Chapter 17: Sparks in the dark

Aurora’s POV

The second Zander disappeared into the crowd and slipped out the back door, the air around me felt thinner—like he’d taken something with him.

I stood there, my pulse hammering, trying to make sense of the last few minutes.

Mate. That’s what he’d said. Like it was supposed to mean something to me. Like I was just supposed to nod and understand why my skin had been on fire since he walked into the club.

But I didn’t understand. Not even close.

All I knew was the way he’d looked at me—like I was both a treasure and a threat. And the way my body reacted to his touch…

I couldn’t explain it. Sparks. Heat. A pull so strong it felt like my bones might snap if I tried to resist it.

And then he’d run.

Just… gone.

“Come on,” Ember’s voice cut through my thoughts. She was smiling like she had no idea I’d just had my entire sense of reality upended. “We’re here to dance, birthday girl.”

Before I could argue, she grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the middle of the floor.

The bass was deep and low, vibrating through the soles of my shoes and crawling up my spine. Bodies moved all around us, flashes of light cutting across the haze of heat and perfume.

Ember swayed easily, her hands in the air, already finding her rhythm. I tried to match her movements, but my head was still spinning.

Every brush of skin in the crowd made me flinch—not in fear, but in awareness. I could smell the cologne of the man dancing two feet away.

I could hear someone laughing at the bar over the pounding music. It was like all my senses had been dialed up to eleven.

And then… I felt him.

Not Zander.

Rowan.

The air shifted before I even saw him.

A faint hum buzzed in my chest, a warmth that spread outward until it settled low in my stomach. I turned instinctively, my eyes finding him through the crowd.

He was moving toward me—calm, deliberate, like he had all the time in the world but knew exactly where he was going. His gaze locked on mine, unblinking, unreadable, and for some reason, I couldn’t look away.

My heart stuttered once.

Twice.

And then he was behind me.

Close enough that the heat from his body wrapped around me like a second skin. I froze for a heartbeat, not sure what to do.

Then the bass hit again, and I felt him lean in just enough that his chest brushed my back.

Sparks.

Sharp and sudden, shooting down my spine and making my breath catch.

It was the same thing I’d felt with Zander.

No—similar, but different.

Zander’s touch was wildfire—dangerous, all-consuming. Rowan’s was like a storm rolling in—thick with power, the air charged and heavy, promising lightning.

My body swayed before my brain could catch up, moving in time with his. I told myself it was just the music, just the beat—but I could feel him guiding me.

His hands hovered at my sides, not touching, but close enough that every nerve in my body was aware of him.

He leaned down, his lips close enough to my ear that his breath ghosted across my skin.

“Happy birthday,” he said, his voice low and rough enough to vibrate straight through me.

A shiver ran down my spine, my eyes fluttering shut for a moment.

The crowd disappeared. The music faded into the background hum of my own pulse.

It was just me and Rowan.

His hand brushed the small of my back—light, almost cautious, but the effect was immediate.

Sparks flared again, hotter this time, and I sucked in a breath.

I knew I should step away, should put some distance between us, but my feet wouldn’t move.

I didn’t want them to move.

I turned my head slightly, my hair brushing against his jaw. “What is that?” I whispered before I could stop myself.

He didn’t pretend not to understand.

“You’ll understand soon,” he murmured.

The answer should’ve frustrated me, but instead it made my chest tighten. His voice was steady, but there was something in it—something restrained, like he was holding back words he wasn’t ready to give me yet.

The song shifted, slowing just enough to make the movements on the dance floor more deliberate. Rowan stepped closer, his front pressing fully against my back now.

His hands settled on my hips—not gripping, not yet—but the warmth of them seeped into my skin, making my breath hitch.

We moved together like we’d done it a hundred times before. My body fit against his like it had been made for it.

Each step, each roll of my hips, drew me deeper into whatever this was.

I’d never danced like this with anyone.

It wasn’t just moving to the music—it was a conversation without words. His fingers guided me subtly, coaxing me into the rhythm, and I found myself following without hesitation.

Every time my back brushed against his chest, the sparks lit again, a chain reaction that made me dizzy in the best way.

And the scent of him was clean, sharp, with an undercurrent of something wild wrapped around me until I couldn’t tell where I ended and he began.

I wanted to turn and face him, to see if the intensity in his eyes matched the heat burning in my skin.

Like he heard the thought, his hand left my hip and curled gently around my arm, turning me to face him.

The lights above swept over us in a wash of gold, and for the first time, I got a clear look at him up close in this light.

Rowan Rivers was beautiful in a way that didn’t make sense. All sharp edges and quiet confidence, his eyes a deep, steady gold that seemed to look straight through me.

We didn’t speak.

We didn’t need to.

His hands slid down my arms until they found my waist again, holding me just firmly enough to remind me he could keep me there if he wanted to.

And I… didn’t want to leave.

We moved together for what felt like forever, the music slowing even more, the bass a steady heartbeat beneath our feet. My hands rested lightly on his chest, feeling the slow, controlled rise and fall of his breathing.

I was sure he could feel how fast mine was.

The air between us was heavy now, thick with something unspoken but undeniable.

I licked my lips, my eyes flicking down to his mouth for just a second before darting back up.

His gaze dropped too, and something in my chest tightened almost painfully.

I don’t know who moved first.

One moment we were just… looking.

The next, his hand was cupping the side of my face, his thumb brushing lightly over my cheek.

And then his mouth was on mine.

It wasn’t a hesitant kiss.

It was deliberate—slow and deep, like he’d been waiting for the perfect moment and refused to rush it now that it was here.

The sparks I’d been feeling all night exploded, flooding my veins, making my knees weak. My hands gripped his shirt without thinking, holding myself steady as he pulled me closer.

His other hand slid to the small of my back, pressing me into him, erasing every inch of space between us.

The kiss deepened, his lips moving with mine in a rhythm that felt as natural as breathing.

And for a moment, I forgot everything else.

The confusion. The questions. Zander.

There was only Rowan.

Only this.

The music swelled, the lights flashing brighter for a split second before dimming again.

We broke apart just enough to breathe, our foreheads resting together. His thumb brushed along my jaw, his eyes searching mine like he was memorizing every detail.

“You feel it too,” he said softly.

I didn’t deny it.

Because I did.

And that scared me almost as much as it thrilled me.

The moment should’ve been perfect.

But then—

A sound cut through the music.

Low. Dangerous.

A growl.

It rolled over the crowd like a warning, primal and furious, and I didn’t need to turn to know exactly who it came from.

My pulse jumped, my breath catching.

Because that meant Zander was here. I know that growl anywhere.

And he’d just seen me kiss Rowan.