Until the World Falls Down

Chapter 12

12

I appeared in a ballroom that starkly contrasted with the one I had been in with Aki. Where Aki’s gleamed with gold and light, midnight and shadows drenched Enver’s. Black pillars stretched high in a line, creating massive arcs as they connected to the vaulted ceiling. Black mullioned windows let moonlight filter across the enormous, empty room.

“There you are, my little lover. I have been waiting for you.”

I jumped at Enver’s voice, spinning around to find him leaning against a tall windowsill, his frame silhouetted by the moon’s soft glow.

His smoldering gaze swept over my suit before he approached me. “I take it you were in no danger this time around? Though, the change of clothing displeases me. I preferred you in mine.”

“I was fine,” I responded as a tear slid down my cheek.

His eyes narrowed, his steps quickening as he closed the distance between us within a heartbeat. “What is wrong?” he asked softly, taking my face in his hands. “Did something happen? ”

I shook my head, another tear falling. I was just happy for Aki and Cas. Happy they found each other again.

“Or would you prefer I not inquire since you believe my concern is insincere?” he continued.

I bit my lip as he reminded me of our parting words from before. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

He brushed his thumb along my cheek, wiping the wetness away. “But you meant it.”

“That’s—”

Enver released my face, moving behind me to wrap his arms around my waist, pulling me back against his chest, his warmth bleeding into me. He leaned down to rest his chin on my shoulder, and I tried to ignore how his breath tickled my neck as he spoke. “You are not wrong. I say the words, but cannot mean them how you want me to. I would be sad if I lost you, but the thought of you being in danger only insults my pride. Nothing more.”

“Your pride? Why?”

“It offends me that someone would dare touch what I view as mine.”

My heart tripped, and I couldn’t find a response to that.

“Aki escaped the labyrinth.”

I whirled around in Enver’s arms. “He did?” I glanced at the heart pendant, finding what I’d already figured—that another piece of the ruby had formed, the gemstone now filling a third of the setting. Was it some kind of sign of a labyrinth being completed? If so, then what happened to Neima? “Then did you get an emotion back?”

“I believe so,” Enver said, keeping one hand on my waist, the other moving up to fiddle with the end of the ribbon Aki had tied into my hair, his fingers brushing my neck as he did so. “Something is different within me, but…”

My heart pounded with our proximity. I hated how easily he affected me. “You don’t know for sure? ”

“It is not as strong as the last. It is faint,” he elaborated. “Seeing you makes my chest ache in the same way it does with sadness, but it is also different from that. It makes me want to embrace you. I want to wipe away your tears and take away your pain. To comfort you and tell you I understand.”

“Understand what?”

“Being trapped,” he answered, and it seemed to surprise him as much as it surprised me. He let go of my ribbon, his brows furrowing together as he stepped back from me. “Losing something precious.”

I tilted my head, unsure of what the emotion he was describing could be. “Aki wanted love, so it must be an emotion related to that, right?”

Enver shook his head. “Aki did not want love.”

“He said he did.”

“He wanted his love back. But in order to have that, he needed to understand how he was going about it wrong. Just as he did not help his family because of his love for Cas, he also disregarded the lives of the poor souls trapped in his ballroom because of his love for Cas. It was that which prevented Cas from returning.”

Although now I knew he could tell me about other participants’ challenges once they finished them, I still tensed, afraid he would say too much and doom me, but then my brain caught on Enver’s word choice. Poor souls.

And I knew what emotion he had gained back.

“It’s empathy,” I told him, eyes widening.

“Empathy,” he repeated. “It does not feel like much. Just a heaviness that has joined the ache in my chest.”

I frowned at him. Regaining sadness made him act like he was dying, but empathy barely affected him? I knew people held different amounts of empathy, but witnessing it was something else entirely. I was the type to cry if someone else cried in front of me. Had Enver really gone a century without any empathy for those he preyed on for his labyrinth? “What about your servants? Don’t you want to release them now?”

“No. They chose to be here,” Enver said. “I have shown you that.”

“But—”

“Do we need to have that demonstration again?” he asked, his voice hardening.

I shook my head immediately. “No. What about me, then?”

“I still wish to keep you by my side. That will never change, my little lover.”

