Breathless Trilogy Novels & Stories

Terrified of being alone. And now, in this basement, that fear was back. Not just fear, but trauma. An old wound ripped open again. I couldn't breathe. My chest was tight. The air felt thin. I tried to take a deep breath, but I couldn't. My lungs felt constricted. "Help!" I whispered weakly. "I-I... can't... breathe..." My head spun, my vision blurred further, or maybe it was already dark, so there was nothing left to blur.

His breathing grew faster, shallow, and almost desperate. “This can’t be true.”

My breath became shallow. What the fuck?

His screams echoed through the courtyard as the crowd watched in horrified fascination. "Secondly, you will experience breathlessness," Blaze continued, his tone devoid of mercy. Varik's breathing became increasingly labored, each gasp for air a desperate struggle. His chest heaved, and his eyes bulged as he clawed at his throat, trying to force his lungs to draw breath.

“And I’m not letting you ignore it.” He exhaled slowly, a low growl, and finally allowed himself to lean back, eyes closing for the briefest second before opening again. The penthouse felt immense and empty, the city sprawled below, distant and indifferent, and yet, within this silence, their world contracted to the thin thread of shared breath, blood, and fear.

The images cling to the corners of my vision refusing to fade. The air feels thick, pressing down on me, choking me as if it wasn’t quite real, hands trembling uncontrollably. “Breathe Tish, inhale, hold exhale.” I hear Kim’s gentle voice guiding me. My breaths come shallow, jagged at first, like I am learning to breathe again slowly. I loosen my grip on the mattress, willing my pulse to slow down. Eyes closed, I breathe in the faint scent of rain filtering through the small cracked window, mixing with the stale air of the room. “Breathe in and out.”

I claw at my throat when the whip snaps again. Strong arms wrap around me and pull me flush against a large, strong chest. “Hey. It's okay. It's not happening. We're home. We're safe. Breathe, love. Breathe. That's it. Good boy. Take another breath. That's it. Breathe, baby boy.” Walker says softly, coaxing me to breathe, slowly pulling me back to reality. I squeeze my eyes closed, gripping his sides with shaking fingers. My chest slowly rises as I take in one lungful of air after another.

I said frustrated. SLAP! The sound of his hard hand against my cheek echoed in the room. I slowly watched him walk to the other side of my cell, I heard the sound of a knife slashing against the cold air. Heavy footsteps marched back towards me. Soon, his face was centimetres away from mine, and his breath fanned against my face. A sharp point was then placed on Aspen's mark, sliding and ripping off the mark that was on my neck. Sudden screams left my mouth, and the bond that was between me and Aspen was gone, I couldn't feel him anymore. ***

JORDAN The door creaks open. Voices spill into the bathroom—louder, closer. My entire body jerks. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t move. And I—I can’t breathe. My heart slams against my ribs as the men enter, laughing, dragging the reek of cigarette smoke and sweat with them. I press myself tighter against Alaric’s chest, trying to disappear. I expect him to push me away, maybe toss some smug comment at me, or reveal me just to watch me squirm. But he doesn’t.

I demonstrated, breathing in slowly, and felt her shuddering inhale against me as she tried to match my rhythm. When she finally pulled back, I searched her face. “Now tell me what’s wrong. Why are you so upset?” “Everything is ruined, Lisa.” Her voice was hollow, ancient, nothing like my mother’s usual warm tones. “I thought running would be enough. I changed our names, erased our trail, moved us across continents. I thought if we went far enough, if I buried our scent deep enough, he’d never find us.” She gripped my arms, her fingers trembling but strong enough to leave bruises. “But he’s coming. I can feel him in my blood, in the very air we breathe. The bond never truly breaks.”