faster and faster, feeling her hips following the motion; swaying and arching, bucking urgently, wanting more, needing more.

She closed her eyes, her mouth parted, but I needed them. “Your pretty eyes, Zanae. Always on me.”

She opened them and offered me what I craved for, a gaze full of fire, full of desire, and full of trust.

I continued fingering her harder and harder, she tried to speak but I felt her coming. and after a few seconds she exploded on my fingers, her eyes rolled back as she whispered my name in one breath.

“Eli!”

Eli . My name screamed by her, echoing in my head like a forbidden promise. That sweet voice, vulnerable and so perfect. I could’ve released myself just with her moaning my name.

I licked my fingers clean, tasting her.

“You taste so good, my Little nightmare .”

She traced my scars and tattoos all over my torso. Her delicate fingers sent electricity in my body. Her gaze lowered on my tattoo on my left rib, a bullet covering a scar.

“What does this one mean?”

She followed the ink with her pretty fingers, and my stomach tensed at her touch. I felt every fiber of me burn in the contact of her skin on mine.

“Nikolai made it. He has the same one but on the other side.”

She lifted her head up, her nipples caressing my chest erotically, but softly too at the same time.

“Show me more, Elijah.”

I kissed her again, with so much resentment.

All these years, all this fixation and craving, I was obsessed with her and to be honest I thought I would hate her more after meeting her, but I think I hate myself more for doubting her.

I grabbed her hips and slammed my body into hers through my pants, feeling her wetness seep through the fabric—fuck it felt good.

Dry-humping her naked flesh, bruising her sweet cunt, and seeing the pain melt into pleasure in her eyes.

And she moaned in my mouth as I slid my tongue between her parted lips.

The kiss was fire. I couldn’t breathe but I felt like I was overwhelmed with air. Our tongues danced together, exploring, intertwining, as if they were having a silent conversation while brushing and gliding against each other with passion.

A war of passion and salvation.

My deadly Zanae was ready for me to take her and fucking shatter her all over again.

She was so soft, wet and warm, divine .

“You’ll be my pretty Nemesis in front of everyone, but you’ll be my toy when we’re alone. I’ll disrespect you so hard, in bed, in the bathroom, everywhere I want. But you’re gonna love it. You know why?”

She breathed heavily so close to my mouth, filling my lungs with her air, shaking her head, and gazing at me with burning eyes, so fucking aroused.

I could feel her desire just looking at her, I could hear Eros calling my name in those amber pearls, begging me to brand my essence on her skin until she could never escape me.

“Because you belong to me. You always belonged to me. That cunt, that ass, those tits, that fucking smart brain you have, that fucking deadly attitude, those perfect lips, and those amber eyes I adore—every fucking thing screams for me to own it and ruin it for anyone else.”

I kissed her hard, my lips devouring hers. So fiercely, so obsessively, that I couldn’t even dissociate her existence from mine. I brushed her lips with my thumb, savoring her sweet taste and the overwhelming satisfaction of knowing she was mine and was waiting for me to break her.

“Because you, my Little nightmare, are my property to fuck, to destroy, to cherish, to kill for and mostly to die for.”

She was a drug, the best kind, the ones that you want to take every time you stop.

“Fuck me, then. Mark me.”

Mark me, she pleaded.

I grabbed her neck and felt her pulse accelerating against my hand.

“So eager for this cock, aren’t you?”

She met my gaze with swollen lips, and those flushed cheeks. Her voice came out breathless and needy, “Eager for all of you.”

She cupped my head between her hands and crashed her lips against mine again, her hand traced my chest, while she rested her fingers on my lower stomach, “Make me yours Elijah.”

“You’re already mine, Zanae.”

Our two bodies interlaced in the most primitive way possible. It felt carnal and instinctive to have her like this, at my mercy.

That intimacy was killing me.

She was killing me.

I was on top of her, tracing the contours of her breasts and cupping them in my hands before mapping them with my mouth and tongue.

“I need to taste every fucking part of you.”

I sucked on one of her nipples, bit it, while my hand moved down as I pinched her clit. She whimpered and grabbed on the strands of my hair to push me further. My tongue found its way back on her folds and I started studying her, analyzing what she liked, what movements she responded to, and when I felt her little hands pushing my head deeper on her I understood.

