Faith

Every motion was like a cycle of reveries, like a bonding charm pinned her down into the web of his enchantment.

Regardless of how deep she harbored it, the result remained the same, and they were both aware of the tremendous magnetic force drawing them together.

Constantly luring her into a corner, he read her through without a hint of ceasing. Every effect was natural, the seduction flowed effortlessly from his physique, and he knew everything, every desire in her.

Only their breath hindered them apart. Bending down, his lips brushed on the curve of her neck, the motion was gingerly, in opposition with the rapid pounding of her pulse.

Her knees were weakening, she was scared of her own feelings. The pleasure was irresistible. Craning her neck, she tried to regain her composure.

Gently, his lips glided on her flushed skin. Grasping for breath, she was growing hazy from the effect of the motion and his alluring scent.

Heart fluttering, her vision was clouded. Flinching as the pointed surface grazed her skin, his fangs, he drew them back and forth from the crook of her neck to under her jaw.

His breath lingered on her heated flesh, leaving her with the short grasp that staggered on her throat.

She sensed a hand reach under her top. Winching as he tugged it up, she clutched his hand to stop. "No.." A whisper came from her lips, panting as she fought the lingering desire on her skin.

Her voice made him momentarily pause. He drew his lips away but kept his face only an inch apart from her. His eyes darted between the two amethysts, knowing she needed him as much as he needed her.

With a surge of passion, he closed the gap between them, grazing his lips against her cheeks, whispering. "You desire me..." He paused, sliding his lips down, kissing her on the corner of her mouth. "I see it in your eyes," he murmured, nibbling on her lower lips, "I feel it from your flesh." He sucked on it, teasingly, "Every inch of you is yearning for me.."

Drawing his face away, he looked straight into her eyes,

"From the moment I first laid eyes on you.. you've always been mine." He leisurely reiterated each word in his deep, resonating voice, bathing her in silken feathers.

With raspy breathing, she stared into his mercury eyes. They glowed like an entire nebula, looking straight into her soul.

She breathed, averting his gaze. "I can't."

Silence reigned between them. He shifted his eyes slightly as he observed the expression on her face. The passion was palpable, which raised the question of why she would refuse him.

"What's troubling your mind?" He asked and ran a hand over her cheek to make her turn and look straight at him.

Her eyes landed on him, and again she felt like butterflies were flying in her stomach. But her remorse persisted despite how desperately she wanted him. "I can't mate with you..Don't make me hate myself more than this, Riah," she pleaded, her voice laced with sorrow. With each new feeling he induced in her, she loathed herself even more.

Cutting deep, her response was like a claw plunging into his flesh. How could becoming his mate be weighing her down with this much sadness? His disappointment was explicit, and his heart was snapped by the pain he endured. Looking away, his glowing eyes trembled before darkening with the damaged that she had rejected him.

His expression was clear in her vision. Every streak and pressure emitted were telling her how suffering he was. Feeling like her heart had dropped to the ground, she was breathless. The sadness in his eyes has such an indescribable impact on her.

She reached out, gently held his cheeks. When her gaze met his eyes, she trembled. Her response had stung him.

Without hesitation, she leapt to her tiptoes, drew his face closer to hers, and planted a kiss on his lips.

It was rife with longing, a forbidden desire—powerless to halt her heart from running after the risk that was devouring her. Delicious sweet coated in poison, with his scent lingering in her breath. Captivating her, she deepened the kiss.

Growled at the sudden kiss, he was stunned. Her lips were distracting, and passionate. Pressing her against the wall, he sucked her lips, a hand dove to her thigh and hooked it on his waist while the other hand molding her breast, teasing the nipple that perking through the clothes.

Tugging her top down, he was halted by her hand clutching his. Her mind was tangled, wary of her own body and emotions. It was clear that she shouldn't lose herself any further, so she tore the kiss apart, turning her face away.

"No, no, no.." she repeated, shaking miserably as she struck her head with her hands. "I have a mate, I can't do this to him," she murmured hoarsely. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled with the conflicting emotions.

Seeing how shattered she was, his jaw clenched. He grasped her hands, "And where is he? when you are in tears and need him most?, Jeweline.." He was frustrated—that mate has such an affect on her; how dare he leave her to fall into this vulnerability?

The truth of his words sank like a knife into her flesh. Where was Arel, when she nearly died trying to get away, where was he?

His words had triggered the sob she had been suppressing. Why does he have to add insult to her injury by telling her that her mate neglected her while she was grieving over his disappearance.

With tears welling in her eyes, she stared at him. Whatever he said, she still had faith in Arel. She has a hope that her mate will come back and explain everything to her.

Her voice trembled "Wherever he is, I will be waiting for him, and whether you help me or not, It won't be possible between us if Arel doesn't agree."

"Arel.." he repeated. For some reason, the name felt familiar to him. Suddenly a thought flashed in. Based on the appearance that Keira had described briefly to him, How come this individual shared both the name and the appearance of the sage? Strangely, the last he heard, the sage was hibernating, so he couldn't possibly be Keira's mate.

Keira hastily wiped her tears and shoved him away. She wouldn't give up hope that her mate will return. On the other hand, she was willing to trade the thorn flower for the psychopath's help. Considering the sane person couldn't help her, she would seek help from a madman instead. She's ready for anything.

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