Sophia felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, her heart hammering violently in her chest. Every moment she spent in Lucian's presence chipped away at her carefully built defenses. He was relentless, and she… she was losing this battle.
Her hands trembled as she clenched them into fists at her sides. "Lucian, stop this." Her voice was a desperate whisper. "You can't just—"
"I can't just what?" he cut in smoothly, stepping closer, his towering presence suffocating. "Make you face what you already know? Make you acknowledge that this… us… is inevitable?"
Sophia shook her head, stepping back, but she had nowhere to run. The tension between them was suffocating, thick and charged, like a storm about to break.
"This isn't fair," she whispered. "You don't fight fair."
Lucian's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "No, I don't." His voice was deep, intoxicating. "Because when it comes to you, I refuse to lose."
Her breath hitched. The weight of his words, the certainty in them, sent a shiver down her spine.
"Lucian…" She hated how breathless she sounded, how much power he had over her emotions.
He reached out, his fingers trailing along her jaw in a featherlight caress. "You've been running from me, Sophia." His gaze burned into her. "Tell me, do you even know why?"
She opened her mouth, but the words wouldn't come.
Because the truth was, she didn't know why.
Or rather, she did, but she wasn't ready to admit it.
Lucian leaned in, his lips hovering just above hers. "You're afraid," he whispered. "Afraid that you want me as much as I want you."
Sophia squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't."
"Liar." His breath was warm against her lips.
Her entire body betrayed her, responding to his nearness, to his touch, to the dark promise in his voice.
Lucian's fingers trailed down her arm, his touch sending shivers across her skin. "Tell me to stop," he murmured.
She swallowed hard. "Stop."
But it was weak. A whisper.
Lucian chuckled, low and dark. "That wasn't convincing."
Her hands pressed against his chest, as if to push him away, but he didn't budge. He was solid, unmovable. And worse, her fingers curled slightly against the fabric of his shirt, as if she wanted to pull him closer instead.
"Admit it," Lucian pressed. "You feel this pull just as much as I do."
Sophia's breathing was ragged. He was too close, his scent too overwhelming, his presence too consuming. She was drowning in him.
And then, just as suddenly, he stepped back.
The loss of his heat, his touch, sent a shocking wave of emptiness through her.
She exhaled shakily, trying to steady herself, trying to grasp onto the remnants of her crumbling resolve.
Lucian's eyes never left her, watching her like a predator that had just tested its prey. He knew now.
She wasn't ready to admit it.
But he had already won.
Because her body had spoken louder than her words ever could.
A slow, knowing smirk curled at his lips. "This is only the beginning, little fae." His voice was filled with dark promise. "You can fight me all you want. You can pretend you don't want this."
His gaze darkened. "But I'll make sure, soon enough, that you won't want to fight at all."
With that, he turned, disappearing into the shadows.
Sophia stood there, her heart pounding in her chest, her breath coming in uneven gasps.
Damn him.
Because even as she told herself she hated how he affected her…
She couldn't ignore the truth.
She had already started to fall.