“Eli... Ommmmfff. ..”

She fucking called me Eli again; I’ve never been more turned on in my entire life than now.

I circled her clit with my tongue, sucking and devouring her.

She pressed her thighs against my head and her hands sank harder into my hair. I continued eating her and pushing a finger in her at the same time.

“Oh, fuck… Elijah!”

She cried out, making me feel so satisfied that she felt comfortable enough to let her body answer as much as she did.

“Make me proud, scream for me again,” I urged before adding another finger to stretch her and make sure she was ready. My tongue continued working her out when I curled my fingers inside her, touching the right spot.

She trembled and screamed the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard. Fucking beautiful.

She came a second time all over my tongue and I didn’t let a drop disappear anywhere else than in my mouth.

I licked her thighs and her entrance and got back on my knees.

“Strip it off, Zanae.”

Amber eyes widened again.

“Wha-what?”

I leaned one last time and planted a hard kiss on her mouth. “You heard me correctly. Undo my belt, so I can fuck you like I own you.”

Her tender fingers trembled slightly as she reached for my belt. After a few clicks of the metal, she finally pulled it free.

I was so eager to be inside her and take her senseless.

She wanted me to show her what I felt, and I couldn’t wait to do so.

She was so aroused, red cheeks, black hair covering my white sheets. I was dizzy just looking at her.

“You’re going to be my downfall, Zanae.”

She surprised me when she reversed our position and went on top of me. The view was magic, her body was made for me to touch and worship. Her long hair fell against her shoulders, giving me a better view of all those tattoos. I traced them as she unintentionally moved against my erection. Rubbing her desperate cunt against me, her wetness slowly coating my cock in a fucking delicious way. I was so hard that my tip was already trying to push inside her.

Zanae leaned closer to my face, her upper body on my bare torso, making that experience way more erotic and at the same time intense, her heart beating against mine, synchronizing its rhythm to mine.

She whispered in my ear, “I want more Elijah, show me more.”

Fuck me. Sins weren’t even close to the filthy sight I had in front of me.

I grabbed her by the throat and rearranged my cock. She was facing me, lifting her hips a little as she lowered her gaze where my dick entered her slowly.

It was so intense, and provocative, looking at me going inside of her and moaning when I did so.

“You’re so tight, Zanae . You’re fucking suffocating my cock with your pussy.”

She pushed herself up, trying to take me little by little, inch by inch, breath by breath.

“Eli, I think... I think it’s too?—.”

I interrupted her, grabbing onto her hips firmly, and ordering needily, “It’ll fit.”

She slowly stretched, readjusting herself, taking in the tip, then the rest of it, screaming when I filled her partially.

“You’re taking my cock perfectly.”

She laid her hand down my stomach, pushing herself down even more and took it all, slowly, eyebrows furrowed, lips parted, gorgeous.

“Fuck, there’s more?”

“Just a few more inches, Milaya . Come on, take it all.”

Then she began speeding up the pace, going up and down as I helped her, thrusting upward, pushing myself deeper at every thrust, letting her accommodate herself.

She was making me so proud. I brushed her tattoo on the end of her stomach ‘ART’. She was indeed art.

“I’ve dreamed of seeing what you look like on top of me.”

My Little Nightmare was looking dreamy at that moment. Darkness wasn’t feeling empty anymore. Lust and desire filled the space, suffocating us in that room.

Parted rosy lips, flushed cheeks, long dark locks enveloping us. She was the most stunning being I’ve ever seen.

“And what do I look like?”

I lifted my head up, kissing and licking every visible inch of skin in front of me. “Divine.”

Her head fell back, while I grabbed her hands and placed them behind her back to keep her in place.

I was in a primal state, an animal, nothing could stop it. It was killing me hearing her at a loss of words, taking me so well, rolling her hips on me.

I was inside her, yet she was the one not leaving my head.

“Elijah, you feel so good...” She moaned in a soft cry.

I gripped her throat as I thrust harder and faster.

“I know baby, I know. Keep doing that. Fuck .”