I tried not to be swayed by him, but my heart skipped a beat. Still, I held my ground. “Is that why you told me about Dio’s labyrinth, despite knowing revealing too much could keep me trapped forever?”

Enver’s expression faltered before he glanced away. “Perhaps.”

His answer hit me in the gut, even though I already knew it was the truth. I turned away from him, attempting to walk away. He gripped my wrist, stopping me and attempting to pull me back to him. “Let go,” I said.

“If I could take it back,” he said quietly, “I would.”

“Why?” I asked, keeping my back to him. “It’s what you want, isn’t it? For me to stay here with you forever?”

“I will not deny that. There is nothing I want more than that.”

I tugged on my arm, but his hold didn’t loosen. “Then why not just force me to stay? Interfere with my labyrinth challenge and get it over with. Make me yours forever.”

“You do not mean that,” he said. “Do not tempt me, my little lover.”

“I—”

“Ask again though, and I will not hold back,” he pressed on, voice low and husky as he tugged on my wrist .

I finally faced him again, stumbling closer, my heart racing. “No, I didn’t mean that.”

His gaze softened, and whatever he saw on my face made him release my arm. “As I did not mean to hurt you with my actions.”

I lowered my eyes again, finding myself placated by his words. Were they a product of his newfound empathy? Or…

“Allow me to make amends,” he offered.

“Amends?” I asked.

“It would be a waste to have you in my ballroom and not share a dance.”

“I think I’ve had enough dancing for a lifetime,” I responded, shuddering.

“Do not deny me,” he murmured, taking my hand.

Our fingers interlaced, his long fingers entwining with mine, and I knew I couldn’t resist him. Even after everything. “Okay,” I acquiesced in a mumble.

“First, though, I will not have you wearing the clothing of another man.” He leaned in, his lips brushing my cheek. “Although you always look lovely.”

Shadows converged on us, pitching me into complete darkness. Tendrils peeled at my clothing, and I gasped, struggling to push them off me, remembering the ones that had dragged me through the castle before.

“You are all right,” Enver whispered soothingly into my ear, his hand cupping my neck. “Let them.”

I made myself relax, allowing them to strip me and then help me into a dress that fit tightly to my torso. It tightened even further, and I grunted, making Enver chuckle. The shadows slipped my shoes off me, replacing them with heels that made me feel unsteady. A moment later, the shadows retreated, and as my eyes readjusted to the brightness of the ballroom, I looked down at my new attire.

A sheer corset bodice explained the tightness around my torso. It clung to my skin, enhancing my curves, embellished with flowers, lace, and gemstones, all different shades of burgundy. Lace filigree, the color of plum, layered the cups over my breasts, providing a bit of modesty. The adornments continued down the boning of the corset before ending where the beautiful tulle skirt ran the length of my legs, ending just above the floor. It was beautiful.

Yet, again, something tickled at the back of my mind. The wrongness of the dress. I brushed it off, though, deciding it was just because of how weird it was that it fit perfectly.

Enver’s eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the pendant on my chest, now cool against my skin. My hand immediately shot to hide it from sight, but I let it go after a second, revealing it to him again, confused about why I would want to hide it from him. “Do you recognize this?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. Where did you get it from? You were not wearing it the night we met, as far as I remember.”

“It was in my pocket,” I lied and subtly moved closer to him, trying to see if the pendant would react to him.

It remained cold and unresponsive, and I let it fall back against me, frowning. Maybe it didn’t have anything to do with Enver but only the labyrinth itself.

“I see. A shame it is fractured. It suits you,” Enver responded, reaching up to touch it, his fingers brushing against my breasts. “As does this dress.”

“I’m guessing you like me wearing dresses the most, huh?” I said, smoothing my hands down the skirt, then swaying my hips to watch it swish around me. “I’ve never been a fan of them myself.”

“I love you wearing nothing the most,” he responded, a hint of teasing in his tone.

