21: The Fear of Losing Her
21: The Fear of Losing Her
Luca’s POV
"Her claws were still in my skin, but I wasn’t sure if she even knew she was holding on."
The air between us wasn’t just charged—it was deadly.
I could feel the blood trickling down my wrist, feel the sharp sting where Isabella’s newly-formed claws had sunk into me.
But she wasn’t looking at my wound.
She was looking at herself—at her hands, at the blackened veins twisting beneath her skin.
At the thing she had become.
Her breath came in short, uneven gasps, and for the first time since I’d met her—
She was terrified of herself.
Isabella’s POV
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t think.
I stared at my fingers, my hands trembling, coated in Luca’s blood.
Not human. Not vampire.
Something else.
A wave of nausea rolled through me, and I jerked back from him, my body hitting the headboard as my pulse roared in my ears.
"Luca…" My voice shook. "What’s happening to me?"
Luca moved slowly, cautiously, like I was something that might break—or attack.
"You need to calm down," he said, his voice lower now, controlled.
"I’m not—" I gasped as another sharp pulse ripped through me, pain curling in my chest.
Luca grabbed my wrist, holding me steady, forcing me to meet his gaze.
"You need to breathe."
"I can’t," I choked out.
"You will." His grip tightened. "You’re stronger than this, Isabella. You’re mine. And I don’t let what’s mine fall apart."
\---------------
The world felt wrong, too loud, too bright.
I could hear everything—Luca’s heartbeat, the wind outside, the city humming below.
I was losing control.
I needed something to anchor me.
Something to drown in.
And Luca was the only thing I knew.
So I moved.
I lunged forward, crashing my mouth against his, desperate and rough, as if I could consume him before the darkness consumed me.
Luca stiffened, his hands shooting to my waist—his body tense, cautious.
I knew he was holding back.
And I hated it.
"Don’t be gentle with me," I whispered against his lips.
A growl rumbled deep in his chest.
"Careful what you wish for, dolcezza."
\-----------------
Luca grabbed me, flipping me beneath him, his body caging mine against the mattress.
His hand wrapped around my throat, tilting my head back as he stared into my eyes—his silver burning, mine still flickering black.
"You want to feel something real?" he growled.
His lips crashed into mine—bruising, punishing, perfect.
I arched into him, my body still aching from before, but this time…
This time I wasn’t just taking.
I was claiming.
Luca’s hands tore the sheets away, his mouth dragging down my jaw, my throat, my collarbone.
I moaned, my legs falling open as he pressed his cock against my core, thick and throbbing through his jeans.
"Still burning for me," he muttered against my skin, biting down just enough to make me whimper.
He slid lower, his breath hot against my inner thighs, his tongue flicking out to tease before finally—
His mouth latched onto my clit, sucking slow and ruthless.
I cried out, my back arching off the bed, but he held me down, keeping me right where he wanted me.
"Let me hear you," he commanded, his fingers spreading me open, licking me like he was starving for me.
The pleasure was too much, too sharp, my new senses turning every stroke of his tongue into something unbearable.
I was going to break.
Luca felt it.
"You taste different," he murmured against me, licking up my slick folds, his voice thick with hunger.
"Like power."
His words sent a violent shudder through me.
And then—he sucked harder, his fingers thrusting deep, curling against that spot that made me come apart completely.
I shattered, my body clenching, shaking, my nails digging into his shoulders.
But as the pleasure flooded me, I felt something else…
A new pulse of energy.
A new kind of hunger.
And for the first time…
Luca felt it too.
\-------------
Luca pulled away slowly, his breathing uneven, his lips still wet with me.
But he wasn’t looking at me with satisfaction.
He was looking at me with something else.
Something dangerously close to fear.
"You’re different now," he murmured.
I swallowed hard, my chest still rising and falling, my body spent but still buzzing.
"What do you mean?" I whispered.
Luca reached out, his fingers brushing my cheek.
"I mean," he said quietly, "you’re not just mine anymore."
A chill crawled up my spine.
And before I could speak—
A knock echoed through the penthouse.
Luca stiffened.
His head turned toward the door, and I felt it too—
A pulse of ancient power.
"The Elders," Luca murmured, his voice dark.
I sucked in a sharp breath, panic settling deep in my bones.
"Are they here to kill me?" I whispered.
His jaw clenched.
"If they realize what you’ve become?" His voice was ice.
"They won’t just try. They’ll succeed."
\---------
The knock sounded again—louder this time, more demanding.
Luca stood, pulling on his shirt, but his silver eyes never left mine.
"If I tell you to run," he said, his voice low and final, "you run."
I swallowed, my hands shaking.
And then—
The door swung open.
Four figures stepped inside, their presence a suffocating force of power.
I didn’t need to ask who they were.
Because I already knew.
The Elders.
And they weren’t here to talk.