Chapter 222: Dancing with Temptation

Chapter 222: Dancing with Temptation
Chapter 222: Dancing with Temptation

SERENA'S POV

A good lord knows that I will try my best to be good here, but for heaven's sake, this individual with his mysterious magnetic presence is not making it any easier for me. He is not making it easy for me to follow the protocols I'm supposed to follow, to heed the advice I received from my friends the previous day concerning this confusing, escalating situation, which is why I find myself here right now, presently, in the center of the Halloween dance, looking around with confusion as I fiddle with my fingers, my entire nervous system and my heartbeat thumping so hard and so fast in my chest that I can practically hear the rhythm echoing in my ears.

I had tried to practically ignore him this afternoon, hours before the Halloween dance, listening to my instincts telling me that this is the moment whereby I should avoid Gabriel with practically every nerve in my body. But I had noticed the way he kept following me around, the way he kept cornering me to ensure that he gets my attention. No matter how I tried to evade him, pretending as if I don't see him or acting as if he doesn't exist, he keeps coming back with that determined persistence that both frustrates and secretly thrills me.

When he had finally cornered me near the library, asking me why I was avoiding him, I had just tried to lie with a very unbelievable excuse that I had been busy. But he hadn't believed me for a second. He had brushed it aside with that knowing smile of his and had requested that I come with him to the dance as a way to help me relax from all the stress I'd been carrying lately.

"It's just as friends, Serena," he had said, his green eyes searching mine with an intensity that made my knees weak. "I promise you shouldn't read any meaning into it. I know you still care about your boyfriend, and I don't want to cross that line. I just hate seeing you so tense and alone while Damon is away."

Maybe I should believe him, I had thought to myself, since he said it's just for friendship. We're just here so I don't feel less alone just because Damon is away. His words had sounded so sincere, so genuine, and the concern in his voice had chipped away at my resolve like water against stone.

But standing here right now, this evening, in the center of the Halloween dance hall, I can feel the guilt rock through my nerves like an earthquake. This was practically a literal big mistake. Good lord, I never should have gotten here in the first place. The decorations around us are hauntingly beautiful – orange and black streamers hanging from the ceiling, carved pumpkins glowing with candlelight, and fake cobwebs creating an atmosphere that feels both magical and dangerous. Students are dressed in elaborate costumes, their laughter mixing with the haunting melody of the music that fills the air.

I look at Cassidy and Luna already making their way deep into the hall, dancing with other friends, screaming with joy and savoring the happiness that has enveloped the entire atmosphere. Cassidy is dressed as a wolf, her costume perfectly complementing her natural magical abilities, while Luma has chosen to be a witch fairy, her ethereal beauty enhanced by the glittering wings attached to her back. I smile at them and shake my head, feeling like an outsider looking in at a world I'm not supposed to be part of right now.

Maybe they are supposed to be here, but not me. Not when I have a boyfriend who trusts me, who is away handling college while I'm here fighting feelings I shouldn't be having. I bite down against my bottom lip before heading towards them, my costume – a simple but elegant dark angel – rustling with each step.

"Guys, I'm so sorry, I can't do this. I think I need to go," I say as I approach them, my voice barely audible over the music.

They examine me for a few minutes, their expressions shifting from surprise to concern.

"For real? Are you okay? Is anything wrong?" Luna moves closer, examining me and placing her fingers against my forehead with the practiced touch of someone who has spent years studying healing magic. "Are you feeling sick? I could conjure up some spells right now to make you feel good," she says, and I laugh out loud despite my inner turmoil.

"Come on and relax, Luna, okay? I'm completely fine," I say, though we all know that's far from the truth. "I just feel like this is not what I should be doing right now."

They look at me with understanding and nod their heads, the kind of understanding that comes from years of friendship and shared secrets.

"Okay, but I mean, you could just join us," Cassidy says, gesturing towards the dance floor where other students are lost in the music and the magic of the night. "It's not compulsory you must come because of him. You can enjoy yourself without any complications."

I chuckle, but it sounds hollow even to my own ears. "Nah, I actually do not want to be here in the first place. I'm just going to head home, okay? I can catch up on some reading, maybe just dosomethingelse."