I pressed my lips together, looking up at him and seeing a pleased smirk grace his face. It was then I noticed he had also changed. My eyes roamed over the sharp lines of his new attire, admiring how the silky fabric molded perfectly to his body, outlining the muscles in his arms as he stretched them out to give me a better look. I couldn’t quite name what he wore—it resembled an elongated blazer of luxurious black silk, draping down to his mid-thigh. A satiny belt across his waist cinched the two sides neatly together. Enver wore no shirt underneath, and the jacket’s lapels dipped low, exposing a good portion of his sculpted chest. The blazer separated again just under the belt, and his black slacks sat low on his hips, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of his toned abdomen.

I didn’t understand how he could be so beautiful. He was strength, elegance, and allure wrapped in one breathtaking masterpiece—a living sculpture of perfection. My hand reached out to touch him subconsciously, and when I realized what I was doing, I pulled it back, clearing my throat. “You don’t like wearing normal shirts, do you?” I said, trying to suppress the heat rising to my cheeks.

The muscles on his chest rippled as he tensed, lips flattening. “I dislike the feeling of being confined.”

My eyes shot back up to his face, surprised by his earnest answer, but he quickly recovered, masking his sincerity with his usual aloofness before bowing before me.

“May I have this dance?”

My heart fluttered, and I held my hand out to him. “Yes.”

I didn’t miss the lust that mingled with his amusement at my word choice while he took my hand in his, bringing me in close until our chests came together. His other hand pressed against the small of my back firmly, and we danced, with only the sound of our shared breath and the beating of my heart to lead us.

Enver’s touch differed significantly from Aki’s. While Aki’s had felt impersonal and practical, Enver’s held a possessiveness that made me tremble in anticipation. His fingers stroked along my back, tracing the curve of my spine and leaving behind a heated trail through the thin fabric of my dress, sending goosebumps scattering across my arms.

When I gathered enough courage to look him in the eyes, my heart nearly stopped at the intensity I found there. Molten desire flickered in their depths—a hunger so raw it left me breathless. His grip on me was unwavering and unyielding as he moved us with an effortless grace, guiding my every step. He curved my body into a dip, leaning down to kiss my throat, his lips lingering on my pulse point before bringing me back up. We glided across the ballroom floor, dancing to a silent, slow waltz just for us.

With a flourish, he spun me outward, and the dress of my skirt billowed around me. But as he twirled me back, I lost my footing, falling against the solid warmth of his chest. Flustered, I tried to push away, but his arm encircled my waist, keeping me against him as he steadied me. “I have you.”

I nodded, allowing him to set us up again and continue to lead the dance. As he lifted our hands to shoulder level, I caught sight of my shadow ring, its tendrils reaching out for its mate, the one on Enver’s hand on my waist.

“Beautiful, are they not?” Enver asked, catching my line of sight.

“Yes,” I responded honestly. “But these aren’t like shadows you control, are they? They feel different.”

He watched me for a moment, his fingers pressing against the small of my back, an unreadable expression on his face. “No, my shadows did not create them,” he said after a moment. “But mine can be just as beautiful.”

The air rustled, and shadows appeared around us. Their ethereal forms took the shape of faceless dancers, tangling together as they whirled and twirled around us in perfect synchronization. Startled, I lost my rhythm, stepping on Enver’s shoes. He easily corrected me, guiding me back into the flow of the dance and sweeping me across the floor to join the swirling shadows.

“They are beautiful,” I breathed, meeting Enver’s gaze and the muscles feathered in the corners of his mouth.

We entered a series of dips and spins, and I lost myself in the darkness that cloaked us, letting Enver have complete control. The shadows danced alongside us, their movements hauntingly beautiful and fluid. I didn’t know how long we danced. I felt weightless and graceful in Enver’s firm hold, his hands moving me effortlessly. His eyes never left mine, and the world seemed to fade around us, leaving me to drown in his ever-captivating presence and beguiling shadows.

Eventually, he pulled me closer, our movements coming to a lull. His lips grazed my ear as he leaned into me. “You are beautiful as well, of course.”

I let out a soft exhale. “Enver.”

“My name sounds so sweet from your lips,” he murmured, nuzzling my neck. “I will never tire of it.”

I didn’t know if I was out of breath from his words or the dancing. Either way, my heart raced, and I knew I had to clear my head before I did something I regretted. “Why don’t you tell anyone else your name?” I asked, trying to keep myself from falling into his magnetism again. “No one ever recognizes it when I talk about you.”

