Page 45 of Dark Souls

Hooooooly fuck.

The man before me was unlike anything I could have ever dreamed up, even in my wildest fantasies. The moonlight highlighted the sharp angles of his striking face, dark stubble lining a strong jaw and full lips poised in a menacing scowl. His hair, which had so many shades of the deepest reds I’d ever seen, was longer on top but shaved completely at the sides. Flashes of silver caught my attention as multiple piercings in his ears, nose and eyebrow glinted in the moon’s spotlight. My gaze shifted down, taking in the tattoos that branded the thick column of his tanned neck and disappeared into his baggy, sleeveless T-shirt, which hung low, giving the most teasing glimpse of his muscled chest. Black ink covered his exposed toned arms—gothic symbols, geometric patterns, and skulls painted his skin all the way down to his ringed fingers. But as my gaze travelled back up to his face, I was taken aback by the blazing, fiery crimson eyes that greeted me. Eyes that seemed to pierce through the armour that I used to keep everyone at arm’s length and delved right into my soul, rendering me motionless.

He was undoubtedly the definition of a sinfully delicious bad boy. One that your mothers warn you to stay far away from because he had the ability to ruin you in the most delightfully fucked up way.

As our eyes connected, I had to remind myself to breathe. Time stretched between us as he just crouched there before me, demanding all my attention with effortless allure. He was the flame, and I was the moth, captivated by his fire. Despite the numbing cold of the water, my whole body was on fire under his intensity. My nipples pricked and ached. My heart thrummed wildly in my chest. And let’s not get started on what was happening between my thighs. Dangerous longing and instant desire pierced through me, spreading through my veins and travelling straight to my core. I’d never been more attracted to a man in my life.

There was an air of mystery and danger that clung to him like a second skin. It was an intoxicating magnetism of raw, untamed power, warning everyone who came too close that they’d be burned. But beneath the intimidating and lethal exterior, there was something so hauntingly beautiful about him. Almost painful. I had never seen a man look so broken. And it unhinged something deep inside me I couldn’t comprehend.

The way he worked the muscles in his chiselled, stubbled jaw captivated me, and his eyebrows furrowed as if he was considering something that bothered him. But even then, he didn’t utter a word, allowing only those deadly eyes to trace every inch of my face, leaving me feeling completely bare and exposed. Fuck. Iwasbare and exposed. How had I forgotten that I was completely naked beneath the surface?

I slammed one of my arms across my chest to cover myself as I used my legs and other arm to keep myself afloat and narrowed my gaze at him.

“Who are—”

He raised his index finger, adorned with a thick silver ring, to his lips, cutting me off in the process and requesting I keep quiet. I frowned deeply when his eyes flickered over to the group, who weren’t paying us any attention. When he glanced back at me, a devilish smirk played on his lips, highlighting a long, thin scar that I hadn’t noticed before. It started beneath his eye, running down his cheek and through the corner of his upper lip. His razor-sharp incisors became slightly visible. My heart flipped and sent tingles straight to my pussy. It was the hottest thing I had ever seen and I dreaded to know what a full smile would do to me.

He reached down next to him and lifted something in his fingers. A wicked glint flashed through his scarlet eyes. When I realised he was holding my lace thong in his hand, my eyes flew open and my jaw dropped. My shock only amplified when he brought them to his nose and inhaled deeply, closing his eyes briefly as he groaned. My shock turned into arousal. Fuck, why was that so disturbingly sexy? He stood upright, his full height adding to his intimidating aura as he shoved them in his pocket and sent me a cocky wink.

“Ilaria! Get out before you freeze to death!” someone shouted from the other side of the lake, causing my head to turn and peer their way in alarm. Not even a second later, I glanced back at the jetty to find it completely empty. He’d vanished. Had he even been real or was he just a figment of my imagination?

I turned in the water, scanning the edge of the lake in every direction in search of him, but there was nothing there but trees. Swimming to the ladder, I climbed out and zoomed up to the group. My Grandma Alina wrapped a huge towel around my shoulders and ushered me over to the fire as my lips started trembling against the chilly breeze. I sat on the log, in a state of shock. The potion was definitely strong and very much clouding my judgment still, but I knew that had really happened.

’Rue?’She was just as stunned as me, but I needed to hear her say it even though I already knew with every fibre of my being.

They say, when you know, you know. That your soul speaks to theirs without a single word uttered. And they were right. Because when you cross paths with your soulmate. You just know.

‘He’s ours, Ilaria. Find him.’

Reckless

“Lukas.Fetchyoursister,please. The sarma will be ruined by the time she comes in from the snow and all my hard work will be for waste.” Mama wiped her hands on her apron before putting the plate of sour cabbage leaves filled with mincemeat down on the rickety table.

“Nonsense, ???? ?????. Your sarma could never be ruined. It is impossible.” My father wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling into her neck as she melted against him.

“Sure, mama.” I said, standing from my position hunched over the open fire, poking the coal to keep it alight and stop the winter chill spreading through the cold stone walls of our home. “And ???? is right. You make the best sarma in all of Serbia. Even the cold could not ruin it for us.”

She lifted her hand to my cheek with an adoring smile as I grabbed my jacket from the hook by the door, preparing for the freezing temperature.

“Such a good boy to your mama. But I know when you are lying, my son.”

I chuckled, closing the door behind me and rubbing my hands together when the bitter wind whipped at my face. It was the coldest winter we’d seen in years but that would never deter my little sister from playing outside.

“Hana!” I called, my feet disappearing beneath the powdery snow with every footfall as I walked through the overgrown hedge pathway to her favourite playing spot. “Hana, supper is ready. Come now.”

A small giggle floated in the wind. I turned, narrowing my eyes as my lips stretched into a wicked smile. Hiding was her favourite game. Unfortunately for her, she was never any good at it, especially not with those wild, untameable red curls that stood out against the white backdrop.

“Haaaaana?” I played along, calling for her as I slowly made my way towards the mound of snow one of her red curls was poking out from. “Where could she possibly have gone? Perhaps the wind has taken her.” I stopped right beside the moving mountain of snow as she tried to stifle more giggles. “Oh well, more sarma for me.”

“No!” A flurry of white blew up like a hurricane as her little body jumped onto my back. I laughed, spinning in circles with my vampire speed as her tiny hands clawed at my neck to hold on for dear life. When I felt her grip slip, I caught her in my arms and tickled her tummy as she squealed and roared with laughter. My favourite sound in the world.

“Stop! Lulu! S-stop!” Her five-year-old body thrashed like a fish in my arms but I never let her fall. Easing up on the tickling, I peered down into those green eyes and smiled.

“Do you surrender?”

A block of ice slammed into my back, causing me to spin around and find my older brother, Zoran, staring at us from the treeline where our hidden home connected with the thick forest. Hana stiffened in my arms as we both took in the blood covering his coat and running down his chin.

“Never surrender, Hana,” he said with a chilling warning that was colder than the snow seeping into my boots. His eyes locked with mine in knowing. “Never.”

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