Chapter 18: Her Touch Was Louder Than the Screams

Chapter 18: Her Touch Was Louder Than the Screams

The sky outside hadn't gone back to normal. If anything, the red seam looked angrier now — thicker, like a scar splitting wider, pulsing faintly as if it had a heartbeat. The light leaking from it wasn't just eerie anymore; it was unnatural. Wrong. Casting flickers of red through the blinds that made the walls look like they were bleeding.

Aria blinked awake slowly, tangled in old sheets on the half - made bed of the abandoned apartment. Her body was sore in a good way — still tingling from heat, power, kisses. Her mind lagged behind, fogged over by sleep and the afterburn of whatever last night was becoming between them.

Outside, the world wasn't quiet. Not anymore.

Footsteps pounded across concrete somewhere below them. Screams — desperate ones — echoed through the alley, followed by crashes and something much worse: the wet tearing sound that never ended well. Roamers had found someone. Again.

Aria sat up sharply.

Selene was already there, sitting beside her, calm and alert. Her expression tensed the moment she saw Aria's panic rising.

"You hear them," Aria said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Selene didn't respond with words. Instead, she leaned forward and pressed a cool kiss to Aria's cheek.

Aria froze. Not because it was too much. But because Selene's skin was cold — soothing, even. Like snow on overheated skin.

Selene pulled back just enough to study her reaction, then leaned in again. Another kiss, just beneath her jaw. Then another, trailing softly toward her collarbone. Each one cool, grounding, distracting — on purpose.

"I have to go help —" Aria started, but Selene gently climbed into her lap, pressing her body against Aria's without weight, her hands bracketing Aria's waist.

"No," Selene murmured. "You don't."

Aria flinched as another scream cut short outside. "But —"

"They're gone," Selene whispered. "They made noise. They ran. They got caught. That's not your fault."

Aria's chest clenched. Her lips parted, but Selene kissed her before the guilt could rise again. Just enough to stop the thought from becoming action.

The kiss lingered. Cool, soft, slow. It pulled Aria's focus like a tide. The weight in her chest eased, replaced with the pressure of Selene's lips coaxing her to stay still. To feel. To stop spiraling.

Selene kissed her again. Then again. Teasing, experimenting. Her tongue brushed against Aria's lower lip. Aria responded with a soft sigh, then a whimper when Selene nipped lightly.

"That's it," Selene whispered, trailing her mouth down Aria's throat again. "Breathe. Stay here with me."

Aria's brain couldn't hold onto the chaos outside. Not with Selene kissing her like this — like she mattered more than the world ending.

Selene pushed her shirt up, just enough to expose the soft curve of her stomach, and kissed her way down. Her hands, still cool to the touch, slipped beneath the fabric and brushed gently over Aria's ribs. Aria shivered at the temperature, but didn't pull away. Her skin was burning hot, reacting to the residual divine power still flickering inside her from the night before. Selene's cold touch made it bearable.

Selene pressed a kiss over Aria's heart, then shifted up to her lips again — this time more demanding. Aria gasped, lips parting, letting her in.

The kiss deepened fast. Selene's tongue slid against hers in perfect rhythm, and her fingers made quick work of Aria's bra clasp. Her hand cupped her breast, massaging slowly, making Aria moan into her mouth.

"Selene —" Aria's voice cracked, breath catching as her back arched against the cool touch.

Selene smiled against her lips. "Still want to run outside?"

Aria whimpered, tugging her back down. Their mouths met again. Aria melted beneath her, breath stuttering, thighs squeezing around nothing.

Selene's hands didn't stop — alternating soft teasing with firmer pressure, fingers circling her nipples until Aria couldn't keep quiet. Her skin was on fire, divine energy leaking out in golden threads she couldn't fully control. And Selene? Selene's cold hands grounded her in all the ways she didn't realize she needed.

They kissed until the room felt too small for their breathing.

Selene laughed softly and kissed her again, deeper. Her tongue tangled with Aria's, slow and confident, her body pressing flush against hers. The rhythm built in waves — kissing, gasping, soft moans filling the small space between them.

Aria's shirt got pushed higher with each kiss until it bunched beneath her arms. Selene kissed down her chest, mouth cool, teasing her with slow flicks of her tongue against her nipples until Aria couldn't stop the whimpers that spilled out.

"You're so sensitive," Selene whispered, circling a nipple with her tongue before lightly sucking. Aria's fingers tightened in her hair, and she arched up into her.

"You're mean," Aria gasped.

Selene pulled back just enough to grin. "And you love it."

Aria barely had time to recover before Selene moved up and claimed her mouth again, harder, intense — needy. Desperate. Her hands cradled Aria's face while they kissed like they were running out of time. And maybe they were.

