All Chapters of Desires And Captivity: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

– What the hell did you just say? – I stared at her, confusion twisting my face.Two wide eyes locked on my own darkening ones. Her trembling body sent small ripples through the water; that soft splashing was the only sound breaking the sudden silence. I still held a strand of her hair between my fingers, pulling her closer — impossibly close.– How the fuck could you… with that worm, of all people? – My shock morphed into disappointment and fury within seconds.– If you think I bound myself to him out of free will, then you couldn’t be more pathetic in my eyes. – She tore her hair free from my grip, water splashing as she stormed out of the bath.A sharp pain shot through my shoulder when I went after her, missing a step on the stairs. I ignored it, scanning the room below for my prey. In the living room, she wiped her arm on the curtain, trying to dry herself with quick, angry movements.– If it wasn’t by your own will, then why? – I barked, stopping a few meters away.– Ah, no, no,

“I’ve never been treated like this before,” she whispered onto my lips.“Like what?” I drew back a fraction.“Like you’re afraid you might break me, and yet…” she licked her lips, and my gaze fixed on them, “and yet you give in to desire because…”“Because it overwhelms my fears of how much you attract me,” I cut in, murmuring against her mouth.His kiss struck like lightning. Pinning him against the tree trunk, I loomed over him; one hand gripping my hair, the other holding a branch to pull himself closer to my mouth. I tried to keep my demon in check, but Sadira provoked it with playful ease. I felt my eyes darken; grabbing him by the waist, I turned him toward the tree trunk, with his back to me.With a single movement, I ripped off his veil and ran my fingers through his curly, dark hair. He gasped sharply; leaving no time, I leaned down to his neck and kissed along its curve.My demon was still not satisfied, but I didn't dare unleash more on Sadira. Suddenly, he reached back and

The sun climbed over the rim of the horizon as if it knew it would show no mercy today. Its light was cold and translucent, slicing through the mist that hovered above the valley in thin, glinting blades. We were running toward the Kordély Gorge, and with every step I felt the ground, the stones, the turns of the earth take note of us. There was nothing supernatural about it—those who flee are simply louder. Their hearts, their lungs, their thoughts. The world hears them.As we reached the ridge, the pines thinned, giving way to waist-high shrubs and faded fragments of old signs—remnants of some forgotten nature trail, the bolts rusted, the letters scraped away. The wind clutched at the boards and whimpered through them. Sadira moved beside me, her steps short but sure, as if she knew exactly where her weight needed to land so the tall grass wouldn’t hold her long enough for us to tumble out of sight down the hillside. Her veil whispered softly with every motion. I couldn’t see her fa

Night settled on us like a bedsheet someone suddenly throws over you—heavy, muffled, smothering every sound.I didn’t know what woke me first.The cold concrete beneath my back, Sadira’s steady breathing against my chest, or that strange, taut silence in which even my own heartbeat felt like an intrusive noise.By reflex, I didn’t move.I only opened my eyes and let my demon-sight adjust to the darkness.The inside of the transformer station was a collage of gray: crumbling walls, peeling plaster, a pile of pallets thrown into one corner, forgotten coils of cable in the other. Where the door should have been, a black rectangle gaped—a denser, pressed-down version of the night—thin cracks letting in a sliver of pale light.Not moonlight. Flickering, cold, nervous white, like someone held a lamp too close to my face.Sadira’s head rested on my chest, her veil half-slipped onto my skin.Her fingers still lay in my palm, as if even in sleep she wouldn’t let go of the one safeguard she had

The path leading toward the gorge grew increasingly steep. The ground shifted from hard-packed clay to tiny, sharp pebbles that slid under our boots with every step. The air thickened with moisture, and it felt as if every few meters the temperature dropped a little more. There was nothing mystical about it — the gorge was always like this. Cold settled permanently between its hollows.The soldiers’ voices hadn’t carried up to us for a long while. But none of us trusted that they’d actually fallen behind.“If they take the lower path, they’ll reach the entrance of the gorge within thirty minutes,” I said, stepping aside next to a fallen tree. “If they circle around along the upper ridge, it’ll take longer, but they could drop down on us from there.”“Which do you think?” Sadira asked.“Honestly?” I shrugged. “Judging from the tone of their commander, he didn’t sound like a creative type. I’d bet they’re coming in a straight line, like every self-important rookie.”Sadira didn’t smile