Chapter 28 - The Door at Night
Athena couldn't sleep.
Not because she was afraid.
Not because she was uncomfortable.
But because something inside her felt... awake.
She lay staring at the stone ceiling, listening to the quiet crackle of the fire. The blankets were warm. The room was calm.
Her chest was not.
The pull there had grown stronger.
Steadier.
Like a thread slowly being drawn tight.
She pressed her palm over her sternum, trying to understand it.
"Why do I feel like this..." she whispered.
Her body felt restless.
Not anxious.
Aware.
She sat up slowly, the feeling intensifying the moment her feet touched the floor.
Her gaze drifted to the door.
And before she could think herself out of it...
She stood.
Walked to it.
Opened it.
Silas was already there.
Her breath caught sharply.
He hadn't knocked.
Hadn't moved.
He was simply standing on the other side like he had known she would open it.
Like he had been waiting.
They stared at each other.
Neither speaking.
The air between them felt heavy. Charged. Alive.
"You feel it too," she said quietly.
It wasn't a question.
"Yes."
His voice was low.
Tight.
Controlled in a way that told her it wasn't easy.
Athena stepped into the doorway without realizing it.
He didn't step back.
They were close now.
Too close for strangers.
Not close enough for anything else.
She could feel the warmth coming off him. The faint shift in his breathing. The way his eyes darkened slightly the longer he looked at her.
"What is this?" she asked softly.
Silas held her gaze.
Something fierce moved behind his eyes.
"It is something that cannot be stopped."
A shiver moved down her spine.
She didn't feel scared.
She felt drawn.
Like every part of her wanted to step closer without knowing why.
Her fingers twitched at her sides.
She almost reached for him.
Silas's hand lifted slightly between them.
Not touching.
Just hovering in the space as if he was fighting himself.
"If I touch you right now," he said quietly, "I won't stop."
Her breath hitched.
The honesty in his voice did something to her she didn't understand.
They stood there in silence.
Close enough to feel each other's presence.
Close enough to hear each other's breathing.
But neither of them moved.
Neither of them crossed the space between them.
They simply stood there...
Feeling the pull grow tighter.
Stronger.
And choosing, together, not to break it.