Enver’s grip on my hand tightened momentarily before it loosened again. “It is unnecessary for them to know it. I wish you would refrain from speaking it so freely in front of others.”

“Why?”

“It betrays our intimacy.”

“W-we are not intimate,” I stuttered, now attempting to break free from his hold.

He moved swiftly, his arm snaking around my waist, dragging me close again. “No? Is that not why I can remember the taste of you on my tongue? Why I desire to taste you again? To kiss and adore every inch of your body?”

My cheeks burned, and I averted my gaze. “No. That’s not intimacy. That’s just lust.”

He bent his head down to kiss my jaw. “I will not deny I lust after you.”

My skin tingled under his lips. “How can you lust after me? I thought—wait.” I sucked in a sharp breath, angling my head up to face him again. “Is that one of the emotions you already had when we met? Lust?”

“I longed for passion, specifically,” Enver told me, confirming my suspicions. “But you are correct. It is one of the three.”

Three? I thought briefly, but then my brows furrowed. “Wait, what? Then how can you feel lust? Passion is?—”

“A strong, overwhelming desire toward something,” Enver described, his hand sliding up my back, fingers teasing at the lace of my bodice. “That desire manifested in me toward you. I have never felt it so strongly before. It burns through me. You do not know how much I covet you. How torturous it is to resist you when you are within my reach.”

That would explain the way he looked at me all the time. The hunger in his eyes. The desire. Heat pooled low in my stomach. “Then you really slept with me that night at the club because you wanted to?”

“Yes,” he said, his fingers now trailing a path around my ribs, over the curve of my breast, and up to my neck. “I told you so before. I wanted that as much as you did. There was no other reason behind my bedding you.”

“Then why did you ask me to agree to the labyrinth when we were… you know,” I asked, resisting the urge to duck my head. “Why not wait until after?”

The corners of Enver’s lips curved up. “The moment was fitting. Your begging and pleading do wickedly satisfying things to me, after all.”

Blood rushed to my cheeks again, and this time I did try to hide my face. “Enver?—”

“Do not turn away,” he said, his fingers moving to my jaw, holding me in place. “I cannot get enough of the blush that kisses your cheeks when it is caused by me.”

I swore my heart would burst with how hard it beat. His words played havoc with my feelings, stirring up a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Relief that not everything was manipulation. Self-reproach for being relieved about that when he’d still essentially abducted me and forced me into this nightmare. But worst of all, I felt elated. Elated by the fact he wanted me, even if it was driven by sexual desire. Elated by the fact that his passion was genuine and elicited by me.

Enver wanted me. That was real. He wanted me in ways Julian never had. Never would.

“Nell,” Enver spoke, both his tone and expression now subdued. “Do not let my lust for you mislead you. Do not mistake it for love.”

The elation drained from me at his warning, and I jerked back from him, a pit forming in my stomach, hollow and uncomfortable. “I wouldn’t.”

His gaze softened in a way that didn’t suit him, and he let me go, ending our dance. The shadows dissolved around us, and I wanted to flinch away from the sudden brightness in the room.

“I’m not mistaking it for love,” I said, hating how my chest constricted. It just felt good to feel wanted for once.

“Good,” he said, and it only made my heart hurt more.

“Why are you telling me that, anyway?” I asked, wrapping my arms around myself and directing my gaze toward my feet. “Don’t you want me to stay with you? Why not let me be swept away by your words like before? ”

“You have proven you will not be swayed by my words again.” He paused, reflecting. “Or at least, so I had thought.”

My fingers dug into my biceps. “I still plan on completing the labyrinth and leaving.”

“You still have a long way to go,” he informed me. “I may not have to rely on persuading you to stay with me after all.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your time runs short.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean? How much time has passed?” I asked, my heart leaping into my throat. “How much do I have left?”

Enver held out his hand. Shadows swirled together until they formed a dark hourglass. Sand trickled down, each grain a visual representation of my time slipping away. “Twenty-three hours. Then, you will be mine.”

“It’s already been over twenty-four hours? How is that possible?” I asked, anxiety creeping up on me.

I measured the amount of sand in each globe, realizing they were almost even. Enver was telling the truth. I quickly scanned the ballroom, rushing over to the nearest window. I put my hands on the windowsill, peering out into the night. The clock tower Enver had pointed out before loomed above me, still several stories higher.