I moved my hand from her throat to rest on her stomach to see how good she was taking me but then she grabbed it back, wrapping it around her throat again.

“No, keep it there,” she whispered.

Fuck , she was made for me.

“I’ll give you what you want.”

I kept my hand firmly around her throat, mesmerized by the image of her riding me more and more intensely.

She gasped and moaned with each thrust, her nails digging into my thighs. Pain. Pleasure .

I’m sure her nails will leave a mark on my skin.

And then I felt her coming, she arched her back, her breath hitching. “Come for me, Milaya .”

And she obeyed, coming all over me, her walls tightening around my cock.

I continued, thrusting and sensing that I was about to follow quickly, ready to spill out on her thighs.

But then she leaned in closer to my ear and whispered, “Stay inside me.”

Fucking hell.

I reached my peak a few seconds later, guided by her moans and screams. I held her close, releasing myself in her sweet cunt—so welcoming, so responsive.

“My beautiful addiction.”

It was too much. She was too much; I was being consumed in the best way possible by her existence.

We just laid down on the bed, entwined and naked. I traced lazy circles on her bare back, our bodies still humming from what just happened.

“I’m on the pill,” she said, shyly. Almost guilty.

“I’m clean Zanae. Don’t worry.”

She kissed my shoulder before leaning closer to me.

The bed was a war zone, the sheets were all over the place, we were sweaty, red and I still wanted her even more, now that I discovered the sensation of being inside her and having her fucking screaming my name.

Her fingertips outlined the contours of my chest.

She leaned in, her lips brushing against my ear, “We have to be careful Eli. We can’t fall in love.”

We can’t, she’s Elias’s daughter, and she’s not just his daughter, she’s his heiress. The future Lebanese Emira. And I’m the Pakhan. It could cause a war. And a destructive one.

But do I care enough about a war?

Not as much as I do for her.

“Shut that mouth so I can kiss it.”

With a smirk playing on my lips, I pulled her closer, my lips on hers, thriving from the sensation of her skin against mine.

“I thought I was the Devil. You’re scared to fall in love with me?” I asked against her neck.

She chuckled, then planted a kiss on my cheek before looking back at me more seriously, “The Devil works wonders with his tongue, so I might make an exception. But, I need you to promise me. It’s for our safety.”

“Zanae I—” I paused, letting the words hang between us and continued, “I promise you.”

She kissed me again, offering me this new obsession, her lips. My gaze traveled, discovering the delicate quote on her thigh.

I traced it with my fingers and read it in a low voice, “‘I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night’. You’re a poetic one, Milaya .”

She smiled sadly and that was enough for me to feel that fucking knot in my chest, again. “I do love the stars.”

My mother loved them too.

I traced the beautiful moon on her back, “I like this one.”

“Luna did it. She was so talented.”

Her eyes were lost in sad memories, nostalgia filling her irises like a hollow ache. Dead and foggy.

But then she snapped out of it.

I wanted to reply but she touched my neck tattoo, two naked branches intertwined from either side of my nape. “It’s beautiful. Maybe now I want even more to get under your skin and feel the meanings of every inch of ink you have on your body,” she smiled.

“I think you were under my skin way before that.”

She just grinned wider and brighter, then rose from the bed. And I watched her naked and ethereal, bruised by me, stained by me, her soft pale skin adorned by the marks I left. The silk sheets draped around her softly as she moved to the bathroom. And I just watched.

What was I doing? What were we doing? Was it wrong?

Maybe, but nothing felt righter than this.

She was with me, in my bed, wearing my clothes, snuggling in my arms. She belonged there.

Why? I didn’t know.

But I felt it. She belonged to me .

We made dinner that night, and it was strange to have her so close to me and this intimate. We ate, and she was just smiling and giggling. We talked for hours about her love for books and music. We talked about my boxing habits too.

Boxing is my remedy when the pain is unbearable. It’s a way to hide psychological scars beneath physical wounds. It might be unhealthy, but why start giving a fuck now?

Never cared about what’s good for me.

Not a word was said about how she felt after what happened yesterday. Every time I tried to bring it up, she would just shut down the conversation and change the subject. If she didn’t want to talk about it, I wouldn’t force her

I opened my balcony, took two wine glasses, and offered her one.

