The Enchanted Warriors (Dragon Riders AU)

60💙

Tori felt the pull the moment he came near, an unrelenting force that seized her very soul. Her heart stuttered, her breath caught, and her voice trembled as she called out softly, "Hey." The word barely escaped her lips, fragile and fleeting, carried by the stillness between them. But he didn't stop. His steps quickened, each one severing the invisible thread that tethered them, each one cutting deeper into the bond she could feel but could not hold.

"Wait," she pleaded, her voice cracking, raw with desperation. Her legs burned, her breath hitched, and her chest tightened, a searing ache growing sharper with every step he took away. It was as if her entire being was unraveling, drawn to him in a way that defied reason, that transcended pain. For the first time, she felt him-truly felt him-and nothing else mattered.

"Please," she whispered again, the word trembling on a breath. Her magic stirred without thought, shimmering light unfurling like a reflex she didn't control, didn't even realize she was summoning. It carried her forward, the light wrapping around her like a fragile shield, placing her gently in his path. For a heartbeat, their eyes met. His gaze flickered to hers-a fleeting connection that sent her heart soaring-only to crush her when he stepped back. His retreat was deliberate, each movement carving a distance that felt impossible to bridge.

Her body moved before her mind could catch up, her steps unsteady as she reached for him. "Please stop" gripped his sleeve lightly, her touch trembling, as if afraid he'd shatter beneath her fingers. "Why?" she asked, her voice a fragile thread of heartbreak. "Why are you acting like you don't know me?" Her green eyes searched his back, desperate, pleading, but his silence was colder than the void between stars.

"Don't ever touch me again," he growled, his voice low and venomous, a snarl that cut through her like a blade. There was no warmth in him, only merciless hatred. His dark eyes bore into hers, stormy and unrelenting, as if raging against her very existence.

"I don't care what destiny claims," he spat, each word laced with scorn. "I will never accept you as my mate. You are nothing to me-just a pathetic, insignificant witch who should've stayed in the shadows where she belongs."

His words pierced her heart, shattering it into fragments that felt like shards of glass slicing through her. Tears streamed silently down her face, her anguish choking her. She clawed weakly at his hand, her strength no match for the fury fueling him. His grip tightened, each word cutting deeper, the weight of his disdain crushing her spirit.

"Understand this," he hissed, leaning closer. Tori closed her eyes, her breaths shallow and labored as her mind spiraled into chaos. The air between them burned with tension, oppressive and suffocating. For a fleeting moment, his lips brushed hers-a cold, brief contact that sent a shock through her. Heat flared in her bond, her trembling body betraying her, yearning for more even as her heart crumbled under his rejection.

Her skin burned with the connection, her pulse racing as the bond threatened to consume her. And then, his lips touched hers again, a cruel tease that sent her senses reeling. He murmured against her trembling lips, his voice low and deliberate.

"I will kill you."

The words were final, a verdict delivered with a deadly certainty. His breath lingered against her skin, the tension between them a cruel reminder of what could never be. For a moment, his heavy breathing was all she could hear, harsh and unforgiving in the empty corridor.

Finally, he let go, his hand releasing its hold on her bruised neck. Tori crumpled to the ground, gasping for air as her hands clutched her throat. Her vision blurred, tears spilling freely, the ache in her heart rivaling the pain in her body.

She looked up, her tear-streaked face following his retreating form. He didn't stop, didn't falter, didn't even glance back. Each slow, deliberate step carried him farther away, leaving her alone in the suffocating silence of the night.