I spun toward Enver again. “How many more challenges do I have?”

He said nothing, observing me, the hourglass still in his hand, letting time fall away.

“Tell me,” I said, a pressure in my chest making it hard to breathe. “How many?” When he still didn’t respond, I went back over to him, clutching his arm tightly. I tried to judge it by the shards of the pendant I’d found, but what if my challenge didn’t end when it filled up? “Please, Enver. Just tell me!”

His gaze went down to my shaking hands. In a split second, the hourglass vanished into a plume of darkness, and Enver took hold of my hands, prying them from his arm but not releasing them. “Five.”

“Five?” I repeated, suddenly feeling dizzy, struck by the reality that my time was running out. It’d taken me twenty-five hours to finish the first three layers of the labyrinth. Now I only had twenty-three hours left and five layers of the labyrinth yet to go. There was no way I’d make it. There was no way. My hands quivered in Enver’s grasp. “Let me go.”

His hands slid to my wrists, keeping me in his viselike grip. “No.”

My eyes widened, and I tried to jerk away from him. “What are you doing? Let me go!”

“No,” he repeated, firm and unwavering.

“Let go of me! I’m not going to make it!” I cried, my voice rising, struggling to free myself. Images of his soulless servants flashed in my mind, taunting me. Of Aki’s guests, trapped in their never-ending waltz. Lost to themselves and the world around them. “Don’t do this to me, please! I can’t become like them. I can’t ?—”

Enver’s tone turned sharp. “Look at me.”

Panic crashed into me. My heartbeat thrashed in my ears as I fought against him, desperate, but his grip was unyielding. “Let go!”

One of his hands wrestled both my wrists into its grip while his other moved up to grasp my jaw. “I said, look at me, Eleanora.”

I didn’t have a choice but to obey as he tilted my head back, forcing our gazes to meet. I didn’t try to pull away, instead letting out a resigned plea. “Please…”

“You underestimate yourself,” he told me, his voice low and silken. “You have come this far, have you not?”

“Yes, but?—”

“You have already achieved what countless others could not. You have completed three challenges of the labyrinth when most are unsuccessful in their first attempt. You can continue to surpass the odds.”

I tried to shake my head, his hold on me making it hard to do so. “No, you’re wrong. It’s not possible for me to complete them all. I only have?—”

“Do not let your fear decide your fate,” he cut me off, his dark eyes piercing into mine, familiar and grounding, cutting through the chaos of my mind. “Do not give in to despair over something so small as a grain of sand.”

I stared at him silently, letting his commanding tone wash over me.

“I will not let you give up now, Nell,” he murmured, stroking calming circles into my cheek with his thumb. “You have already come so far.”

I let out an unsteady breath. “Why are you trying to reassure me right now? Shouldn’t you be trying to get me to give up on escaping so I become yours?”

His expression shifted, revealing a flash of vulnerability that made my heart skip a beat. “While I still desire to claim you as mine, I no longer wish to subject you to a fate you fear. I am finding I cannot bear to see you like this.”

“Like this?”

He released my wrists and retracted his hand from my face, falling back, a shadow falling across his face. “Afraid of me.”

I stood still, watching the hand that had been on my cheek curl into a fist at his side. His gaze dropped to the floor, his jaw clenching. Before, I wouldn’t have believed him. Would have thought he was just going through the motions to fool me into something. But now he carried sadness. He possessed empathy. He could understand a small fragment of what I felt and experience it for himself. Now he meant what he said. He truly understood my despair.

But he still didn’t understand my fear.

“I’m not afraid of you,” I said before I could stop myself .

Enver looked up, still tense. “Then what do you fear?”

“Losing myself,” I confessed quietly. “I don’t want to become like the rest of those who’ve failed the labyrinth. I can’t.”

“Then become mine,” he said. “You would not have to lose yourself.”

“You were just telling me not to give up, and now you’re telling me to become yours,” I responded, shaking my head. “Which is it?”

The corner of his lips twitched, amusement dancing in his eyes. “I suppose I still cannot help but endeavor to get you to agree to stay here with me willingly.”

“Even when I’m actively trying to escape?”

