-HER-

"What do you think about me?" He asked. I was surprised by his question.

"What do I think about you?" I repeated, leaning back and having a good look at him. His body looked tensed for some reason. My earlier responses seemed to have somehow hurt him, and now he was looking at me expectantly.

"Why does it matter what I think about you?" I asked.

"You have opinions on a man you've never met before. I wonder what you think about a man with whom you've crossed paths so many times,"

"Doesn't that answer for itself then?" I asked, but he looked clueless, so I added, "You're shadier than those dense woods out there,"

He chucked a bit, "What else?"

"To be honest, you never cross my mind unless we meet," I said dismissively, getting up and dusting my clothes off. Meanwhile, he remained seated, watching me darkly.

"You're lying," He commented in a chilly voice.

"Whatever helps you sleep," I laughed off, reaching for the bag of stones. He was still holding that gem in his hand. I pondered if I should take that from him. Vittoria must have put it in the bag for some reason, and I was damn sure Nico taking the gem wasn't that reason.

As I bent down and reached for the bag beside him, he asked huskily, "Don't you ever feel these?" Running the back of his fingers gently against my cheek, giving me those strange sensations. Instantly, my breath hitched, and my heart fluttered in my chest.

"Wha—" I was out of breath and words. Those sensations were more potent, travelling down my whole body and shaking me up from the core. It was as if something was telling me to wake up even though I was awake.

But was I awake? It might be a dream, Theresa... you never know. Maybe, all of it had been a dream you're about to wake up from. Then you will find yourself in that dark place again, locked away and forgotten...

"They are called sparks. They mean something, Vittoria," He explained, running his fingers around my jaw. I was gasping for breath all of a sudden, and this time it was not because of those sparks but because of the fear that all of this might be the part of a dream that was holding me captive.

Who knows? Those Court Mages were pretty good at such tricks.

As another wave of solid sparks washed down my body, I snapped out of the trance and found myself close, face to face with him. His hot breath brushed my lips teasingly. My heart further raced, pumping those dark emotions throughout me. My body had turned into a stone because I couldn't move a bit. All I could do was stay there, waiting... waiting for things to happen next.

He was gently holding a side of my face while his other arm looped around my waist to pull me closer to him. My hands found their way to his chest on their own. I couldn't tell if I was pulling or pushing him. The only thing I was aware of at that moment was how close our lips were.

"I want to kiss you," He whispered, inching his lips closer. His words sent my already restless heart into a new frenzy. There was a pause as if he was waiting for something. When I didn't say anything, he leaned in further before gently pressing his lips against mine and with that, my whole world caught on fire.

I didn't know what was happening next, but all I could feel was how his lips felt against mine— soft yet demanding. I found myself caving in... letting myself go for just this once because I had never had this— I've never felt so liberated. When I was still alive to the world— it scrutinised every move, every breath of mine because I was going to be a future queen, but now, I was dead to that world...

BUT, I was a priestess now, and what I was doing went against it but fvck that. I didn't choose to be a priestess. I had been chosen to be one and it wasn't as if someone was going to find out that I kissed a random guy...

...right?

At some point, I remembered putting my hands in his hair and pulling him closer for a deeper kiss. I tilted my head to a side and pressed my lips harder, searching for more. He fulfilled my demand more than willingly. I felt his whole body pressing down on mine while his tongue tangled with mine.

My hands trailed all over his body, feeling every bit of that marvellous creature that he was. I wanted to see all of it.

Suddenly, I heard a growl. It sounded like an animal was around us. To make sure, I pushed him back for a moment and looked around while catching my breath. Meanwhile, his eyes never left me. I could feel their heat on me like that of the scorching tropical sun. I was afraid my clothes might catch fire if he stared too long and hard at them.

"Did you hear that?" I asked him in puzzlement when I didn't find any animal around us, even though I was sure that I had heard an animal very close to us. It was a proper growl. My ears never fooled me.

"Hear what?" He grumbled, sounding unhappy about the interruption while I checked around us again to ensure there was no animal around us. Meanwhile, he didn't even seem bothered about it.

"I heard a growl," I breathed as he slowly lowered himself, inch by inch, until his lips were on my neck. I immediately forgot about the growl as soon as the sparks erupted over my skin. I could hear my heart banging in my chest and my chest rising and falling rapidly as he trailed his lips down the length of my neck, tracing my collar bone, taking his time.

Meanwhile, I closed my eyes and waited patiently for whatever he had in store for me next. I could feel his every hot breath rustle against my skin, pushing me further towards the edge. There was this energy coursing through my body before accumulating between my thighs.

"I'm going to make you mine," He declared suddenly. I didn't know what he meant by that, but it had my skin erupting with goosebumps and a voice inside me screaming to get up, but I didn't want to. I didn't want this moment to be over soon. I didn't want him to stop. But as time ticked by, the voice grew louder and louder.

I tried to ignore the voice until I felt his intense hot breath against my neck before something sharp poked my skin.

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