Chapter 4

  Desires at Deaths Door

  When I finally stirred, I found my wrists bound to the arms of a dentist chair, the cool night air teasing my bare skin like a lover’s breath. My head spun, caught in a haze that felt both dreamlike and intoxicating. Deep warmth pressed against my hips, the unmistakable rhythm of another body grinding against mine.

  A soft moan sliced through the fog of my mind, pulling my gaze toward a petite feminine form who seemed to embody temptation itself.

  Moving with a languid grace, she flicked her wrist to let her hair cascade down her shoulders, each glistening strand catching the dim light like a siren’s call. Her fingers traced a sultry path up her stomach, buttons surrendering one by one at her touch, revealing the soft curve of her breast, a playful allure that beckoned me closer as she cupped her breast, teasing the soft mound.

  As if ignited by an unseen flame, her blouse began to disintegrate into cinders, revealing skin that glowed with a lustful red hue, a beacon in the shadows. Her hair transformed into a raven-black cascade, and two magnificent bat-like wings unfurled behind her, enveloping us in an enchanting darkness that felt both thrilling and forbidden. In the back of my mind, I screamed, trying to rouse my addled thoughts from their stupor. I knew her scent, her voice, her name Selene.

  I strained against my bonds, my mind yearning for freedom, even as my body betrayed me, feeling weak and trapped in this intoxicating web.

  I began to whisper a mnemonic, desperate to regain control, but her lips found mine once more, silencing my feeble attempts as her tongue entwined with mine in a dance of seduction.

  I could feel Time slipped away from me, each moment stretching into eternity, a bargain I hadn’t willingly made. The crescendo of desire built within me, drawing me ever closer to the edge, her rhythmic gyrations quickening.

  “Selene, please, stop,” I rasped, my breath hitching as her sultry moans enveloped me, drowning out my desperate plea. Her movements quickened a mesmerizing rhythm that sent waves of heat coursing through my veins. She threw her head back, eyes fluttering shut in pure ecstasy, and I struggled to find my voice. “Selene, Don’t, I’ll die.”

  At last, my words broke through the haze, and her gaze locked onto mine, filled with an aching need that sent a chill down my spine. “I—I can’t, Bart. I need this. I’ve held on for so long. I need you, Bart, I…” Her eyes were unfocused, lost in a world of desire, as her hands roamed over her body, her power seeking to ignite a fire that would consume me as my life force ebbed away.

  My vision began to blur, each ragged breath dragging me deeper into the abyss. “Selene, I…” My voice faltered, shadows creeping in from the edges of my sight, my strength ebbing with every intoxicating pulse of her body against mine.

  Then, her hot lips found mine, igniting a surge of life that coursed through my veins like a shot of whiskey. The darkness retreated as I gasped for air, but the sensation was bittersweet; her sharp nails traced a tantalizing path down my chest and stomach, and her fangs sank into my neck, sending shivers of pleasure and pain spiralling through me.

  “No, I need you, Bart. I will protect you, keep you safe, just like...” Her moan interrupted her words, a haunting melody that hung in the charged air between us, thick with unspoken promises and regrets.

  With a sudden surge of determination, I broke free from the restraints that held me, the plastic biting and tearing into my skin as I liberated myself from the shackles. “Selene, stop!” I shouted, my voice a low growl, intending to push her away with my newfound strength. But as my body convulsed with the intensity of my climax, I pulled her hard onto myself even as I tried to get free of the bonds.

  Our bodies pressed together, and I gazed into her eyes, feeling the warmth of her touch as she cupped my face tenderly, a fleeting and painful echo. “I—I am sorry, Bart,” she whispered, her voice heavy with sorrow, tears glistening in both our eyes like raindrops on a foggy night.

  “Why, Selene? Why? Why?” I bit back the tears, feeling her fingers weave through my hair, her kiss brushing my brow with a gentle warmth that contrasted sharply with the turmoil raging within me.

  “I am sorry, Bart,” she murmured, her voice now soft and filled with shame, a confession wrapped in regret.

  “We said you would stay away, Selene. You promised. I promised I would help.” I croaked as she slipped from my lap, leaving me adrift in a sea of despair, grasping for something, anything, to anchor myself.

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  The air hung heavy with unspoken words and unresolved emotions, a weight that threatened to tear me apart.

  Selene turned away from me, stepping just out of reach, her face a mask of shame that could break a soldier’s resolve. I reached for her hand, but my still bound arm held me back like a chain gang.