“Even then. I want you.”

I paused, the gravity of his declaration stealing my breath. “You said if I attempted to leave your labyrinth and failed, you wouldn’t keep me by your side, though. Is that because that wouldn’t be me agreeing to be yours willingly?”

“Yes.”

“Is it because it would hurt your pride?”

He frowned. “Yes, I suppose it is,” he admitted after a moment. “But remember, I also said if you changed your mind at any point, I would still have you as my equal.”

“Then, if my time was about to run out, and I agreed to become yours right as the last grain of sand fell, you wouldn’t force me to become your servant?”

I didn’t miss the dark spark that ignited in Enver’s eyes, turning them into smoldering pools of obsidian. He stepped toward me, the raw hunger in his gaze keeping me rooted in place. His hand rose, fingertips ghosting along my neck. “If you agreed willingly, even in those last moments, you would become mine in every sense. My forever lover. My eternal consort,” he said, tracing a line of fire down to my collarbone. “My sempiternal beloved. Never anything less than my everything. Never my servant. ”

“How do I know you’d keep your word?” I asked, fighting against the intoxicating pull of his presence as his fingers danced down my arm. “That you won’t turn me into one of your servants if I fail, even if I say I’ll be yours?”

He captured my left hand in his, raising our palms between us, and our shadow rings swirled together again. “Should I make an oath for you?”

“An oath?”

“Yes. A sworn promise bound by the oldest of magics. Unbreakable and eternal.”

A chill ran through me. Considering what I knew of this world’s magic, whatever he was about to offer would set my fate in stone. “What would the oath be?”

“I will swear to keep you at my side as my lover and consort for eternity,” Enver stated. “You will swear to become mine.”

“You keep saying lover,” I said, “but you can’t even love me.”

“No,” he agreed softly, “but that does not mean I cannot long to love you. I would make you feel wanted. I would offer you intimacy in every other way. I would make that enough. I would be enough for you.”

The way his words made me want to give in to him immediately scared me. I needed to take my hand back. Needed to walk away and continue the labyrinth. No matter how much I feared losing myself, I couldn’t do this. This was losing myself, too, only in a different way. I needed to distance myself from his intoxicating words and magnetic presence. Giving in to him would lead to my ruin.

“You would come to love me, and I would requite your love with my entire being, in any and every way I can,” Enver coaxed, bringing our hands up to his lips, where he placed a tender kiss onto the top of mine. “I promise you this.”

I closed my eyes as he kissed each of my knuckles in turn, his lips lingering on the last.

“Do not be scared,” he murmured against my skin. “Take comfort in knowing that I am what awaits you should you fail. Being mine is far more preferable than the alternative, is it not?”

The image of his servants entered my mind again. That was the alternative. What was worse? To lose myself like them, or lose myself in Enver’s arms?

Was that even a question?

“Promise me I will be in control of myself if I fail,” I said, opening my eyes again, my voice shaking. “That you won’t mess with my mind or whatever you did to all the other people who failed your labyrinth.”

“I will do better than a promise. I said I would make an oath on it,” he responded, bestowing another kiss on my hand before lowering himself onto one knee. “One the labyrinth will bear witness to.”

Now was my only chance to stop this. To pull back and walk away.

I kept my hand in his.

His long lashes rested on his cheeks as he inclined his head over our entwined hands. “I vow that, should you fail my labyrinth, no manipulation of your mind or soul will befall you. Your autonomy will remain untouched by my influence and that of the labyrinth forevermore.”

My hand trembled in his grasp. I didn’t miss the allusion to the fact that if I failed, I’d be trapped here for good, never able to return to my old life again.

But what did my old life even have for me? More hurt? More betrayal? What did it offer that Enver did not?

“And your vow?” Enver’s voice was velvet-soft yet carried an undercurrent of dominance that made my heart pound. He tilted his head, his eyes glittering in the golden light. “Go on.”

“I vow to become yours,” I whispered. “Forever.”

Possessiveness rippled across his features once more at my words, his gaze darkening, pupils dilating with desire. A muscle in his jaw twitched as if he was physically restraining himself, and when he spoke, his voice was lower, rougher. “I would suggest being more specific, my little lover. Are you aware of what you promised me just now?”

