Half-Blooded | The Dark Child Prophecy Series [✔️]

Chapter 25: Stay With Me

I returned to my room and closed the door behind me, sighing. Sweat trickled down my back to gather at the small curve there, making me shiver. My bedroom was cool, but I felt hot and feverish. I had almost let him kiss me again, even in front of others. But I had wanted him to, wanted him to tell the men to get lost so he could have me. I latched my door and began to pace, staring out the window every time I passed it, knowing the moon was hidden behind the clouds and falling snow. I closed my eyes as I continued to walk back and forth, pausing every few steps to remind myself to breathe. I folded my hands on my forehead and tipped my head back.

I submit.

The words had stuck in my throat. I had wanted to say them, willingly, excitedly, despite the need to win the sparring match. But it didn't change anything. Submitting to him was the only thing I wanted. It tore at every fiber of my being, begging to be reprieved. I paced for a few more minutes before I stepped into my bathroom. I stripped out of my sweaty clothes and washed off with a lukewarm cloth all over, reapplying deodorant and brushing out my hair from its ponytail. I didn't want to shower; I didn't want his smell to wash off. I pulled on my black silk shorts and a sweatshirt, and then stepped towards my bed. I didn't want to sleep, but it was the only thing I could think of doing to keep myself from leaping out the window and into the snow down below, to change and charge through the snowdrifts and brush. I wanted to lose control just enough to expend all of the energy I had.

I paused again and stared out at the snow. The horse pasture was completely covered in white, the fence posts tiny black dots along the pristine landscape. The horses had already been moved into the barn for the night. As quickly as I had separated my thoughts, another wave of emotion washed over me. It was as if I could feel him touching me all over again when his emotions touched the edge of my awareness. He was thinking about me.

Why do you have such a hold on me? It's all I can think about, I thought, not knowing if Jason had felt or noticed my silent comment.

After another glance out the window at the snowfall, I crawled beneath my warm covers. The sheets were cool to the touch at the foot of my bed and I closed my eyes, shivering once as my body adjusted to the temperature difference.

And then I drifted off...

"Serenity," his voice whispered in my ear. "Serenity, wake up."

A warm breeze blew across my body, and I opened my eyes, blinking. The grass was green and moonflowers bloomed all around us. My legs were bare, the skirt of my white dress gathered around my thighs. I sat up so I was next to him.

Jason smiled, his hand rising to brush a strand of hair behind my ear. "Your body wants to run. It needs to let out all that you're holding in."

"I know," I whispered. "But I thought if I slept it off, tomorrow would be enough. Tonight wasn't."

"I know," he repeated me. "I could hear you walking around above me, and your breath when you sighed... I could smell you." His fingers fell to cup my chin, and I found my eyes closing momentarily before I could look at him again. "It's intoxicating, your scent. It was all I could do to control myself in the gym..."

I smiled and leaned my cheek into his hand. "Me, too," I answered quietly. The smell of moonflowers and summer brushed against me with the next breeze. Grinning again, I pulled away and got to my feet, stretching my muscles. "Let's run. Now, here, where it's warm."

He stood, looking serious despite my proposal of throwing off our clothes and changing. He came back close to me and pulled me against him gently. "No. I want to stay here, with you. I want you."

"Jason," I whispered, leaning forward to rest my forehead against his chest. "We are here. I haven't been able to find my way back to this place in so long. Let's just enjoy it, let's run. I want you to run with me."

"Please," he murmured in my ear, his lips brushing against my neck. "I don't know how much longer I can wait. I need you."

I shuddered, leaning my body more fully into his, feeling his abs against my stomach, my breasts against his chest. When his mouth began to kiss my neck again, it was all I could do not to faint with want. "I need you, too." I brought my head up and met his lips with mine, sighing in between our kisses. His hands became possessive, gripping around my waist with one and his other grasping the back of my neck. I whimpered when he pushed his weight against mine, smothering the breath from my lungs and making me want him more.

He pulled back, breathing hard. "Not here. I want to be with you, in our reality."

I found my mouth moving but I couldn't speak for several seconds, fear mixing with the desire in the pit of my stomach like lead. "But, the sun... My body won't wake up now."

"As soon as it sets," he whispered in my ear, his nose in my hair before he moved his mouth to mine and began to kiss me again. He pulled back after one breath. "I don't want this to happen here. I want to feel you in my hands, both of us awake and together."

"As soon as it sets," I agreed.