They nod their heads slowly, though I can see the disappointment in their eyes. They had been looking forward to having me here, to sharing this night together.

"Alright, do you want me to escort you?" Cassidy says, stepping forward with that protective instinct that makes her such a good friend.

I shake my head, waving my fingers at her dismissively. "No, don't worry. Have fun, okay? I'm going to see you guys later."

They smile and chuckle as I slowly turn around, but I can feel their concerned gazes following me as I make my way towards the entrance. The music seems to grow louder behind me, the laughter more pronounced, as if the entire hall is trying to pull me back into its embrace.

But then, the moment I get to the entrance, praying to the good goddess that Gabriel has not shown up yet, it seems at this point in time she is determined to make my plan fail. Gabriel steps in, looking impossibly well-dressed and mouth-wateringly attractive in his vampire costume. The black cape flows behind him like liquid shadow, and his already pale skin seems to glow ethereally in the dim lighting. The costume accentuates every perfect line of his face, every sharp angle and curve that makes him look like he stepped out of some gothic romance novel.

I have to stop dead in my tracks, gazing at him with my eyes unblinking as he suddenly notices me and takes in my dress. His eyes travel slowly from my face down to my dark angel costume, lingering on the way the black fabric hugs my curves, the way the silver accents catch the light. I find myself gulping down hard, my eyelids fluttering without control as I struggle between looking at him and looking away.

Oh good me, what the hell is going on here? I think to myself as he steps closer and closer towards me until he is finally standing in front of me, gazing at me with that impossible beautiful scent that he has somehow managed to use to captivate me from the very beginning. It's a mixture of sandalwood and something distinctly his own, something that makes my supernatural senses go haywire.

I chuckle nervously and brush a strand of hair away from my face, the gesture feeling awkward and stilted under his intense gaze. "Wow, you came," I say breathlessly, and he chuckles in response.

"Oh yes, were you thinking I wasn't going to come?" he asks with a slight frown, and I chuckle nervously, shaking my head before looking at him directly.

Yeah, I'm just going to have to tell him my plan. There's no point in beating around the bush anymore. "I don't know about this, Gabriel. I just feel like I'm not comfortable here right now. I think I need to go home."

I notice the worried expression that immediately crosses his face, the way his brows furrow with genuine concern. He chuckles, but it's not dismissive – it's gentle, understanding. "Come on, just relax, okay? It's just for you to calm down and enjoy yourself for once. If you are still feeling insecure or overwhelmed, I'm here for you."

He says this and takes hold of my hand in an intimate way that makes my heartbeat race in my chest like a drumbeat during a supernatural ritual. His fingers are warm against mine, strong and reassuring, and I can feel the calluses that speak of someone who trains regularly, who knows how to fight and protect.

Oh my goodness, this is so not right, I find myself thinking, gazing up into his impossibly beautiful green eyes as he smiles down at me. Those eyes hold depths that I could get lost in, mysteries that I want to unravel despite knowing I shouldn't.

"Don't worry, you are going to enjoy it, okay? Just allow the music to flow through you," he says, and slowly begins to lead me towards the dance floor.

Good heavens, I should be fighting against this. I should not be allowing him to guide me away from my escape route, but I don't know why I feel so helpless right now. It's as if my supernatural nature is responding to something in him, something that calls to the wildest parts of my soul.

We get to the dance floor, and he places his hand around my waist while I wrap my arms around his neck. The position feels both natural and dangerous, like coming home and stepping off a cliff at the same time. We slowly begin to move when the music changes to a slow rhythm, something haunting and beautiful that seems to wrap around us like a spell.

I'm gazing deep into his eyes as he gazes down at me, deep into mine. Neither of us is saying anything, but the silence between us is loaded with meaning, with all the things we're not allowing ourselves to say. The world around us seems to fade away until it's just the two of us moving together in perfect synchronization.

