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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"Don't seek the devil in the place which he calls his home" - Mladen Đorđević
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Sitting on the floor of Valen's shower, icy water pours over Alia's body in an attempt to cool the worsening heat that burns inside of her. Her bare skin is an angry red, lips a twinge of blue as her body's internal temperature drops to a nauseating level. Strands of hair cover her eyes, sticking to her skin whilst her arms are frozen around her knees. Even as her body shivers terribly, not a single chill finds her. All she can feel is a sweltering heat that worsens with every breath.
Unshed tears blur her vision, and she wishes to move her lips to call out to her mate but she can barely breathe never mind say his name. Every inhale is uneven, quick, and she can feel herself becoming more and more lightheaded as the minutes pass.
Why is this happening? Why is she feeling this way? This heat isn't like the needy one she feels when she's with Valen. It's painful, suffocating, and Alia just wants it to stop. She needs it to stop.
A while ago, Alia felt warm in Valen's bed and it was the first indication of her rising temperature. She tossed the covers off of her in an attempt to cool down but the discomfort slowly evolved into something more pressing. There was an attempt to cool her face and neck with water from the bathroom sink, but it was useless. The warmth didn't fade. Instead, she began to sweat. Clammy skin entered the bath again, and hands moved to the tap to pour cold water into the tub. She watched as the water rose around her, and surprisingly, the encompassing chill sated her for a while. But then the warmth worsened.
The heat of the water clinging to her skin was sickening, and Alia had to haul herself out of the bathtub before her nausea grew. A suffocating pressure lingered around her neck, and it had her reaching for a collar that didn't exist. A ringing sound found Alia's ears just before her vision began to be clouded by black and white flashing stars.
Disoriented, Alia somehow found her way into Valen's shower. Her legs felt weak when the icy water began to pour down her bare body. Every drop washed away Valen's scent and she hated it. If anything, it was as if she threw coals into a slumbering fire, fuelling the flames to life.
Alia tries to beg someone, anyone, for relief, but her mind finds no one. She whimpers, tears sliding down her cheeks. Please, just make it stop.
Instead of easing, the pain shifts, and now it feels as if her skin is covered in blue flames. Alia cries out, voice barely audible, and then she lengthens her claws to take a swipe at her arm.
A large hand latches onto her wrist and pulls her out of the shower before claws can tear skin.
Her knees give out from under her when an arm wraps tightly around her waist, holding her body against a strong torso. It's as if the flames have been drenched by an icy wave, dousing them out of existence and only leaving a lingering ache behind.
