Elara

The Return

Elara couldn’t shake the feeling of Damien's presence, even after the dream faded into the dull light of morning. She felt different, as if the boundaries between dream and reality had started to blur. The memory of his touch lingered on her skin, and it took everything in her not to let it consume her thoughts.

Lucian had arrived that morning with coffee and breakfast, like he always did on the weekends, but the normalcy of his presence only made the undercurrent of unease more profound. They sat on the couch, sharing quiet conversation, but Elara’s mind was far from their words.

“Are you okay?” Lucian asked, his voice laced with concern. He reached over and touched her hand gently, his familiar warmth trying to anchor her back to the present.

Elara smiled, though it felt fragile, like a thin veneer masking the storm swirling beneath her surface. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Just didn’t sleep well.”

Lucian’s blue eyes softened as he squeezed her hand. “You’ve seemed off lately, El. Is there something going on?”

For a moment, Elara considered telling him everything. The dreams, the strange man, the way her body reacted to a force she couldn’t explain. But how could she? Lucian was her rock, her safety net, the man who loved her without question. He represented everything good, everything stable in her life. He couldn’t possibly understand the dark pull she was feeling. Hell, she didn’t even understand it.

“I think I’m just stressed,” she said, forcing a smile. “Work’s been crazy, and I haven’t been sleeping much.”

Lucian nodded, accepting her answer, though he still looked unconvinced. “Maybe we could get away for a weekend. Just the two of us, somewhere quiet. No work, no stress, just us.”

Elara’s heart twisted at his sincerity. He was trying so hard to help her, to love her, and yet all she could think about was the haunting figure of Damien and the terrible magnetism he awakened in her. She didn’t deserve Lucian. Not when her mind was spiraling into desires she didn’t even understand.

“That sounds nice,” she said softly, but even as the words left her lips, she knew it wouldn’t be enough. A weekend away couldn’t fix what was happening inside her.

Before Lucian could press further, her phone buzzed on the coffee table. Elara glanced at the screen, her heart skipping a beat when she saw an unknown number flashing across the display. Something deep within her stirred, a dark certainty that she knew who it was.

“I’ll be right back,” she said quickly, standing up and grabbing her phone before Lucian could see the tension in her face. She slipped into the hallway, her hand trembling as she answered the call.

“Elara.” The voice was unmistakable—smooth, dark, and unmistakably Damien.

Her breath caught in her throat, her pulse quickening. “How did you get this number?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“I told you,” Damien said, his tone edged with amusement. “You and I are connected in ways you don’t fully understand yet. There’s no distance between us that I can’t cross.”

Elara’s grip tightened on the phone as she leaned against the wall, her mind racing. “You need to stop this,” she said, though her voice lacked conviction. “I don’t know what you want from me, but I’m not… I’m not part of whatever this is.”

A low chuckle came from the other end of the line, sending a shiver down her spine. “Oh, but you are, Elara. You’ve always been a part of it. I told you—I’m here to help you remember. To help you embrace the truth of who you really are.”

Elara squeezed her eyes shut, her mind flooded with conflicting emotions. “And what is that?” she asked, her voice trembling. “What am I?”

There was a brief pause, the silence heavy with tension. When Damien spoke again, his voice was softer, almost tender. “You’re more powerful than you’ve ever imagined. And that power is tied to me, to your bloodline, to The Covenant.”

The name again—The Covenant. The word alone sent a chill through her body, as though it carried centuries of weight and darkness. She didn’t want to believe him, didn’t want to believe that any of this was real. But deep down, something told her it was.

“I don’t want this,” she whispered, tears burning at the corners of her eyes. “I just want my life back.”

“You can’t go back, Elara,” Damien said, his voice filled with dark certainty. “The door has already been opened. You’ve felt it—you can’t deny the pull.”

Her mind flashed to the dream, the way his touch had set her body alight with desire and fear. She hated how right he was. She had felt it. But that didn’t mean she was ready to accept it.

“What do you want from me?” she asked again, more desperately this time.

“I want you to meet me,” Damien said, his voice low and commanding. “Tonight.”

“No,” she replied quickly, shaking her head even though he couldn’t see her. “I can’t. I won’t.”

“You will,” Damien said simply, as though there was no room for argument. “You won’t be able to stop yourself.”

With that, the line went dead, leaving Elara standing there in the hallway, her heart racing and her mind spinning out of control.

“Elara?” Lucian’s voice called from the living room. “Everything okay?”

Elara wiped the tears from her eyes, forcing herself to breathe, to calm down. She couldn’t let Lucian see her like this. She couldn’t explain what was happening, not when she barely understood it herself.

Taking a deep breath, she walked back into the living room, plastering a smile on her face as she sat back down beside Lucian.

“Everything’s fine,” she lied, her heart still pounding in her chest.

But as she sat there, Lucian’s arm wrapped protectively around her, Elara couldn’t ignore the truth that had settled deep within her.

Tonight, she would see Damien again.