A faint chill lingered where their lips had met — breathless, slick, electric. Aria blinked, dazed, her shirt stayed up around her breast, skin flushed and glowing softly, as if something divine was stirring beneath.

Selene's fingers traced the curve of Aria's waist, cool and deliberate, sending a shiver that danced deliciously against the fire rising inside her.

Leaning in again, Selene's lips drifted down Aria's neck, cool breath contrasting with the heat pulsing beneath her skin. Then her mouth closed around Aria's nipple — a slow, teasing flick of tongue followed by a gentle, tantalizing nip that made Aria arch into her touch.

"Ah — Selene…" Aria's breath hitched, voice low and trembling. "That feels… strange — god, I…"

Her hands curled into the sheets, torn between pulling away and pulling Selene closer, craving more of that intoxicating chill against her burning skin.

Selene's smirk was a whisper against her flesh. "Strange good or strange stop?"

Aria's cheeks flamed, but her body spoke louder — hips pressing into Selene's hand. "I… don't know. Just… don't stop. Please."

Selene's hand steadied her, fingers warm in their intention though cool to the touch. "I won't. Not unless you tell me."

And Aria didn't. Every nerve ending buzzed, caught between the fire of her craving and the ice of Selene's touch, her hunger growing with every cool flick and tender bite.

Minutes later, tangled in sheets and shadows, Aria's breathing was ragged, eyes misty but filled with awe and need. She met Selene's gaze, cheeks flushed with embarrassment and something else — something raw and unspoken.

"Thank you," she whispered, voice barely more than a breath.

Selene pressed a cool kiss to her cheek, a comforting balm. "You're not broken. You're just waking."

Aria groaned softly, dropping her arm over her eyes. "I really need a shower. Like, a holy one."

Selene chuckled, voice low and teasing. "I'll bring the soap. And maybe some ice — for you and me."

They kissed again, and when Selene finally pulled back, a thin thread of saliva still connected their lips. Aria blinked, dazed — her shirt pushed up, cheeks flushed, breasts bare. A faint glow shimmered over her skin, the divine energy struggling to break through once more.

She stared down at herself, wide - eyed, then at Selene — trying to process how her shirt had ended up halfway off.

Selene smirked. "You're cute when you short - circuit."

Aria quickly tugged the shirt back down and covered her face with both hands. "Don't look at me."

"I already did," Selene said, deadpan. "Thoroughly."

Aria groaned into her hands.

Selene chuckled and kissed her temple — still cool, still soothing. "You're safe. That's all I care about."

Aria peeked between her fingers, cheeks bright red. "You just — distracted me so I wouldn't run outside."

"Guilty," Selene said, standing. "Also you're gorgeous. So that helped."

"Selene —"

Selene leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'll make breakfast. You catch your breath."

Aria flopped back onto the mattress again, hands still covering her face. She could still feel Selene's cold fingers, still hear the rhythm of their kiss echoing louder than the screams outside.

By the time she emerged from under the blanket, the smell of fried eggs filled the room.

Burnt toast again. Selene really wasn't improving.

They sat cross - legged on the floor with a makeshift breakfast spread between them. Aria couldn't stop blushing. Selene couldn't stop grinning.

They shared a peach can again, and Aria finally spoke after a few bites. "You always this good at distracting people from existential horror?"

Selene chewed thoughtfully. "Only you."

Aria rolled her eyes and shoved a bite of toast in her mouth to hide her smile.

Once they were full, the silence felt heavier.

Selene's voice came low. "We should go out later."

Aria froze mid - sip. "What?"

"We need more food. Water. Meds. Something to patch wounds if things go bad."

Aria stared at her half - eaten egg. "I don't want to."

"I know," Selene said gently. "But the city's changing. The seam's opening wider. And you're not… stable yet."

Aria clenched her hands in her lap. "I felt it again. That burning. Like I was about to… become something I'm not ready to be."

"I know," Selene said, reaching over to brush her hand against Aria's. The cold helped. Aria sighed and leaned into it.

"I don't think I can stop it much longer."

"You don't have to stop it. You just have to stay with me through it."

Aria nodded slowly.

Selene leaned in, kissed her cheek again, soft and freezing. "We'll gear up. We'll be smart. We don't let anyone see us. And we don't run toward screams. Got it?"

"Got it," Aria whispered. "Thanks for… earlier."

Selene's lips curved into a slow smile. "You're welcome."

"And stop burning the toast."

"No promises."

They packed in silence, sharing the last bottle of clean water before slinging their bags over their shoulders. Aria hesitated by the door.

"You really think it's getting worse?"

Selene stared at the bleeding sky. "I think it's just getting started."

They stepped out into the world again. Hands brushing. Breath held. The red light followed them like a second sun.

And the seam pulsed — wider. Waiting.