Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Rhea
It had been hours since she left, and yet I could still feel her presence like a stain in the air.

Selene.

Even the mere thought of her name was more than enough to put me in a sour mood, which was strange because I'd seen her just twice and I already didn't like her.

People used to say I was difficult but I didn't think that was remotely true. I only hated people if they'd wronged me, people I cared about, or a cause I was passionate about. Take Alaric for example. He'd done all of that and more, which made my hatred for him well deserved.

Selene on the other hand….

“Stop it, Rhea.” I chided myself mentally. “Fucking stop it.”

I’d told myself it didn’t matter, that I didn’t care what she and Alaric talked about behind that closed study door. But the truth was, it did matter. Too much, far much more than I was willing to admit.

I’d paced my room until I was dizzy, the floorboards creaking under my feet. Every time I tried to sit, the image of her standing too close to him flashed through my mind, that perfect composure, that smirk she wore like a crown and the fact that they were more alike than Alaric and I would ever be.

Why the hell was I thinking about that? Right now, Alaric and I were basically predator and prey. The only reason I was still alive was because he was yet to find a way to sever the bond between us. If he had, then I would have been history by now.

“But he saved you from the blood bank.” My subconscious whispered back at me. “He helped you escape so the council wouldn't get to you first.”

I hated to admit it, but it was true. At the same time it couldn't mean anything, right?

Admitting that felt like the right thing to do, until another part of me came up with another theory.

Not only has Alaric walked out on me after confronting me this morning, he'd gone ahead to let Selene into his home. And Alaric had called her.

That was what made it worse. He’d called her, and not me.

I told myself it was jealousy, and then told myself it wasn’t. Why would I be jealous? He meant nothing to me. We were basically enemies as far as I was concerned. I wasn’t jealous. I was angry. Furious, even. That’s what I kept repeating, but no matter how many times I said it, it still sounded like a lie.

I stopped by the window, my arms folded tight across my chest. The estate was quiet, the night stretching wide and still. Too still. I needed air.

Before I could think twice, I slipped out.

A tiny part of me was itching to go back to his study, but I feared Selene's presence had soiled the ambience of the kiss we'd shared there.

If he wanted Selene so bad, then he could remain in his study with her scent and what not.

The hallways were dim, the light from the sconces flickering over the walls. I walked fast, hoping the movement would burn through the restless energy clawing inside me.

I wouldn't say it worked though, because by the time I reached the courtyard, my heartbeat had settled, only to spike again the second I saw the gates ahead, dark iron and cold against the night sky.

I didn’t plan on leaving. I just wanted to breathe. To stop feeling like my mind was full of static, so why was my head reminding me of that night I almost escaped?

I was still lost in thoughts and weighing my options, when I heard him. That sound, measured, deliberate footsteps, moving closer from behind me.

I froze before turning sharply.

“Don’t worry,” I snapped before he could even speak. “I’m not running away.”

“No, Rhea.” Alaric stood a few feet away, half in shadow, his expression unreadable. “That’s not why I followed you.”

“Really?” I folded my arms tighter. “Because it sure looks like it. What, afraid I’ll ruin your perfect control again?”

“Rhea…” He exhaled slowly, the sound heavy.

“Don’t,” I cut in, the anger spilling before I could stop it. “Don’t say my name like that. Like you’re trying to convince yourself it means nothing.”

“Why are you out here?” His jaw tightened. “You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

“Why? Because you can’t stand to look at me?” I took a step closer, daring him to deny it. “Or because you’re afraid of what might happen if you do?”

Something flickered across his face, a fracture in that impossible calm. His hand twitched at his side, just barely, but I saw it.

“That’s not what this is,” he said his voice low and almost maddening.

“Then what is it?” I asked. “You called her. You let her in. And for what? Because I make you… what? Uncomfortable? Am I that despicable that you needed someone of your kind to cleanse your palette?”

He didn’t answer, but I could feel the tension rolling off him. The faint buzz of the bond hummed between us, soft but unrelenting, like static in my veins.

“Answer me, Alaric.” I took another step forward, then another, and I didn't miss the way he shivered slightly.

“Rhea.” His voice deepened, rough around the edges. “Don’t.”

“Why not?” I challenged, tilting my chin up. “You said it yourself, didn’t you? You have control. So control yourself.”

He looked at me then, really looked, and for a heartbeat, I swore I saw something break in his eyes. Something raw and dangerous all at once.

“I’m not sure how much longer I can,” he admitted quietly.

My breath caught the moment I realized what had just happened. There it was, the crack in the armor.

I should’ve stepped back, but I didn’t. Instead, I closed the distance between us.

“Well.” I drawled, making sure to count my next words with my teeth. “Maybe that’s not a bad thing.”

“You have no idea.” His throat worked like he was trying to swallow something impossible. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

“Maybe I do.” The words came out softer than I intended, but I didn’t take them back. The truth was out now, bleeding through every pulse of the bond. I’d told myself it was the magic pushing me, that reckless, dangerous pull, but deep down, I knew better.

It wasn’t just the bond. It was him. He made me feel alive in a way I hadn’t realized I was starving for.

Alaric’s gaze flicked to my mouth before he caught himself, eyes darkening with something halfway between hunger and restraint. His hands flexed once at his sides, the effort it took to stay still written in every tense line of his body.

“You make me unsteady,” he murmured finally, the words torn from him like a confession.

“Then stop fighting it.” I exhaled shakily, heart thudding so loud I could barely hear myself speak. “Allow yourself to feel something, Alaric. For once.”

For a long, suspended moment, neither of us moved. The air between us hummed, thick with everything unspoken.

“Are you sure, Rhea?” Then his voice came low, warning but tender. “Once we cross this line, there’s no going back after this.”

“I know,” I whispered.

He hesitated, one last breath, before the restraint shattered completely.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of me, close enough that the air itself seemed to bend around him. His hand caught my jaw, tilting my face up, and then his mouth crashed into mine.

The world went silent, and for the first time since the bond had gone quiet, it roared back to life, wild, electric, and consuming.

His mouth moved on mine, so sweet I felt it deep in my bones. His teeth grazed my bottom lip, and I fought a shudder as something sharp pierced through skin.

His hand slid around my waist, pulling me close, and just as the kiss was about to get deeper, he pulled away.

“What?” I stuttered, my lips still tingling from the clash of our lips. “Why…”

“Tell me, Rhea.” Alaric's voice was low, and I would be lying to myself if I said I didn't miss the desire in his voice. “Tell me what you want.”

“I…” my throat ran dry in an instant. I fought to rearrange my words, but they just didn't budge.

“Say it, my little dove.” He reached down just to nibble on the shell of my ear. “Tell me what you want, and I just might grant your wish.”

My body tingled as a wave of silence settled between us. This was the moment I'd been craving for. My mind screamed at me to do the reasonable thing, but my body, my body already decided for me.

“You, Alaric.” I let out slowly. “I want you.”

He didn't speak, but I noted the change in the air, and if the dark look that grazed his eyes meant anything, I was in for a dangerous ride, one I wasn't sure I would survive.