Delirium: A Dark Erotic Psychological Horror Romance

A breath of sound, curling through the air like smoke.My skin prickled.My fingers twitched against the sheets.A dull ache throbbed at the base of my skull, deep and lingering, like an old wound reopening.I forced my eyes open.The ceiling above me swayed, the faint glow of my bedside lamp warping the edges.My bedroom—too still, too quiet.The shadows seemed thicker, pooling in the corners, stretching long fingers across the walls.I reached for my phone.3:12 AM.Just a dream.Or maybe the meds.The doctors had warned me about side effects.Nightmares.Anxiety.Auditory hallucinations.Perfectly normal, they said.Nothing about this felt normal.I turned onto my side, and pain exploded across my ribs, sharp and immediate, dragging a strangled gasp from my throat.My pulse slammed against my skin, my heartbeat fluttering out of control.The accident.Flashes hit me like static shocks.The twisted metal.The rain.The weightless second before impact.The silence after.I squeezed m

I shut my eyes against the subway’s flickering fluorescent lights.The rhythmic clatter of the train filled my ears.Focus on the sound.Something real.Something normal.A man across from me cleared his throat.My pulse jumped.I forced myself to look at him—just a guy on his phone, scrolling through something meaningless.He wasn’t looking at me, wasn’t even aware of my presence, yet my skin crawled.The feeling of being watched hadn’t left me since last night.No matter how many times I turned, no matter how much I told myself it was in my head, it was still there.Not paranoia.Something else.The subway screeched as it pulled into the station, the sound scraping through my skull.I exhaled sharply and peeled myself off the seat.Dr. Halverson’s office wasn’t far.I just had to get there.9LENAThe waiting room smelled like antiseptic and stale coffee, the kind that had been sitting in a cheap plastic dispenser for too long.The walls were painted in muted pastels—blue and beige

“I’m not ready for that,” I muttered, almost ashamed.She let out a quiet breath.“It’s not about being ready, Lena. You have to take the first step. Please. For yourself.”She left without another word, the door closing softly behind her.I was left alone again, the phantom’s touch still lingering in the back of my mind, its warmth and weight still pressing on me.I sat there for a long time, staring into the dark, my mind racing.Had it been a dream?Or was it something else?Something more?I didn’t know what was real anymore.But I was certain of one thing—whatever it was that had touched me, it wasn’t done yet.And neither was I.11CASSIANI watched her from the shadows, hidden just out of her sight, as she fidgeted in bed.Her body, curled beneath the thin sheets, trembled ever so slightly.I could feel her heart beating faster, faster, as she lay there, aware—somewhat aware—that I was close.It wasn’t the first time.She’d felt me before, even when she tried to convince hersel

My body would tense, my breath catching in my throat as the air shifted around me.Then, a voice.Low.Amused."You miss me."I would jerk upright, searching the darkness, my fingers curling into the sheets.But there was never anyone there.Just the quiet hum of the night, the soft rustling of my own breath, and the lingering scent of something rich and intoxicating.I told myself I was imagining it.I had to be.But then his touch came.It started as a whisper against my skin—nothing more than a featherlight caress, like warm air moving over my throat.I froze, my pulse hammering against my ribs, waiting for it to stop.It never did.His fingers, unseen but undeniable, trailed over my collarbone, slow and deliberate.They followed the curve of my arm, the dip of my waist.Heat followed in their wake, a deep, pulsing warmth that made my skin prickle."You feel me, don’t you?"The voice coiled through the room, thick with amusement.I squeezed my eyes shut, willing it away, but his to

But I was.And he knew it.A chuckle vibrated against my lips, dark amusement curling at the edges of his kiss."You taste sweeter when you tremble," he murmured, dragging his lips along my jaw, his breath searing against my skin.His mouth traced the shell of my ear, lingering as he whispered, "Say my name, little dove."My lips parted, but no sound came.Cassian clicked his tongue, his fingers trailing down my throat, pressing lightly over my pulse."Still pretending you don’t want this?"His teeth scraped against the column of my neck, and I gasped.God.I didn’t know what was worse—the terror curling in my stomach or the wicked pull of something deeper, darker, coiling inside me.My mind screamed that this wasn’t real, that I was alone in this room, that no one was touching me—but my body, my traitorous, trembling body, knew better."Don’t worry," Cassian purred, his lips brushing over mine once more, teasing, taunting. "You’ll give in soon enough."And then—he was gone.The weigh