chapter 6(a)

a.Mirrors and Whispers

The jungle outside the train window blurred into emerald streaks as Caden stepped back into the cabin, his skin still humming with the bitter aftertaste of Selene's blood. Chloe sat on the edge of the bed, the sheets pooled around her waist, her bare shoulders glowing in the golden afternoon light. 

"Where were you?" she asked, her voice soft but edged with suspicion. 

"Motion sickness," he lied, forcing a smile. "Took some air. I'm fine now." 

Chloe's eyes narrowed, but before she could press him, he crossed the room in two strides. His gaze locked onto hers, and she shuddered—not from fear, but from the raw, magnetic pull he exuded. His eyes, usually sharp and guarded, softened as he cupped her face. 

"You're trembling," he murmured. 

"Cold," she whispered, though they both knew it wasn't the air. 

With a slow, deliberate motion, she let the sheets fall. Her body was luminous in the fractured sunlight, all soft curves and unapologetic femininity. Caden's breath hitched. Selene's scent still clung to him, a phantom ache, but Chloe's warmth—her *humanity*—was a balm. 

"Look at yourself," he said, turning her toward the floor-length mirror. "You're exquisite." 

Chloe stared at their reflection: her flushed cheeks, his towering frame behind her, his hands possessive but tender on her hips. His eyes flickered away from the glass, a fleeting wince she almost missed. 

*Why won't he look?* 

But then his fingers brushed the pearls around her neck, the locket cold against her collarbone. "Consider this a promise," he said, his lips grazing her ear. "You're my world, Chloe. In every lifetime." 

His hands slid down her arms, pinning her palms to the wall. She gasped as his teeth scraped her neck, the pain sharp and sweet. His touch ignited her, every nerve alight, but there was a distance in him—a shadow she couldn't name. 

"Caden," she breathed, arching into him. 

"Don't speak," he growled, his voice rough with restraint. "Just feel." 

He entered her with a forceful, seamless thrust, her body pinned against the mirror, the glass instantly clouding from the heat of their bodies. Each plunge was deliberate, deep, designed to dismantle her with a raw, unbridled intensity. Her moans were punctuated by sharp gasps, a soundtrack to their lust, while his hands, hungry and possessive, roamed over her skin, squeezing her breasts, tracing the line of her hips, delving between her legs. Her legs trembled, weakening under the onslaught of pleasure, nearly giving out, but Caden's grip was unyielding, pulling her back from collapse. With a swift motion, he turned her, lifting her as if she were mere air, her back now pressed hard against the cold mirror, the contrast sending shivers through her.

His gaze locked with hers, a smile, both playful and predatory, playing on his lips. "Oh heavens, Caden, that was..." her words were cut off by a kiss so deep and demanding it suffocated her sentence. Pulling back, she opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a sharp intake of breath as he thrust into her again, this time with a ferocity that made her body convulse.

Her nails dug into his back, raking his skin, blood trickling only to heal instantly, his body a testament to his vampire nature. Her eyes welled with tears, not of pain but of overwhelming ecstasy. A surge of pure, unadulterated pleasure erupted from her, her muscles clenching around him, her voice a sigh of release that echoed his own, their bodies trembling together in the aftermath, the air thick with the scent of sex and sweat, their connection raw, primal, and utterly consuming.

Afterward, he carried her to the bed, her limbs trembling. "Rest," he said, brushing a kiss to her forehead. "We're almost there." 

In the shower, steam curled around Caden's body as water sluiced over the fading scratches on his back—*Chloe's* marks, not Selene's. He closed his eyes, guilt gnawing at him. 

*She deserves more than half-truths and borrowed time.* 

When he emerged, Chloe was staring at his bare torso and fading scratches, her brow furrowed. "Did I do that ...did I hurt you?" 

He smirked, tugging on his shirt. "You? Never." 

**A Feast of Tension**

The dining car glittered with crystal and candlelight, the jungle now a distant murmur. Selene and Angus sat at a corner table, her crimson nails toying with his tie. 

"Look at them," Selene purred as Caden and Chloe entered. "Like lambs prancing into a lion's den." 

Angus followed her gaze. Chloe laughed at something Caden whispered, her hand resting on his arm. For a moment, Angus's mask slipped—a flicker of longing, quickly smothered. 

Selene's tail coiled around his thigh under the table. "Jealous, darling?" 

"No," he said too quickly. 

She smirked. "Liar." 

Caden guided Chloe to their seats, his posture rigid. Selene's laugh rang out, sharp as shattered glass. "Enjoying the view, bloodsucker?" 

Chloe froze, her spoon clattering against her soup bowl. "What did she just call you?" 

Caden's jaw tightened. "Inside joke." 

Selene leaned forward, her eyes glowing faintly. "Oh, it's no joke, sweetheart. Ask him why he doesn't eat. Or bleed. Or *age*." 

The air thickened. Angus stared at his plate, silent. 

Caden's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Careful, demon. You're outnumbered here." 

Selene's smile widened. "Am I?" 

Chloe's hand found Caden's under the table. "What's she talking about I saw you eat with my own eyes ?" 

Before he could answer, the train lurched. Glasses toppled, candles snuffed, and in the chaos, Selene's whisper slithered into Caden's ear: 

"The villa awaits, vampire. Let's see who breaks first."