Healing chains

Her healer: part 1 (love and obsession)

Thea's gaze locked with Yaroslav's, and she immediately saw the dangerous glint in his eyes. Their foreheads pressed together, his hands firm on her waist. After the fierce kiss and the raw words he had whispered, Thea felt her knees weaken beneath her. She tried to step back, her breath shaky.

"I can't do this, Ro," she stammered, her voice breaking, tears pooling in her eyes. One tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.

Yaroslav's eyes traced the path of her tear before lifting back to meet hers. His voice was a low, rough whisper. "Then let me help you do it," he said. "I love you, Thea. I can't stay away from you. From the moment I laid my eyes on you, you have no idea what I'm willing to do—just to make you love me."

His grip on her waist loosened as he took a step back. Thea stood there, frozen, her heart pounding, but even though the danger was clear on his face, she knew he wouldn't hurt her. Not physically.

Slowly, he undid the first button of his shirt.

"What are you doing?" she breathed, her voice barely audible, her cheeks flushing as she watched him.

Yaroslav didn't answer. Instead, he continued, unbuttoning his shirt and letting it fall to the floor. Thea gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of his bare chest.

Carved into his skin, her name was etched deeply, a permanent reminder of his madness.

"R-Ro... what...?" Her voice trembled as more tears welled in her eyes, her shock mingling with confusion and fear.

Yaroslav glanced at his chest, then back at her, his eyes gleaming with a madness he could no longer hide. "They told me to prove my love for you, Thea," he murmured, his voice a deep, husky whisper. "And I did."

Without warning, he pulled her close again, his arms around her waist. Her hands instinctively pressed against his chest, her touch igniting a spark between them. He couldn't hold back any longer—his lips crashed into hers once more, this kiss even more raw, filled with hunger and uncontrollable desire. Yaroslav pulled Thea up, his lips crashing into hers once again, fierce and relentless. His tongue plunged into her mouth, tasting her as if he could consume her soul through the kiss. This time, Thea responded with equal intensity—matching his fire, as though they were both lost in a storm of want. The kiss was maddening, desperate, each movement steeped in possession and hunger. When he pulled back, their breath was heavy, mingling in the tense air between them.

"You are mine, Thea," Yaroslav growled, his grip tightening around her waist, his body pressed flush against hers. "Only mine. I love you so fucking much that it drives me crazy."

His eyes, dark and unhinged, bore into hers, leaving her trembling under the weight of his obsession. He wasn't just saying the words—he meant them, every syllable laced with madness. Thea felt her heart pound erratically, not just from the intensity of the kiss but from the terror creeping up her spine. She was trapped in his arms, and the more he spoke, the more she realized just how deeply he had fallen for her. It wasn't love, not the kind that made you feel safe. This was a consuming force that left no room for anything else. And she was trapped yet she did not want to leave.

Still dazed from the kiss, she shook her head weakly, her voice barely a whisper. "You can't love me..."

"I can," Yaroslav snarled, his voice almost a hiss. His fingers dug into her waist possessively, his anger flaring. "I have, and I will continue to. I'd rather die than learn how not to love you." His teeth clenched, his words burning with a quiet rage. But then, when he looked into her eyes—those soft, brown eyes filled with pain—his anger dimmed, replaced by something far more dangerous. Obsession.

He loosened his grip, just enough to let her breathe, but his eyes never left hers. "You don't understand, Thea. I see everything. Every scar, every crack, and every broken piece of you... I want all of it."

Thea's chest tightened, her breath growing shallow. She could feel the walls closing in, the intensity of his words swallowing her whole. There was no escape, no way out of this suffocating love that had become her prison and she did not want to escape. She looked at him, the man standing before her, and asked the question that had gnawed at her for so long—Would he still love her if he knew the truth?

"Will you still love me after knowing my tainted self?" she whispered shakily, the fear in her voice barely hidden. She couldn't hide it from him. Yaroslav's presence was too overwhelming, too powerful. Her breath hitched as he pulled her even closer, his body heat seeping into hers, making the room feel impossibly small. The air between them was thick, oppressive, the tension palpable.

"I'd paint every fiber of your body with my love, Thea," Yaroslav murmured, his voice deep and raw, the madness in his eyes now fully visible. "So deeply, you won't even recognize those tainted parts. I'll erase them for you." His fingers brushed her cheek, tender in a way that contrasted the storm brewing behind his gaze. He was offering her more than love—he was offering her an escape from herself, an escape from her past, but it came at a price. Him. And she was ready to accept everything, she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Tears slipped down Thea's cheeks, her barriers slowly crumbling. "I'm broken, Ro," she whispered, her voice trembling with a truth she had fought to hide for so long. "There's nothing in me for you to love. Nothing left."

"There is," Yaroslav said softly, his voice a dangerous mix of adoration and determination. His hands cupped her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Your eyes—those beautiful brown eyes that have haunted me since the moment I saw them. The way they light up when you smile... your smile makes you glow so brightly that even the goddess of beauty would bow to you. Your laughter... it's my favorite sound, Thea. The way your cheeks puff and turn red when you're angry, the way your fingers dance when you're stitching, your passion for your work... The way your touch makes me feel like I'm home."

He leaned closer, his forehead resting against hers, his voice a soft whisper now. "You are my home, Thea. My peace. My everything. You're more than your scars and your past. You're mine, and I will mend those broken pieces one by one."

His words sliced through her, and she could feel the sincerity in his voice, the raw devotion in his eyes. But it was also terrifying. The way he looked at her wasn't just love—it was a need so deep that it threatened to drown her. There was no space for her pain in his love, he eyes giving her a silent promise that until she is with him nothing would ever touch her, nothing would ever hurt her.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she gripped his collar, pulling him into another kiss. This time, it was different—full of desperation, insecurities, and fear. It was as if she was giving him one last chance to prove that his love wasn't a trap, that it wasn't going to smother her. But the kiss only confirmed what she thought—there was no escape from him. He would consume her, body and soul. And yet she wasn't scared.

When they finally broke apart, Yaroslav's voice was low and husky, his eyes burning with intensity. "Show me every version of you, love. Be it Thea Smith or Athea Coleman."

Thea's eyes widened in shock. He knew. He knew her real name—the name she thought she had buried along with her past. Her heart stuttered in her chest, the realization hitting her like a tidal wave.

WOAHHHHH, ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER PEOPLE. DO VOTE, pretty please💋