Page 59 of Shackled By Shadows

I am now seated on him.

Not the victory I had in mind, not the dominance I thought I would feel. This is worse.

His smile deepens, a slow, wicked curve of amusement. The corners of his mouth tug up, and his eyes gleam with something I can’t quite place.

In one swift, almost casual movement, he lifts us both as if I weigh nothing, his strength completely overwhelming me.

My breath hitches as my body instinctively presses closer to his, the heat between us unbearable. His hands never leave my thighs, keeping me locked in place as we stand, his tall frame towering over me, that damn grin never faltering.

This position, him holding me off the ground by my thighs alone, his fingers resting tightly on my ass, the tips of each finger just barely brushing the inside of my thighs, so close to the heat swelling inside of me, my body aches for the slightest movement. His finger resting so close that it is the only thing I can think about, the only image I can picture. I can’t shake the primal need for release.

It is too much, too close, too dangerous.

He lets out a deep, throaty laugh, one that rumbles through the air and resonates in my chest. It is raw, unrestrained, and completely unlike anything I have ever heard from him before. The sound takes me off guard.

It takes my breath away, and for a second, I forget why we are here, what we are doing. The entire world fades away so that only the two of us remain in this moment. He smiles a genuine smile, melting my insides. The look on his face like this, I want to keep it, to hold it tight.

My pulse races, my skin alive with an awareness I can’t ignore. And in that fleeting moment, I wonder if he can sense it too.

Reality snaps back as he loosens his grip and lets me slide ever so slowly down his body. Close—so close I can feel his bare skin under me, his breath rising and falling as I slide down his torso, until my feet are planted back on the ground, and he takes a micro-step back just enough so that our bodies are no longer pressed together.

He turns away, crossing the space to where his shirt lies discarded in the sand. With an easy movement, he picks it up, shaking it off before slipping it back over his head. The fabric clings briefly to the sweat on his skin before settling into place, hiding the sharp lines of muscle.

I look away quickly, trying not to notice as heat rushes back to my face.

You ready to leave?” he asks, his smile still lingering on his face.

“Leave?” I blink, confused. “I thought we were training.”

“I surrendered, remember?” he replies, a teasing note in his voice.

“Where are we going?” I ask, still unsure of what is happening.A low chuckle rumbles from his chest before he grins devilishly. “It’s a surprise,” a smirk curling his lips. Before I can respond, he takes my hand, his touch sending a strange warmth through me, and leads me further into the endless stretch of sand.

Chapter twenty-four

Trust

We walk in silence for a while, my body still reeling from everything that has just happened. Neither of us seems to know what to say next.

After a while, he stops and turns to face me. “Do you trust me?” he asks, his voice serious, the weight of the question settling between us like an invisible force. It is a loaded question with no easy answer. He did kidnap me, but at the same time, he saved me. He has become the light in my darkness.

Every fiber of my being screams to turn away from his gaze, to avoid the question altogether, because I’m not sure anymore. Part of me wants to say no, but the rest of me, the part that doesn’t want to face the truth, isn’t so sure anymore. My eyes scan his face, looking for any hint of what will happen depending on how I answer.

I can’t find the words. So instead, I simply nod.

In an instant, his shadows consume me, turning the bright day into overwhelming darkness.

He pauses, and his body tenses as he studies me for a moment, expecting panic to take over. It doesn’t, even in this blackened space, I know I’m not alone. His features obscure, but still here, standing by my side.

He lets out a deep breath, the tension in his stance relaxing. The darkness is almost blinding except for a few rays of light that he lets through, just barely enough to make out his shape. A subtle reminder of the world outside this strange, shared space.

He takes a step closer, so close our bodies nearly brush before raising his hands instinctively, as though to touch me, but he hesitates, caught between instinct and restraint.

Instead, he simply smiles, turns facing the path we have been walking, places his hand gently on the small of my back, and continues to guide me forward.

After another moment of walking, he stops again and turns toward me, struggling for the words he doesn’t know whether he wants to say. The shadows around us seem to shift, as if trying to hold us in this moment, where the rest of the world has faded away, leaving just the two of us.

Finally, he smiles, as the shadows begin to slip away, my breath catches in my throat.