25: When Darkness Calls
25: When Darkness Calls
Isabella’s POV
The Hunger That Won’t Fade
The warm spray of the shower cascaded over my skin, but the ache inside me refused to fade.
My body still tingled, raw from what Luca had done—what we had done. He had taken my blood, bound me to him in a way that should have left me feeling complete, claimed.
And yet…
Something inside me still burned.
A hunger deeper than anything I had ever known clawed at my insides, sharp and insatiable. My fingers curled against the slick tile as I pressed my forehead to the wall, trying to catch my breath, trying to will the restless need away.
But it wouldn’t leave.
It twisted through me, pulsed in my veins, demanded something I couldn’t name.
Something Luca hadn’t given me.
Something that terrified me.
I shut off the water and stepped out, wrapping myself in a silk robe. The fabric barely clung to my damp skin as I ran my hands over my arms, trying to shake off the lingering unease.
Luca had said the blood oath would satisfy the craving. That his claim would make it easier.
But he had been wrong.
Because now that I had tasted something forbidden—
I only wanted more.
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I stepped into the bedroom, my pulse still uneven. The air was heavy with the scent of Luca, with the lingering traces of what we had done.
But something else lurked beneath it.
Something colder.
Something that didn’t belong.
I turned, my breath catching in my throat.
Luca was gone.
But I wasn’t alone.
The air shifted around me, thick and charged, carrying a presence I hadn’t felt in weeks—but still knew by heart.
A voice curled through the darkness, smooth as silk, wrapping around me like a phantom touch.
"Did you miss me, bella?"
The sound sent a shudder down my spine.
Dante.
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Dante’s POV
The Hunger to Break Her
She was softer like this, her body still flushed from Luca’s touch, barely covered by the thin silk robe.
But I saw it.
The truth.
The hunger that curled beneath the surface, the restless energy vibrating in her veins.
Luca thought he had tamed her. That by binding her to him, he had secured her loyalty, her desire, her power.
But he had only awakened something deeper.
Something he couldn’t control.
And that part?
It belonged to me.
I stepped from the shadows, my gaze sweeping over her, lingering on the faint mark Luca had left on her thigh. A claim. A warning.
But it didn’t matter.
Because no matter what Luca did—
I had already gotten under her skin.
"You shouldn’t be here," she whispered, but her voice wavered.
I smiled. "And yet… here I am."
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The Kiss She Doesn’t Fight
I moved toward her slowly, watching the way her pulse fluttered at her throat, the way her breathing hitched even as she stood her ground.
She wanted to resist me.
But she wouldn’t.
Not really.
"You feel it, don’t you?" I murmured, reaching out, my fingers brushing over the delicate line of her throat. "The pull. The craving."
She swallowed hard, but she didn’t step away.
Her body was betraying her.
Just like I knew it would.
I slid my hand beneath the silk, tracing the soft curve of her breast, feeling the way her breath hitched.
"You’re still hungry," I said softly, my lips inches from hers. "And he can’t satisfy it, can he?"
I expected her to deny it.
To slap my hand away.
To say something—anything—to convince herself that I was wrong.
But she didn’t.
She only stood there, her breathing shallow, her lips slightly parted.
And when I bent my head, brushing my mouth over hers—
She didn’t pull away.
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I kissed her softly at first, slow and deep, giving her the chance to stop me.
She didn’t.
Her lips parted, her breath shuddering against mine, and I took what she offered.
A low growl rumbled in my chest as I slid my tongue against hers, savoring her surrender. She tasted like fire and silk, like something dark and forbidden—like something I had wanted for far too long.
And still…
She didn’t stop me.
I pushed the silk from her shoulders, watching as it slid down her arms, pooling at her feet. My mouth trailed from her lips to her throat, then lower, down to the curve of her breast.
I took her nipple into my mouth, sucking softly, teasing the sensitive bud with my tongue.
She gasped, her head falling back as her hands tangled in my hair.
"You like this," I murmured against her skin, dragging my teeth over the hardened peak.
"You like knowing he can’t control what you feel for me."
Her only response was a broken, breathless moan.
And fuck—
I wanted to make her fall apart for me.
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Isabella’s POV
My Body Betrays Me
I should have stopped him.
I should have fought it.
But when Dante’s mouth closed over my nipple, heat flooded my veins, pooling low in my stomach.
It was different from Luca—less brutal, more teasing.
And my body responded too easily.
He sucked harder, his fingers trailing lower, slipping beneath the silk.
His touch ghosted over the edge of my panties, a silent promise.
"Tell me to stop," he said, his voice dark and smooth.
I opened my mouth—
But the word never came.
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A Line We Shouldn’t Cross
His fingers slipped beneath the silk, brushing against the slick heat between my thighs.
"So wet," Dante murmured, his lips curving into a smirk against my breast. "And it’s not for him, is it?"
A shudder ran through me, and I hated how much I wanted him to keep going.
He moved back up, his mouth capturing mine again—this time, slower. Like he had all the time in the world.
And god help me…
I kissed him back.
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My head spun as Dante pulled away, his breath warm against my lips.
His fingers traced my lower lip, slow and deliberate.
"You’re already mine, Isabella," he murmured. "You just don’t know it yet."
Before I could respond, a violent pulse of energy blasted through the room, making the lights flicker and die.
A sharp force sent Dante stumbling back.
And when I opened my eyes—
He was gone.
But his voice lingered in my mind, a whisper that curled through my thoughts like smoke.
"I’ll be back, Bella. And next time—you won’t stop me."