Chapter 15 Elena
As I fled Dario, the forest seemed alive with shadows, curling in on themselves like serpents, whispering things I couldn’t understand.
My heart pounded in my chest, not just from the exertion, but from something far more dangerous.
Staggering, I pressed my back against the rough bark of a towering tree, my breath coming in ragged bursts, my pulse thrumming in my ears.
Everything around me—the night, the forest, the soft rustle of leaves—felt oppressive, too close, too heavy.
I tried to focus on the coolness of the night air on my skin, the sharp scent of moss and earth, anything to distract me from the growing chaos inside.
But nothing worked. Because no matter how much I tried to think of something— anything —else, all I could feel was his presence. Dario.
He came to a halt a few paces from me, his dark eyes fixed on me, and though the space between us was wide enough, it felt like the air itself was thick with the weight of his gaze.
I hadn’t realized until now how much I could feel him—his presence like a constant pressure against my skin.
It was as though the shadows that swirled around him reached out to touch me, wrapping themselves around my body, weaving through the air between us.
Every time he was near, I felt that pull. That undeniable, magnetic draw that made my heart race and my breath falter.
I shook my head in denial. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want him .
But the more I fought it, the more impossible it became to ignore.
The world I had known was crumbling beneath me, and Dario—this man, this creature of shadow who had once been my sworn enemy—was standing at the heart of it, unraveling everything I had ever believed.
The Temple had been my life for so long and now... now I was beginning to see the cracks, and with each passing moment, those cracks widened, threatening to swallow me whole.
And there, standing ready to catch me when I fell, was Dario.
I looked up, my breath catching in my throat as I met his gaze. His eyes—dark and intense—locked onto mine, and I felt the ground tilt beneath me, as though everything was shifting, slipping away.
The forest around us seemed to fade, the trees melting into the shadows until there was nothing but him.
He stepped closer slowly, as if afraid of my reaction. Slowly, he reached out a hand and set it against my cheek, and I stifled a gasp at the feel of his skin on mine.
His hand on my cheek grew firmer, as if to stop me from moving away, from denying him—as if I could—and then he leaned closer and closer until we shared the same breath, and I was arrested by the look in his dark eyes.
My heart pounded in my ears and I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this way, like I was falling and flying at the same time—
He bent down further and I waited breathlessly—and then he pressed his lips against mine.
Suddenly, there was sunlight sparking in every part of my body, from my fingertips to my toes, every nerve set aflame, my blood thundering in my veins.
My lips parted on a gasp, and he brushed his tongue against mine as I pressed closer to him.
His tongue explored mine, wetness pooling between my legs as I angled my whole body up to arch into his, forgetting where we were, forgetting everything except his mouth moving on mine.
For all his shadows, I found that his body was lean and muscled as he pressed me against the tree behind me. I raised my hands and ran them through his hair, gripping the silky strands and scratching my nails on his scalp.
My nipples were hard points as they brushed against his torso and his hand on my waist tightened, bringing me still closer as his mouth slipped to my neck, nipping and sucking until I moaned.
His mouth lingered here, there, but never stayed anywhere. His fingers stroked my waist, my collarbone, before moving up to cup my breasts, thumbs running over the hard points he found there, making me squirm and gasp.
My legs shifted restlessly under my dress, the silk whispering against my thighs and providing no relief for the sudden ache I felt within.
There was a sudden loud hoot above us, and we drew away, startled. Dario looked up, still panting, his mouth wet, and I felt everything within me clench at how utterly wrecked he looked.
He looked down at me again, his eyes flashing, his pupils still blown wide.
“We need to go. The mage is here.”
I nodded, wiping the back of my hand over my mouth. Dario turned away, running a hand through his hair and I put my robes to rights, drawing the hood over my hair again.
When I spoke, my voice didn’t tremble, as if the interlude under the trees had never happened.
“Come on. We have a mage to interrogate.”