Chapter 60 A Night of Fire
CHAPTER SIXTY
valenticia's POV~
I stood near the stone fountain, some gurgle from its depths washed against the fear that had chased me ever since Seryne’s seaside lab, leaving the antidote’s warning—unstable, neural overload—and Natasha’s card behind like specters. My silk blouse stuck to my skin, the evening’s chill raising goose bumps, but my heart raced not with dread, but with anticipation. I had texted Stefan: Garden, tonight. The vial of antidote, secure in my room’s safe, was a burden I needed to put away from me, and since he was there, warm, unshakeable, to match his presence with his arm about my waist, was all I should require for comfort. Much too faint, the pulse of fear—is Galden watching? —and then Stefan emerged, and for some reason, I felt my fear relax as his long body formed a pattern against the evening light and the cold pressing into the ground; his eyes snapped to my eyes, and I felt another, deeper fire warm me within.
He came toward me, the gravel under his shoes crunching as he held a bottle of merlot and two glasses, his smile sweet, open. “You’re beautiful Valenticia,” he said, voice low, “Even with the weight of the world on you”. My breath caught, and his words were a balm as I retrieved a glass that filled in the wine’s true, deep ruby by the glow of the lantern. “It’s a heavy one,” I confessed, the fear lacing my voice, “this antidote—it might save me or kill me.” We sat on a plush bench, rose petals fluttering over our arms, and I spoke this fear, the lab’s notes, Gregor’s betrayal of my parents. “What if I cannot live through my memories?” I asked, voice trembling. He brushed his hand against mine, soft and grounding, and he whispered, “I’m here.” There were vows, not clichés, his touch a current that heated my veins. I tasted the wine, sharp with its tartness, and leaned in toward him, our thighs touching, the chemistry crackling like tinder on the verge of flame.
The wine blurred my rough edges, and I spoke of Marrow’s recorder, my rage at Gregor—he will pay. Stefan listened, his fingers on my wrist, a spark traveling down my spine. “You defy gravity,” he murmured, breath warm against my ear, and I turned, our lips so close, his gaze hungry. Fear melted, longing surged and I kissed him, soft, then hard, a fire caught. He had fists full of my face and kissed me harder while I leaned in till the garden went away, till there was only this pulse of wanting. “Valenticia,” he whispered hoarsely and I tugged him towards the mansion, we assured our steps toward it, laughter low in the darkened halls.
The door clicked shut behind us as we went into my room. I unbuttoned his shirt, my hands shaking, exposing his taut chest, and he lifted my blouse, his hands hot on my flesh. We kissed passionately, his mouth traveling down my neck, lower, to find my nipple, and his tongue played with it, a gentle suck that caused a moan to slip from me, my fear dissolving into pleasure. Pulling him with me to the bed, the bed sheets felt cool against my back as I knelt while he straddled my waist, unzipping his belt as my lips then kissed up and down his hardness, running him into my mouth, his groan was a deep rumble that drove me on. “Valenticia,” he groaned, his hands in my hair, and for a moment I clung to his flavor, a loss of control, my desire a flush of the tide.
I was hauled up and he kissed me deeply, his tongue battling my own, and he laid me back, his mouth tracing slowly down to between my thighs. His lips sucked on my clit, softly then harder, back and forth that made me arch, my back and moans rumbling, fear distilled to waves of heat. “Stefan,” I said with my back buckling in, my hands dragging the sheets, and he rose, our bodies coming together, hard, his length inside me, slow, then fast, thrust deep, and I moaned into it, our groans a symphony. I wrapped around him, kisses possessive, my nails skimming the furrow of his spine, and he murmured, “You’re my refuge,” a rope holding us together. Just as we reached the precipice, he drew back, shooting his release across my overheated skin to cap a shuddering climax that left us collapsed on top of each other, breathless, tangled, my heart racing with love, not terror.
Sunlight bled through the curtains, turning Stefan’s sleeping face into gold, his arm around me, warm and solid. I stirred, my body limp, the night’s desire a simmer in my veins, but the safe on the dresser oppressed me, the antidote vial a whisper. I put on a lavender-scented robe, thin as a memory, and went to stand by the window, the house grounds tranquil, contradicting the turmoil in my heart. Our night had been a respite, but fear slithered back — Is the antidote safe? There was a buzz from my phone; up flashed Rosanna’s name, and I picked up, my heart accelerating. “Grandmother?” Her voice was sharp, urgent. Valenticia, there's a Galden mole in Lena’s lab—trust no one.” A shock of cold from the flare of my fear—is the antidote safe? Natasha’s card flared before my mind’s eye, and I held on to the telephone. “I’ll shield it,” I swore, the resolute fire raging within me, my heart holding fast to Stefan’s oath.