Good lord, I cannot help the undercurrents and the sizzling sensations I am feeling at the close contact of his muscular, magnetic, warm body against mine. Every point where we touch seems to burn with an intensity that has nothing to do with the temperature of the room. His chest is solid beneath my hands, his heartbeat strong and steady, and I can feel the controlled power in the way he moves.

Good goddess, this is so wrong. I should not be here. I keep thinking to myself as I find myself suddenly pressing my fingers against his broad shoulders, feeling the strength beneath the fabric of his costume. He tightens his grip around my waist in response, and I notice the way his fingers begin to trace slight patterns against my skin through the thin material of my dress.

It's like he is trying to stop himself from taking his hand down lower towards my ass, and the sensation and the thought of that makes me bite down against my bottom lip. The restraint he's showing is somehow more seductive than if he had just given in to the impulse.

Oh my god, I find myself thinking, noticing the way my breath begins to hitch. I swallow hard and try to look away from him, but good goddess help me, I fucking can't. His pull is too strong, too magnetic, and I'm like a moth drawn to a flame that I know will burn me.

I can feel the undercurrent flowing between us like electricity. Good lord, it is practically undeniable. The currents and the connection I am feeling as he holds me tightly against himself as if I am his, as if I am his most prized possession. There's something possessive in the way he holds me, something that speaks to the deepest parts of my supernatural nature.

I swallow hard and continue struggling to look away. It is practically impossible. The way he's looking at me makes me feel like I'm the only person in the entire room, like everyone else has disappeared and left us alone in our own private world.

He chuckles, the sound low and rich, sending vibrations through his chest that I can feel against my body. "You have no idea how the beauty and the extreme magnitude of your dominant power make you look so dazzling that natural senses can't even describe it properly."

The moment he says that, I literally feel my heart fluttering in my chest like a caged bird trying to escape. Oh good lord, help me. The way his voice sounds right now – so deep, so low, so sultry and utterly seductive – is weaponized in a way to make any girl's head swoon and make her legs tremble. And I cannot deny the effect it is already having on me.

The words themselves are like a caress, acknowledging not just my physical appearance but my supernatural nature, the power that flows through my veins. He sees me not just as a girl, but as the supernatural being I am, and that recognition is intoxicating.

I find myself chuckling nervously as I shake my head and finally manage to look away for just a moment. "Oh my god, Gabriel, you need to stop," I mutter with a soft chuckle, though my voice lacks any real conviction.

"Stop what?" he says, his voice carrying hints of confusion as if he doesn't know what I'm talking about, though the slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth suggests he knows exactly what effect he's having on me.

Good goddess, damn him, I think to myself, smiling against my own better judgment. He knows exactly what he's doing, and the worst part is that I'm letting him do it.

I suddenly find myself wondering what it would be like to be with someone who truly understands my supernatural nature. Wondering how it would feel to embrace him fully, to allow him to take possession of me like I'm sensing the shift in his dynamics suggests he wants to. Someone who doesn't flinch when my eyes glow with power, who doesn't fear the wildness that runs through my blood.

With Damon, I sometimes feel like I have to hold back parts of myself, be more human and less supernatural. But with Gabriel, I sense that he would embrace every part of me, even the parts that are dark and dangerous.

Oh good lord, I don't want to think about that right now because a stronger part of my mind is thinking of Damon. Damon, who trusts me completely, who is away in college studying while I'm here in another man's arms. Damon, who loves me despite my supernatural complications, who has never once made me feel like I'm too much or too dangerous.

Oh good lord, help me, what the hell am I thinking? I say to myself, biting down against my bottom lip hard enough to taste copper. The slight pain grounds me for a moment, reminding me of reality, of the choices I'm making and the consequences they might have.

Then I chuckle and shake my head, glancing down at the ground because I can't trust myself to keep looking into Gabriel's eyes. "Oh goddess, this is so wrong," I whisper, the words barely audible over the music.

He looks at me with confusion, his brows furrowing as he tries to understand what's happening. "What is that?"

I chuckle and slowly look up at him, meeting his gaze one more time and seeing the genuine concern there mixed with something deeper, something that makes my heart skip beats. "I'm really so sorry, Gabriel, this has been nice but I just want to go home right now."