Page 52 of The Fractured Veil

As he began to thrust harder, faster, I felt my body stretched to its limits, teetering on the edge of delirium. Each powerful drive of his hips seemed to stoke the flames higher, threatening to consume us both. Their sinful touches were everywhere, igniting my skin with trails of fire that pushed me to new heights of ecstasy.

My body was roaring with sensation, every nerve ending singing with a lust so intense it bordered on pain. It was as if I were made of pure need—a vessel for the pleasure they so expertly wrought from me. I felt like I was going to break at any moment, shatter into a thousand pieces, unable to contain the overwhelming flood of ecstasy that coursed through my veins.

I woke up with a gasp, my body still humming with the remnants of pleasure and slick with the evidence of my desire. Sweat coated my skin as I sat upright, the sheets tangled around my legs. What the hell was happening to me? Why was I having such vivid, intensely hot, and detailed sex dreams aboutthem?

Each touch, each kiss, each glance burned into my memory as if it were real. The way their hands had roamed over my skin, the heat of their bodies pressed against mine, the sounds of their pleasure echoing in my ears… it was all too much. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to banish the images, but they only seemed to intensify.

I need to get the hell out of this house, to put some distance between us before I do something incredibly stupid.

I'm obviously losing my fucking mind.

It's been days of constant training with Damon. Every muscle in my body ached, and my mind felt like it was slowly unraveling under the weight of his pressure and that dream proved it. I could feel the exhaustion settling deep into my bones. As much as I wanted to prove I wasn't a liability, I needed a break—desperately.

The air in the house felt thick, almost suffocating, and the walls were closing in with every passing hour. Nox had been gone for days now, off somewhere that neither Damon nor Zarek would talk about. The absence of his presence only seemed to amplify the heaviness in the house.

“I need to get out of here,” I muttered, more to myself than to anyone.

Zarek, leaning casually against the doorframe, looked up from where he was fiddling with one of his rings. His amber eyes glinted with a hint of mischief, the ever-present smirk tugging at his lips. “Well, if you’re tired of Damon's death-by-training routine, I’ve got a better idea.”

I raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress the small flicker of embarrassment that sparked from seeing him. “Oh?”

“Why don’t we go into town?” he suggested, his tone nonchalant, but I could see the interest in his gaze. “You could use a break. We both could.”

The thought of leaving the house, of feeling the open air and being anywhere buthere, was more tempting than I wanted to admit. The idea of some semblance of normalcy—away from shadows and powers—was exactly what I needed. Maybe not withhim, but it was better than nothing.

“Fine,” I agreed with a sigh, rubbing my sore neck. “Let’s go.”

Zarek’s smirk widened, as if he could sense the storm of tension swirling inside me, unraveling it with a single look. Without a word, he pushed off the doorframe and sauntered toward the back of the house, leaving me to follow. His casual demeanor, that effortless confidence, always left me slightly off-balance, as if I couldn’t predict his next move. Yet, the thought of getting away with him stirred a quiet excitement in me—one I wasn’t ready to admit.

The cool evening breeze brushed against my skin as we stepped outside, offering a welcome reprieve after days spent training under the relentless sky. My muscles still ached, and the exhaustion clung to my bones, but the prospect of escaping—of being anywhere but near Damon—was almost enough to make me forget how drained I was. Zarek’s SUV, sleek and black, waited like a shadow in the dimming light, as untamed and magnetic as its owner. He opened the door for me with a casual grace, the gesture somehow more intimate in the fading dusk.

Sliding into the passenger seat, I sank into the soft leather—its comfort a far cry from the hard earth I’d grown accustomed to. Zarek climbed in beside me, his presence filling the small space. Neither of us spoke as we pulled out of the driveway, the towering trees surrounding us giving way to the narrow road. The silence between us wasn’t empty—it was charged, every second stretching, magnifying the subtle pull that had been simmering beneath the surface.

“Where exactly are we going?” I asked, unable to stop myself from glancing at him, the curiosity clear in my voice.

He glanced at me, one hand resting lazily on the steering wheel, his amber eyes gleaming in the low light. “Same place you and El went last time,” he replied, his voice smooth and teasing. But beneath the usual playfulness, there was something else—a warmth that made his suggestion feel more like an invitation. “Figured it’s the one place you’re familiar with. Unless,” he added, his lips curving into a smirk, “you’re up for something more adventurous?”

“How did you know where we went?” I shot back, narrowing my eyes but feeling the faint tug of amusement pulling at my lips. The challenge in my voice mirrored the sudden spark in the air.

Zarek chuckled, a low, rich sound that rippled through the space between us. “I have my ways,” he said, the mystery in his tone hanging there like an unspoken dare.

I rolled my eyes, attempting to suppress the smile that was starting to break through. “Stalker. Let’s stick to familiar today.”

Time seemed to pass differently in his presence, every moment stretching, bending around us. Before I knew it, the town square appeared before us, bathed in the soft glow of holiday lights. Twinkling strings of light draped across the buildings, and a towering Christmas tree stood proudly in the center, its ornaments glittering like tiny stars. The air was crisp and filled with the scent of pine and freshly baked cookies—a world away from the harsh training and constant pressure at the academy.

Zarek parked, and as we stepped out, the festive atmosphere wrapped around me, easing the tension that had gripped my body for days. I took a deep breath, savoring the sense of normalcy that this place offered. For the first time in what felt like forever, I could breathe.

“Coffee?” Zarek asked, his voice quieter now, as if he could feel the shift in the air between us.

I nodded, though my thoughts were more focused on him than the food. “Sure.”

He led me toward a small café on the corner, its warm glow spilling out onto the street. The moment we stepped inside, the cozy atmosphere wrapped around us like a blanket. The scent of coffee and fresh pastries mingled with the soft lights, and the waitress greeted us with a smile that lingered on Zarek a little too long. I felt a strange tug in my chest—irritation, maybe—though I tried to brush it off. Zarek, ever the charmer, handled it with an effortless ease.

We took a seat by the window, the space between us humming with unspoken tension. As I glanced around, memories of my last visit with El surfaced, but this time felt different. The weight of Zarek’s presence made everything sharper, more intense. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze locked on mine, and the pull between us—subtle, unacknowledged—seemed to grow stronger.

“So,” I began, my curiosity breaking through the quiet as the waitress left us. “What’s this really about, Zarek? You don’t exactly strike me as the ‘let’s grab a coffee’ type.”

His amber eyes flickered, and for a moment, his usual smirk faded, replaced by something deeper, something real. “Maybe I wanted to give you a break before Damon completely wore you down,” he said, his voice steady, almost too gentle. “Or maybe”—he leaned in slightly, his eyes never leaving mine—“I needed a break from everything, too.”

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