Attraction, desire, and sinfully beautiful, Mika Santana is a devil with the face of an angel. Despite her tragic past, she's never given up her ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance which leaves little to no room for matters of the heart. But...
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Darkness.
It latches onto my wrist, ankles, and neck, swallowing me whole. My eyes blink at the sight of nothing. Shallow, desperate breaths escape from my thought, silently pleading with the darkness. It's taking root, engraving itself into my skin, leaving bruises, blood, and marks. The dirty, dreadful nails attack my skin, scorching my flesh until nothing is left.
My air supply is on the verge of emptying, throat clenches. The ghost of my soul shudders from my body, the lightness swimming to the sky. My goals, dreams, ambitions are thrown into the abyss as I blunder out my last breath. Darkness embodies me, becomes me, destroys me. I am lost. I am gone.
"Asiel."
The sweet harmony dawdles through the darkness, grasping at my limbs to keep from vanishing. White flashes coat my eyelashes, reluctantly making it harder to blink. It takes seconds to skit past for the dusk to overtake my functioning limbs, surrendering to my death.
Sorry, brother. I wasn't good enough for this life.
"Asiel!"
The honey-coated voice jerks my eyes open, wide and confused, searching for the individual. Is it my subconscious, or am I imagining things? Does my life have any value besides being an acting Jefe? I wanted to wither into the darkness, murk black hole, but I couldn't. Something is holding me back from falling apart.
"Asiel."
A ghastly gasp croaks out of my throat as I jolt forward, bumping my forehead against a rigid surface. Confusion twists the wheel in my brain when I hear a muffled groan beside me. My shirt sticks to my chest from all the sweat I produced. The light scorches my eyes as they open, adjusting to the brightness. Mika's lips falter as she rubs the bump on her forehead. My heart skips a beat from the close proximity between Mika and me.
My fingers tingle, moving to their own accord to tenderly stroke the spot. "I'm sorry, Mika. Does it sting? I have ointment in my car. Should I go get it?"
Mika's top lip tips heavenward with a squinted gaze. "Aren't you so adorable? Don't worry about it. This little tap is nothing compared to what I've endured. I'm basically a robot when it comes to pain."
My heart aches for her.
What kind of pain did she have to endure? How much pain could it take for a person to become accustomed to it? Mika strides through the world as if it caves at her feet. She doesn't fear anything and is headstrong, compassionate, determined, and skillful. Is it possible for someone to contain all those narratives without witnessing darkness in their life?
Without thinking, I delicately grab the back of her head and pull her close enough to kiss her forehead. At first, Mika doesn't react as if she was holding her breath until it comes out like water. Her body loosens, yielding to my touch as my lips remain on her forehead for longer than expected.
