70. The Flame That Consumes Us

The air in the room feels heavy, almost electric, as if every second of silence between us were the prelude to something far more intense. We look at each other, and in those few seconds, words dissolve—useless. What I feel for him, what he feels for me, is beyond anything language could contain. Desire, fear, urgency—they swirl in my chest like a storm.

And for a moment, I forget the world. I forget the obstacles, the threats, the lies surrounding us. There is only here, only now. Only him—Shadow. His burning gaze locked on mine, the heat radiating from his body beginning to envelop me, consume me. Without thinking, I move closer to him, my lips seeking his, my breath catching, my heart racing wildly.

The first touch is soft, almost tentative, as if we’re both testing the waters, weighing the weight of what we’re about to do. But it doesn’t last. Something shatters, and everything we’ve held back between us ignites. In a breath, our lips meet in a desperate, ravenous kiss, as though we couldn’t wait another second to give in.

My body responds instantly to his touch, to the taste of his mouth, to the pressure of his hands against my back. It’s as if my body already knows what my mind still tries to deny: this love cannot be controlled. It cannot be contained. It is fire. And we are burning—together—with every passing second.

Shadow pulls me against him, his body warm and solid, and I don’t want to let go. My hands wander over his chest, hungry for the feel of his skin, while my lips move with urgency, with desperation, as though time were slipping away and we had to claim every second.

He answers with the same intensity, his hands moving down my body, tracing my waist, descending slowly, as if afraid of losing control. But his breath quickens, and I know he feels it too. We are lost in this kiss, in this connection that devours us, that melts us.

“Olivia…” he murmurs between kisses, his voice deep and thick with longing. The sound of it burns me, unravels me, because I know he feels it too—even if his doubts still linger, haunting us. It doesn’t matter. Not now. All that matters is this—us.

My hands slide up his neck, cradling his face, and I kiss him harder, deeper. I want him to feel what I feel. I want him to understand that I don’t care what happens next, what stands in our way. This love is stronger than any darkness trying to tear us apart.

Shadow answers my fervor with a low growl, something wild that makes me shudder. He’s not thinking about control anymore. We’re pushing each other to the edge—to the brink of something greater than ourselves. His hands slip beneath my clothes, and I feel the heat of his skin against mine, every touch an electric shock that steals my breath and shatters my thoughts.

“Shadow…” I whisper, my voice breaking, unable to contain the tidal wave of feeling inside me. My body trembles beneath his hands, beneath the weight of his want. I feel like I’m drowning, like I’m burning—but I never want it to stop.

There are no words. We don’t need them. Our kisses grow more frantic, more unhinged, as if the world might collapse around us at any moment. My hands rake down his back, my nails scraping his skin, and he responds with a force that makes me feel small beneath him—vulnerable—but also more alive than I’ve ever been.

In one swift motion, he lifts me into his arms, and without breaking our connection, he carries me to the bed. My body is an extension of his, our skin ablaze, our hearts pounding in sync, beating the same frantic rhythm. When I finally hit the mattress, Shadow hovers above me, his eyes lit with a blend of desire and something else I can’t name—something that feels like a promise, a vow that we won’t be ruled by lust alone, but by what binds us, by the truth of who we are to each other.

My hands glide over him, pulling him closer, feeling every muscle under his skin, every shiver his closeness elicits. Everything about him is so strong, so intense, it overwhelms me—pulls me into a place I can’t escape. And I don’t want to. I never want this to end.

Our kisses deepen, grow more desperate. My legs wrap around his waist, pulling him closer, as my breathing turns erratic, like we’re on the edge of a freefall. But as my hands explore his body, I feel how the hunger transforms into something more—something that reaches past desire. It’s as if every part of me has been waiting for this moment, this instant where we can be only us—no barriers, no lies, no shadows.

“Olivia…” he breathes again, his voice soaked with need. And I kiss him, unable to speak, because words mean nothing now. Not when every kiss, every touch, every second between us holds more passion than anything we could ever say.

We are lost in each other—and there’s no way back. We’ve given ourselves over to the darkness, and at the same time, to the blazing light of a love so wild, so untamed, that nothing and no one could ever extinguish it.