Zanae was already there, lost again in her head. She was looking past the window to the sky; the stars and the night were the place she lost herself in. So, I let her feel it, immersed in her thoughts, and I just observed her, loving the way her eyes were fixed to a distant point, the way her hair fell around her face, and the way her lips smiled.

Then she rubbed her nape again and turned, finding me bewitched by her.

She was lost in the sky, and I was lost in her.

Tonight, the sky was full of stars and beautiful, just like the ones my mother loved so much when she was alive. I draped a plaid over those delicate shoulders, my fingers lingering for a moment longer than necessary.

“I’ve always loved the night sky,” she whispered, her voice carrying a sweet melody of sadness that spoke to me more than it should have. “There’s something intriguing about the stars. It’s like a whole other world, full of secrets. Maybe in this one, things would be different.”

I studied her intently, and asked, “Secrets?”

She nodded; her gaze fixed on that deep blue sky, “Each star has its secrets, Elijah. They’ve witnessed history silently. They saw highs and lows of humanity, an infinite amount of love stories, wars, griefs, death and life. It’s comforting, knowing that no matter how chaotic life gets around me, the stars remain constant. They were here before me and will still be here after.”

I listened attentively, drawn not only to her words but also to the way she spoke, the way her eyes were glowing, the way her voice turned like a murmur, as if she was speaking to herself, in her own head, reminding her own mind that the stars could be an escape.

An escape for her soul. Shattered and painful.

“You find comfort in them, Milaya ?”

She chuckled softly, “I do. Life can be so chaotic, but the night sky makes me feel like there’s always someone with me, you know?”

Maybe that’s what my mother saw in them too. That comfort, endless infinity, she knew that no matter what, the only thing that she’ll always see and find is the sky.

I leaned against the balcony railing, captivated by her perspective on everything.

“They don’t know how lucky they are.”

Because they’re loved by you .

She turned her gaze to me, a playful glint in those beautiful eyes. “You’re like the sky too in a way. The stars in you started shining long before it became even darker in your head. So, when I look through you, I still see them glittering. maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to you.”

She wasn’t flirting with me.

She was studying me, and still found a way to analyze me gently. She was just being honest, without understanding how clever and talented she was with words.

“You’ve got a talent here Zvyozdochka ,” I mused, my eyes locking onto hers. “It’s both infuriating and fascinating.”

She wasn’t aware of how luminous she was.

“What does it mean?” She asked, smiling curiously.

I kissed the tip of her fingers, enjoying everything about what she brought me, even the violence, hurt and hatred, I found peace in them. “It means Little Star.”

“Teach me how to say it so I could call you like that.”

I raised an eyebrow, a small smirk betraying my amusement. “Are you comparing me to stars because they’re old? I’m only eight years older.”

She let out a fake outraged scream. “Oh my god, I just slept with an old man. Does that mean you’re a DILF?”

A little laugh escaped me, even I was surprised, I was not an easy person to make laugh.

“I love hearing you laugh. I love the sound of it,” she added, grinning, ear to ear.

“Keep talking to me like that, and we’re going to inaugurate this balcony like we did to the room, Miss Dellé.”

She chuckled as I pulled her closer to me. Leaning against my shoulder, she looked again far away in the deep sky. I caressed her cheek, to remind her that I was here.

“One day; you’ll tell me about your demons,” I said, my voice softer now, “I may not be the easiest person to be around, but I’m not going anywhere.”

I hated it when she was in her head, I couldn’t stop thinking about the night I found her crying in the car and blood on her. It felt chaotic, pure torture.

She faced me and gave me this pretty little smile I see everywhere, “Perhaps I don’t want you to go anywhere.”

My gaze lingered on her lips, all red, her cheeks hot and flushed, “You’re begging to be fucked at this point, Zanae.”

I closed the distance, capturing her lips in a kiss that held both hunger and restraint, under the eyes of the stars, witnessing this new thing between us, just like she told me.

They witnessed us, a tornado meeting a volcano.

Destructive but beautiful.

