Chapter 4 The First Night

Elara stood in the middle of the fancy room, still feeling the kiss from Darius on her lips. It was so strong that her body hummed with it, and a tempest of conflicting feelings swirled inside her. The kiss was hard and icy, but it had an effect on her. It took her breath away and made her heart race in a way she couldn't understand.

Her head told her to fight it and push him away, but something deep down wouldn't listen. Her heart was beating, and with each breath, she felt the weight of what had just happened on her chest.

She walked around the room and said to herself, "Why does it feel like this?"

She attempted to concentrate and get her life back on track. But the warmth of his touch stayed on her flesh. How harsh the kiss was. How cold he was when he was there. She hated how they were like magnets dragging her in.

Elara turned to the door, wanting to get away from the room's smothering silence. She hated how her body reacted to him. Not here. Not like this.

She went for the door handle and brushed it with her fingers, but before she could open it, the door slammed shut with a loud thud that shook her bones.

Her heart stopped.

She turned around and saw Darius standing at the entryway with his back to the door, which was now closed. His eyes were cold and impenetrable, and they met hers, but this time something was different. His eyes had a brief flash of something strange. It wasn't rage. It wasn't a lack of interest.

It was something different. Something dark, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Elara's breath caught. "You-you can't do this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her mind was still spinning from the kiss.

His lips moved, but he didn't say anything. He didn't do that; instead, he took a slow step forward. The space between them got smaller, and Elara could feel the air getting heavier with each passing second.

The night went on and on, like it would never end. Elara reclined in the big bed with the nice sheets wrapped around her legs, but she couldn't fall asleep. She jumped at every creak of the floors and every whisper of the wind beyond the window. The mansion felt too big and deserted, except for him.

Darius. The man who had taken her. The man whose kiss still made her lips flame.

Elara rolled over and looked at the shadows the moonlight made on the drapes. What type of control does he have over me? She had a million questions in her head, and each one was scarier than the last. But what baffled her the most was the pull she felt, like a magnetic force that drew her to him.

She reached up and kissed her lips, which were still tingling from the kiss. It was not right. She knew it was bad. But she couldn't quit thinking about it.

The room was so quiet that it felt like it would never end until the piercing sound of footfall interrupted it.

The door cracked open, and there he was. Darius.

His big, powerful form filled the doorway. His presence covered the room like a fog that made it hard to breathe. Elara sat up in bed, her breath catching as he moved closer, his eyes never leaving hers. He was completely quiet, and his eyes were dark and focused.

"You-" Elara's voice broke, but she quickly cleared her throat and tried to find the right words. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't say anything. Instead, he softly closed the door behind him and made another step towards her.

His eyes were cold, yet there was something more there-a spark, something she couldn't read, something that made her heart race.

Elara tried to calm down, but her hands shook. She wouldn't let anyone see her frailty. "You have no right to come in here like this," she replied, her voice trembling but strong. "I'm not going to be yours."

Darius stayed quiet and watched her attentively, as if he were scrutinising her every motion. She hated how he made her feel vulnerable. Weak. As if he could see all she was trying to keep from him.

He walked towards her with determination, and she reflexively took a step back. You couldn't get away from him. Not right now. Not in this big house.

"You need to understand something, Elara," he murmured in a low, almost soft voice. He reached out and touched her arm with his hand. It was a light touch, almost taunting, but it shot a shock of energy through her. "You think you have a choice." But you don't.

She pulled away from his contact, and his lips turned up in a small smile. But his gaze stayed serious and steady.

"Stop," she said in a low voice, but the words sounded weak, almost like they were begging.

Darius was in front of her, and his presence was too much. He was too close now. His smell, which was a blend of cologne and something darker, took over her senses and blocked out everything else. She couldn't think. She couldn't get any air.

He replied softly, "I won't let you run from this, Elara," but the weight of his words felt like a threat. "Now you're mine."

He didn't say anything else and passed by her, caressing her arm lightly with his palm as he did. The contact was more like a caress, yet it made Elara's skin burn and sent a shiver through her body.

He stopped at the entrance and turned his back to her. He murmured, "Sleep well," and his voice was as cold as ever. He took one last look over his shoulder before exiting the room. She was left to deal with her feelings and the unpleasant feeling that something more was going on.

Elara stood still, her heart beating, as the door snapped shut behind him. The shadows in the room looked like they were getting thicker and heavier. And she knew deep down that the nightmare had really just begun.

"No." "Stop," she whispered to herself as she held on to the edge of the wooden dresser. The remarks sounded empty, like a half-hearted attempt to refute what was true.

The mansion was too peaceful and the night was too quiet. The quiet in the room made the tempest inside her even worse. She could sense him, hiding in every shadow. She didn't get it. Her head told her to resist, fight back, and get away from this weird pull, but her body let her down.

"Elara?"

She was startled by the gentle voice behind her and turned around, her breath seizing. But there was no one there. She let out a sigh of relief and her heart raced. It's just the wind. Or was it? She had the feeling that something or someone was observing her.

The door opened with a steady, deliberate creak. Elara stopped moving, and her heart raced in her ears. She didn't need to look back to know who it was.

His presence filled the entryway and took over the room in an instant. Darius. His dark, piercing stare was fixed on hers. Elara's body tightened, and a shudder ran down her spine as the weight of his gaze pressed against her. Just being there made it hard for her to breathe.

"Not again," Elara said under her breath, but she couldn't move.

The footsteps got louder, and with each step, they got closer until he was only a few feet away.

Elara's brain told her to flee, but her legs felt heavy. She stepped back, and her back hit the cold stone wall of her room. Darius's presence made her feel like she couldn't breathe, but she couldn't look away. Every part of her body told her to fight, but it wouldn't move.

She asked, "What are you doing?" Her voice shook even though she tried to sound defiant.

Darius didn't answer straight away. He walked all the way inside the room, keeping his eyes on hers the whole time. Elara's heart raced as the door slammed shut behind him.

He said in a soft voice that was like silk but also had a sense of command, "You're not going anywhere." "Elara, you're mine now."

She tried to say something, but the words died in her throat. She wanted to fight with him and tell him he was wrong, but everything about him-his attitude, his eyes-said a lot. She was stuck.

She looked at the door. "Let me out," she yelled, but Darius didn't even move. He shook his head after his eyes softened a little.

He continued, "You're locked in, Elara," in a cold, definitive tone that made it sound like there was no way out. "Now we can talk." Or we could just not say anything.

Elara stood there, her heart racing and her breath thin. She didn't know if she wanted to shout, cry, or somehow get away from this annoying link. But every time she gazed into his eyes, that deep, unwavering gaze, she had to face the truth. She was stuck.