Chapter 25: you want me

Chapter 25: you want me
I stormed into his chambers without knocking, the heavy doors slamming shut behind me. My chest rose and fell with sharp breaths, my fists clenched at my sides.
Onyx was at his desk, lounging like he always did, one boot propped lazily on the edge of the table as though the world belonged to him. He didn’t flinch at my entrance. He didn’t even look surprised.
“You,” I spat, my voice cracking. “You think you can just… change my life without asking me?”
He looked up then, those piercing blue eyes catching the firelight. A slow smirk curled on his lips. “You’re welcome.”
“Don’t you dare,” I hissed, stepping forward. “Don’t you dare act like this is some gift. You humiliated me. You forced everyone in this castle to treat me differently, not because they wanted to, but because they’re scared of you.”
His chair scraped against the floor as he rose. He was so tall, so commanding, that the air seemed to thicken just by the way he stood. “Scared?” he repeated, his tone mocking. “They should be scared. They’ve treated you like filth for years. You’re my mate. And I’m tired of watching them sneer at you like you’re less than dirt.”
My hands trembled. “That wasn’t your choice to make!”
The smirk faded. His expression darkened, shifting into something rougher, rawer. “Everything about you is my choice, Blair. Do you not understand that yet?”
I froze, my heart hammering against my ribs. “I’m not your possession,” I whispered, though my voice lacked strength.
He closed the space between us in two strides. I backed up instinctively, until my spine pressed against the cold stone wall. He leaned in, his face so close I could feel his breath. His hand braced against the wall above my head, trapping me there.
“You’re not my possession,” he said quietly, “but you are mine.”
Heat shot through my chest, my stomach, everywhere the bond touched. It was like my body betrayed me, aching for him even as my mind screamed to resist.
“Why do you fight me?” he asked, his voice rough with something I couldn’t name. “Do you think I enjoy watching you flinch every time I walk into a room? Do you think I want my mate to look at me like I’m her jailer instead of the man who would burn this castle to the ground for her?”
My throat tightened. The weight of his words made it hard to breathe.
“You terrify me,” I whispered, the confession torn from me like glass against skin.
For a moment, he went completely still. His eyes softened—barely, but enough for me to notice. “I terrify myself too,” he admitted, voice hoarse. “But I will not apologize for wanting you. For needing you.”
His hand, once rigid against the wall, lowered until his fingers brushed my cheek. It was a gentle touch, almost hesitant, but the bond made it burn like fire.
I closed my eyes, trying to resist the pull, but it was useless. My entire body leaned into him before I could stop myself.
“I hate this,” I whispered. “I hate that no matter how much I want to run, something drags me back to you.”
His lips hovered above mine, so close they barely touched when he spoke. “Then stop running.”
The heat of the mate bond surged like a wave, drowning out every other thought. His hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me closer. My breath caught as his lips finally claimed mine, fierce and unrelenting.
I pushed against his chest at first, but it was half-hearted, my body trembling with the contradiction between mind and instinct. His heartbeat thudded against my palm, steady, powerful, and infuriatingly comforting.
The kiss deepened, his hunger pressing into me, and before I realized it, I wasn’t resisting anymore. I was clutching at him, fingers tangled in his shirt, pulling him closer like I’d die if he stepped away.
He growled softly against my mouth, the sound vibrating through me, primal and possessive. Every nerve in my body screamed with fire.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead pressed against mine, we were both breathless.
“You feel it too,” he whispered. “Don’t lie to me.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the truth was burning in my chest, undeniable. My knees felt weak, my pulse racing. “It doesn’t mean I want this,” I whispered back, though the words sounded hollow even to me.
His lips brushed my jaw, trailing heat down to my throat. “You want me,” he said against my skin, voice husky. “You can lie to yourself, but not to me. The bond won’t let you.”
I shuddered, clutching at his shoulders as his mouth lingered dangerously close to the place where my pulse raced.
The fire roared higher, unbearable now, the mate bond demanding, pulling, overwhelming.
“Onyx,” I breathed, though whether it was plea or warning, I didn’t know.
He lifted me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around his waist as he carried me toward the bed. His lips were on mine again, urgent and consuming, and I couldn’t hold back anymore.
For once, I let the bond win.
The heat blurred everything—my doubts, my anger, the years of pain. All that remained was the pull between us, unstoppable, undeniable.
When we reached the edge of the bed, his hands trembled slightly as he set me down, and for a fleeting moment, I saw it—his vulnerability, his desperation. Not just hunger, but fear.
Fear of losing me.
I cupped his face, surprising myself. “You’re not invincible, Onyx,” I whispered. “No matter how much you pretend to be.”
His eyes searched mine, the fire in them softened by something deeper.
Then, without another word, we gave in to the pull completely.
The fire consumed us both.