“You taste like the finest wine I’ve ever had.”

She was breathless, and tipsy, and so pretty.

“Taste some more if you like it,” she whispered, teasing me.

I grinned against her lips, breathing her in, “I might just get drunk on you.”

The world disappeared when our lips met again. It was a new symphony I’ve ever heard before. One of conflicted sensations going through my mind, expressing how much I would willingly give her everything to taste those lips forever.

My hands found her waist, pulling her closer, the plaid slipping off her shoulders. When we finally broke apart, my eyes bore into hers, “You obsess me.”

She grinned, her fingers tracing a provocative pattern on my chest. “Is it good?”

“I don’t know yet.” I scooped her up in my arms and continued, “Let’s go inside, you’re shivering.”

I went up to my room, still holding her.

She gazed at me with incomprehension all over her features. “Elijah, this isn’t the way to my room.”

I kept moving towards mine nonchalantly, “Because you’re sleeping in mine.”

She raised an eyebrow, a sly smile forming on her lips, “And why is that?”

I lowered my face, planting a small, teasing kiss on her lips, “Because I decide, and if I want you right next to me, you’ll be right next to me.”

“And if I don’t want to?”

“Nonsense. You obviously want to.”

“And if I try to run away during the night.”

“Then I’ll tie you up and fuck you until you can’t walk.”

She giggled, her head falling on my chest, “Completely insane.”

I was insane. About her .

Zanae

I woke up alone, Elijah was always the first one awake, sometimes I even ask myself if this man sleeps at all.

The scent of fresh coffee wafted through the space. Niko was there with my friend Miranda, holding a steaming cup, as she was looking at something on her phone.

Elijah turned like he felt my presence, his gaze locking onto me as I entered the room. “Morning, did you sleep well?”

I shot him a playful glare; my tone filled with amusement, “I’ve slept better.”

Miranda approached me for a hug, her eyes holding so much relief, “Oh Zee, you’re safe. Thank God.”

Niko chuckled before sipping his drink, “Yeah, she’s safe. How the fuck did you manage to survive a night with the psychopath over there?”

I shot Niko a wink.

“He’s not too bad,” I then looked back at Miranda, smiling. “Thank you, without you no one would see that I disappeared this soon.”

Elijah remained silent, his piercing gaze fixed on me, studying my reactions. The atmosphere shifted when she cleared her throat, “There’s been someone asking questions about you Zee.”

“Someone asking about me? Why?”

Nikolai leaned back, concerned.

“Do you have any descriptions to give us about her?”

Miranda took a deep breath, and began, “She seemed interested in your past, your family. I couldn’t get much from her, but it felt... calculated.”

“Did she threaten you?”

Miranda shook her head and grabbed my hand, “No, but it felt like a warning. Like you’re being watched.”

Elijah’s expression darkened as he settled next to me, “We need to know everything about this woman. If she’s a threat, we deal with it.”

We gathered around Miranda’s laptop screen displaying footage of the cafeteria. I sat, feeling a bit nauseous and tired, and Elijah glanced at me, as if he heard my thoughts and mouthed, “Did you eat anything?”

I nodded, though it wasn’t true, not wanting to interrupt Miranda. He noticed my sweaty palms, his jaw clenched, and he disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a chocolate bar. My favorite again.

Handing it to me, he murmured, “Don’t play with your condition like that.”

“Okay,” I whispered back.

He kissed my neck while the others were distracted by the screen, before settling back into his seat beside me, his arm casually draped behind my chair.

The woman, captured by the security cameras, was older, but she was elegant and it showed even from behind. Her calculated movements made her face invisible through the pictures we saw. It’s like she knew where to stand to avoid them.

Miranda, eyes fixed on the screen, continued, “She was discreet, even when she was talking to me, she had her face somehow covered.”

Niko zoomed in on the little part of her visible face in the picture, “She knows what she’s doing.”

“Do you recognize her from anywhere?” Elijah asked.

I squinted at the footage, “No, I’ve never seen her before.”

Elijah glanced back at me, his fingers tracing the sensitive skin of my neck, and suddenly, I closed my eyes, unable to move.

