Chapter 5 Intimate Voices

Blood gathered under the torn corpse of the rogue as it lay in the clearing. The rattling wheeze of its feeble breathing indicated that its demise was imminent. My body was stiff and still buzzing with excitement as I stood over it. Except for the faint growl coming from Lucian, who was standing at my side, the jungle was strangely quiet.

"What brought you here?" With a sharper-than-intended voice, I demanded.

Glassy yet brimming with an eerie mixture of dread and triumph, the rogue's yellowed eyes flicked to mine.

Its lips were bursting with blood as it rasped, "Too late." "The darkness is approaching already."

A beat skipped in my chest. "What's that darkness?"

Lucian squatted next to me, his palm grazing my arm in a reassuring, steady motion. With a steely voice, he said, "Speak clearly."

A hideous smirk twisted the rogue's lips. "You'll see in due time. The healer is unable to avoid it.

The words struck me hard. Even though my knees were shaking, I made myself stay upright and look down at the thing that had disturbed the tranquility of my peaceful existence. "What do you mean?"

However, before the rogue's body turned limp, it trembled one more time.

Dead.

I stepped back as if the corpse could resurface and attack, and let out a quick sigh. As I tried to decipher the rogue's cryptic warning, my thoughts raced.

"The shadows..." More to myself than to Lucian, I said.

With his hand on the small of my back, Lucian stood up. I felt grounded by his solid touch. "Avoid becoming affected by its words. Chaos is what roguers thrive on. Most likely, it's nothing.

However, the uneasiness in his voice revealed his own hesitancy.

I looked at him, looking for answers in his features. "You don't think so."

His piercing blue eyes met mine as his jaw tensed. "I don't like how you were singled out."

It sent a chill through me. "I don't either."

The rogue's remarks hung between us for a minute as we stood in the clearing. The tension persisted even when the wind shifted, taking the smell of death and blood away.

At last, Lucian murmured in a quiet voice, "We have to move." "There may be more in the area."

Despite my legs feeling like lead, I nodded. "How do we handle the body?"

He answered without hesitation, "Leave it." For the rest, the message is sufficient. They will be aware not to return here.

He led us out of the clearing, and I followed him as the forest engulfed us in its darkness.

The air seemed heavier and thicker back at my cabin. As if to ward off the night's horrors, Lucian bolted the door behind us and closed it.

I poured myself a glass of water while leaning on the counter and shaking my hands. Lucian loomed close by, his presence as constant as an impending storm.

He continued, "You're trembling," in a calmer tone.

Despite the quaver in my voice betraying me, I said, "I'm fine."

Taking two steps across the room, he carefully removed the glass from my grasp. "Celeste." He spoke in a stern yet worried tone.

His eyes were seeking mine as I glanced up at him, his black hair cascading over his forehead. My weakness and the terror that had taken root in my chest could not be concealed.

"They were aware of me," I muttered. "They came to get me."

Lucian's jaw tightened as he nodded. "We'll determine the cause. However, you must not allow it to control you.

The fire in his eyes did more than comfort me, even if that was the intention of his words. It sparked a deeper emotion in me that I hadn't let myself to experience in years.

"Lucian, why are you here?" My voice was hardly heard as I asked. "Why now?"

He took a while to respond. Instead, he ensnared me by placing his hands on each side of the counter. His aroma was a rich blend of pine and smoke, and his closeness was enticing.

"Because I couldn't stay away," he said in a low, unvarnished voice.

Like a live wire, the tension between us crackled. The heat emanating from him, the unsaid words hanging in the air, was palpable to me.

"Lucian." His name on my lips appeared to be his undoing as I started.

His lips slammed into mine in a kiss that was everything but tender as he drew us closer. It was ferocious and all-consuming, as if he had been suppressing it for too long.

My hands automatically found his shoulders as I gasped against his lips. His hard, demanding touch was all over me, and it grounded me in a manner I hadn't experienced in years.

I ought to have prevented him. I ought to have shoved him aside. But the way he made me feel-alive, noticed, wanted-overshadowed any logical thoughts.

His forehead pressed against mine as he drew back just enough to gaze at me. With his breath heated on my lips, he said, "Tell me to stop."

I was unable to.

Rather, with my fingers tangled in his hair, I drew him nearer. As his hands moved down my sides and ignited every nerve in their path, he moaned into my lips.

The outer world vanished for an instant. There was no rogue, no mysterious warning, no impending doom. We were alone.

However, a piercing knock that reverberated throughout the home broke the moment.

We froze and peered at the door, breathing heavily.

"Did you have someone in mind?" Lucian's voice was tight as he whispered.

Fear seeping back into my chest, I shook my head.

This time, the knock was louder.

Lucian moved ahead of me, his body stiff and prepared to move if needed. His eyes were dark with resolve as he looked back at me. "Remain here."

With careful steps, he made his way to the door. Every muscle in my body tensed as I watched him, my heart racing.

The air appeared to become colder as Lucian cracked open the door.

"Lucian." The voice from the other end was deep, well-known, and authoritative.

My blood froze.

Kieran.

As my ex-partner pushed the door open and entered, Lucian took a step back, his body rigid.

His golden eyes met mine, and his lips curled into a ruthless grin.

"Hello, Celeste," he murmured, his tone full of derision. "Have you missed me?"