His dark voice trails down her spine, lighting a path of desire that renders her breathless. "If only I were in a position of no consequence."
Alia's breath wavers when the pad of his thumb slowly glides across her bottom lip.
"Then I could give in...
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"It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end." - Leonardo da Vinci
•
Rosía
For the entire flight back to Rosía, Alia and Valen didn't look at or touch each other. They sat on opposite sides of the plane and stared out of their windows to try and distract their minds from each other's presence.
The sun was high above the horizon, blanketing the forest's green canopies with a mesmerising glow which made Alia sigh and observe the scenery with wonder. It's been a while since Alia last shifted, and the desire to run between the trees was almost overwhelming, so she squeezed her eyes shut and opted to sleep the rest of the journey away.
Staying awake by Valen's side whilst he was unconscious drained her more than she would like to admit. A knife was gripped in each hand as she sat on the foot of the bed, eyes alert whilst she listened for any sound of Death's approach. Clearly, it never came, but the fear that coursed through her during those ten hours was mentally debilitating. She couldn't eat, speak, or even move. It felt as if a breath could summon him, and Alia dreaded the possibility entirely.
What would she have done if he came back? If Valen was brought to her covered in blood, then she had no chance at protecting either of them. The realisation was horrible, but she had to do something, anything, even if it meant holding knifes all night to give her something to hold on to.
After they landed, Valen led her through the forest to Gamma's office in Veuross. When she asked him how he knew where Gamma wanted to meet them, Valen only responded by pointing to his ear. They kept conversation to a minimum, hands tense as they tried to avoid reaching for one other.
It was torturous, not being able to kiss him, especially after his hands roamed her skin only hours before. But she knew that if they touched again, she'd probably let him— want him to devour her at that same moment, regardless of their location.
When they enter Gamma's office, he assesses them from behind his desk. With a fist raised to his mouth, he makes a comment which makes Valen close his eyes, jaw ticking: "You look like you can't stand each other."
Alia refuses to spare a glance at the white-eyed male, choosing to stare at the surface of Gamma's desk instead.
Christian continues to stare at them, eyes revealing only his anger. The fingers of his other hand drum against the table, which only manages to thicken the tension in the room. Alia feels like she can snap at any moment, ready to either lunge for her mate, or chop her Gamma's fingers off.
Christian sniffs and straightens in his chair, hand motioning to the couch at the back corner of the office. "Sit." He then makes work of grabbing some documents from his desk, face impassive.
The pair sit on opposite ends of the couch.
Alia's eyes move from the two large windows behind Gamma to the tall lamp standing in the left corner. The office is lit with sunlight, the rays comforting against the training clothes she wears. It's the clothes she left Rosía in, washed and dried days before: a grey, fitted short sleeve, and black training shorts.