I hated it, hated not being in control of my own self, my own reactions. But sometimes, my subconscious loved reminding me of those memories.

I could see his face, smell his scent around me, feel his hands gripping my neck so tightly that I could have died from it. The man who stole any semblance of good in my life. All my senses were consumed by these memories; it was like reliving the scene over and over again.

Alonzo is dead, Zanae, he’s dead, and your worst nightmare will be killed too.

The shadows engulfed me, trapping me in my own suffering. My breaths became shallow, and the distant screams in my mind grew louder, the demons refusing to release their grip.

I didn’t want to talk about what happened with Elijah because it meant discussing what was going on in my head, and the last thing I wanted was to acknowledge my real issues. I always fought alone, me against them.

I heard my name, heard someone’s voice, Elijah’s, asking me to open my eyes. His hand caressed my pulse, and I felt it, I felt him even when I was inside my head. He was touching me to pull me out of it, and it worked.

I opened my eyes to see green staring at me.

He was in front of me, and it was no one else.

Miranda and Niko were no longer there.

How long had I been stuck?

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked, softly.

I shook my head, and he took me in his arms, my head found its way under his chin.

It’s him, it’s his smell, his hand that is touching me, him.

Calm down Z.

“We’re going to find them all, and I’m going to burn them alive, I promise.”

I looked at him, understanding that whatever is going on between us, he was going to be there, even if we had to hide, he was still going to be there at the end of the day.

I nodded and lifted my head up, not wanting to continue this conversation, I asked, “Where are Niko and Miranda?”

“I told Niko to take Miranda downstairs where her car was parked, and to leave us alone.”

My eyes locked with his, and gratitude washed over me.

“Thank you for never asking.”

“I want to kiss you when you look at me like that.”

A smile appeared on my lips and he understood.

He leaned in and kissed me gently, as if he was appreciating every corner of my lips, then he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the balcony, and whispered, “Niko is coming back in a few minutes.”

I didn’t even have the time to say anything before his hands closed the distance between us and his lips crashed against mine, brutally and with so much need.

We heard the elevator coming up, but he didn’t stop.

“Elijah, Niko is coming—” I tried to speak. But he bit my lower lip and smirked against my mouth.

I heard the elevator doors, and he stopped just when Niko’s voice came through, “The boss is back.”

We were on the balcony, I was still thinking about that kiss and I couldn’t show how affected I was by this because Niko was telling us about how he hated having guards everywhere with him, and that he was going to follow Elijah’s path. Which is, in other words, threatening to kill them if they just don’t leave him alone.

Typical old rebellious teenagers if you ask me.

Nikolai wanted to ask about my scene earlier. I could see the question forming in his eyes, but he never pushed it. He let it slide, as if understanding that it was my own battle. That’s why I loved Niko. For the first time in my life, a man accepted my boundaries without ever asking any questions.

Green eyes found me again, worried, “It’s not safe for you out there, even the Lebanese’s complex, I don’t trust your father. After what happened yesterday, I can’t guarantee your safety when you’re not under my watch.”

I tilted my head, trying to understand where he was going with that, “Are you offering your protection services, Volkov? Should I start paying you for bodyguard duty?”

Niko leaned against a nearby wall, and couldn’t hide his laugh, “I’d pay to see that.”

Ignoring him, Elijah’s gaze remained fixed on me, his voice like a whisper I could only hear. “I’m not joking when your life is in the line. There’s a threat, a big one, and I won’t let anything happen to you. Move in with me. It’s safer.”

I crossed my arms, surprised, “Are you sure you can handle having me around all the time?”

His tone was dead serious, “I can handle you. You’re staying with me.”

“Well, that escalated quickly. Didn’t know you two were so close. How surprising.”

Elijah shot Niko a glance that could freeze him, “Niko, I swear I’m going to throw you from this balcony.”

I looked at him trying to figure out if he was just worried about me or wanted me to stay with him because he wanted to spend time with me.

Maybe I was delusional.

But I didn’t care. Elijah Volkov wanted me to stay with him and I wasn’t against this idea at all.

“I’ll move in.”

“It wasn’t a question, Zanae. I didn’t need confirmation.”

Still an asshole, I see.