My eyes widened as realization hit me. “If I fail!” The words tumbled out, high-pitched and breathless. “If I fail, I’ll be yours forever!”

“Very well,” he said, sounding vaguely disappointed that I’d corrected myself, even though he was the one who let me. “Then do you accept this oath?”

I braced myself and nodded. “Yes.”

The air shifted, and an unseen current, electric and alive, flowed between Enver and me, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. A shadowy mist materialized, coiling around our joined hands like ethereal ribbons. It seeped into our skin, causing a sense of comfort to wash over me, chasing away the lingering chill of uncertainty. I released a soft breath, letting the sensation take hold.

Enver rose to his feet in one fluid motion, his free hand finding the small of my back. With a gentle yet insistent pressure, he erased the distance between us, drawing me flush against his body. “It is done. Now, a kiss to seal it.”

My mind spun, our sudden proximity sending a jolt of warmth through me. “What? Really?”

“No. I am merely desperate to kiss you.” His hand moved up my back, fingers skimming across my neck before coming to rest on my chin so he could brush his thumb against my bottom lip. “I have been holding back this entire time. May I?”

I didn’t understand how he undid me so easily. I couldn’t resist him. I nodded.

His lips descended onto mine, soft and slow, kissing me in a way that left me wanting more, but he didn’t give it. His kiss remained delicate and teasing, ending too soon .

I looped my arms around his neck, stopping him as he tried to pull away. “No. I need more,” I whispered.

“Oh, my little lover. You know just how to tempt me,” he murmured. “How could I say no to such a pretty plea?”

But he didn’t lower his head. He remained where he was, looking down at me, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. The distance between our lips tormented me as I stared up at him, waiting for him to close it.

“Well?” he prompted. “Come on, then. Kiss me.”

I knew my time was running out. I knew I couldn’t fail. I was just terrified, wasn’t I?

But now…

Now, I wanted him.

Not just his kiss, but everything he offered—the danger, the unknown, the promise of belonging.

I threw away all my rationality, lifting myself onto my toes while pulling him down toward me to kiss him fiercely. I could feel his lips curl into a smirk before he brought both of his hands to my hips, pulling me flush against him, our bodies molding to each other as our lips and tongues clashed together. His scent and taste chased away all thoughts of reason and doubt. I wanted nothing more than to lose myself in him and the heat consuming me.

Now that I knew his desire for me was real, I couldn’t stop myself. Desire was all it was, but it was still genuine. And it ignited my lust for him in return. And as long as lust was all it was, who was I to deny that to myself when I wanted it, and he did as well?

His hands moved under the straps of my dress, sliding them off my shoulders so he could kiss the newly bared skin there before he captured my lips with his again, kissing me so fervently I found it hard to keep up. I had to pull away to breathe after a moment, only for him to draw me back to him almost immediately, not giving me a moment to catch my breath. He sucked my lip into his mouth, licked at the sensitive underside of it, and caressed me in a way that had me squeezing my thighs, trying to ease the arousal between my legs.

Just as I got dizzy from lack of air, Enver grasped my jaw, tilting my chin up so he could lay hot kisses on my throat, letting me breathe. My mouth parted in a moan, my bottom lip brushing against the tip of his pointer finger as I did so. My tongue darted out from my mouth to lick it, and he paused his actions for a moment and then slid his finger up higher on my jaw, allowing me easier access. I took his finger into my mouth, sucking on it lightly. His harsh inhale in response did ungodly things to me. I mimicked the way I’d taken him in my mouth before, and he groaned.

His lips returned to their path to my collarbone. “I only asked for a kiss,” he said between nips, pulling his finger free from my mouth. “But you seem so eager to take it further. Tell me, what is it you want, my little lover?”

I should have said nothing. I should have stopped it here. There was so much I should have done when it came to Enver.

But I didn’t care anymore.

“You said you wanted to taste me again,” I breathed instead, the need in me too strong to deny.

He straightened out, gazing down at me with a mix of hesitance and hunger in his eyes. “I would never deny myself the pleasure of tasting you again if you allowed it,” he told me. “I want nothing more than to savor every inch of your beautiful body.”

“I want you to do that, too,” I said, anticipation making my stomach flutter.