  I watched helplessly as she clawed at her own skin, tears streaming down her cheeks like rain on a darkened street. “I hate what I’ve become, Bart,” she whispered, her voice laced with anguish, a despair that echoed in the shadows. The turmoil in her eyes was palpable, even as she tried to hide.

  In a surge of emotion, I wrenched my arm free, pulling her into an embrace, wrapping my arms around her like a lifeline. She initially tried to pull away, but then surrendered, her wings enveloping us as she buried her face into my chest, seeking refuge. “I’m sorry, Bart. I’m so sorry,” she murmured, her voice trembling like a fragile note in a smoky jazz club.

  I squeezed her gently, offering comfort that I could not feel myself, just the cold emptiness in a world that felt like it was crumbling around me.

  “It’s been so hard, Bart. I’ve felt so lonely. I didn’t mean to follow you, to get so close, I couldn’t help myself, I said I moved to be closer to my job, but I knew I took the job here to be closer to you!” I could feel her shaking her head against my chest as if to shake away the thoughts clinging to her inner self.

  “But when I heard about Kane and then the fire, I wanted to help. I saw you outside your old house, and I wanted…” Her voice trailed off, overtaken by sobs that echoed in the stillness.

  “And Grim saw you after he got free.” I added softly, feeling her head nod against my chest, a silent acknowledgment of the dangers that I had let get loose. “But why are you here?” I looked down at her as she tried to dry her eyes, the dim light casting a melancholic glow on her features. “I work here as a receptionist to pay the bills. I just wanted to be close, I… The cleaner is off, so I was asked to stay late to clean and handle some stock orders.”

  I nodded, piecing together the puzzle. Grim found Selene when he broke free, likely sensed her, used her desires against her, maybe something gleaned from Selene’s unconscious, weakening her will and resolve with whispers, smells and memories, he must have known I would check here and used her as a trap, thinking his charm on her to brake her resolve would make her drain my life.

  Leaning down, I brushed my lips tenderly against hers, a fleeting moment of solace in a world gone mad.

  “I’m so sorry, Selene. It’s my fault this happened to you. I’m sorry you’ve been going through all of this alone. I should have been better,” I sighed, trying to exhale my regrets like smoke from a dying cigarette.

  I gently wiped away a tear with my thumb, a small gesture in the grand scheme of our tangled lives. “I need to find Grim; he knows what happened in the basement. He must have seen something.”

  I kissed her again, feeling the longing and need radiating from her like heat from a flickering streetlamp. I knew I had to leave before things escalated. The fact that she had returned my life force told me that, despite the influence of Grim’s Fae magic diminishing her self-restraint, she still had, or was at least regaining, some control.

  I held Selene as she regained her composure, gathering her will like a storm brewing on the horizon, even as I felt her shaking from her actions.

  With a crack like thunder the door burst open, slamming into the wall, and Sam rushed in, followed closely by Veronica, who floated through the wall like a spectre from a nightmare. “Get your hands…” Sam began, but they both froze in shock, their eyes wide as saucers. I instinctively turned, shielding Selene with my body as she squealed in surprise, the sound cutting through the tension like a knife.

  Sam’s spell fizzled, and he winced at the backlash, wiping away the slight nosebleed as he turned his back to me like an embarrassed school boy.

  “Um, you, are you okay, Bart?” he stuttered, avoiding my gaze like a guilty schoolboy.

  Veronica’s ghostly form, once a haunting nightmare, settled as her face returned to its normal ethereal beauty, wisps of hair framing her features like a halo. I could see a blush creeping across her cheeks as she darted back through the wall, disappearing from sight like a wisp of smoke.

  Selene stepped away from me, blushing and biting her bottom lip in a flirtatious manner as her wings shrank, folding in like a secret. Like a wildfire of cinders, her clothes reformed into a blouse and skirt, a transformation that felt both enchanting and tragic. I glanced around for my own clothes, but the room held no trace of what I had worn. Silently mouthing to Selene, “Where are my clothes?”

  I was met with a playful smile that felt like a dagger to the heart. She stepped in and kissed me before disappearing in a puff of sweet cinnamon and spice scented smoke, leaving me in a haze of confusion.

  I sighed, hearing Sam stifle a laugh behind me, the weight of the night pressing down like a heavy fog. “Just find my clothes for me, please, Sam… And a wash basin I am covered in Fae Dust.” I said looking at the fine glittery powder that covered me.