LENA
"You're insane if you think I'll just stay."
Dominic didn't even flinch. His eyes narrowed, a dark, almost predatory gleam flashing in them as he leaned in closer. "I'm not asking you to stay," he said, his voice calm. "I'm telling you. You belong here. With me."
I recoiled, every muscle in my body screaming to pull away from him, to escape. "You don't own me," I snapped, the words feeling too weak for the fire inside me. My heart hammered in my chest, but I couldn't bring myself to move.
A glimmer of amusement flickered in his blue eyes. His hand moved, slowly, deliberately, from my shoulder to my wrist, the same place he'd grabbed me before. His grip was firm, unyielding, but not painful. He wasn't forcing me. My body lit up with tingling fire where his touch had been.
"You don't understand," he said, his voice a low rasp now, thick with something I couldn't quite place. "But you don't really want to run, Lena. You can't help but want me, too."
I jerked my wrist, but it was like trying to pull away from a steel chain. His touch sent a shiver through me, something deep inside pulling me in. I hated how much it affected me. How much I wanted to believe it. "I don't," I managed, though it came out weaker than I intended. "I don't want you."
His gaze softened, but it wasn't pity. It was something else. Something dangerous. "Your body wants me," he continued, his voice rougher now, more urgent. "It feels like it's starving, doesn't it? And the only thing that will ever make it feel okay again is my touch. That's our bond, Lena."
I shook my head, pushing against the words. "This isn't a bond. You're insane."
Dominic's lips quirked up slightly as though my defiance entertained him. "You don't believe me now, but you will," he said, his voice dripping with certainty. "You are my mate, and I am yours."
A rush of heat swirled in my chest, and I hated how much it made sense. How much it felt true. I couldn't make myself say anything, couldn't bring myself to argue, because something in the back of my mind was screaming that he was right. That this connection wasn't just in my head, wasn't just some twisted fantasy.
I swallowed, struggling to form words. "You don't own me," I said again, but this time it sounded less sure, less defiant.
His hand slid down from my wrist, trailing to my fingers, curling around them with a possessive tenderness that made my skin burn. "I'm not asking for permission, Lena," he said, his voice now quiet, too quiet. "I'm telling you. You belong to me. And you can't change fate."
I pulled my hand back, but it was as if his touch had woven into my skin. I couldn't escape it.
"No." The word was sharper now, stronger, but even as it left my lips, I felt the truth of his words wrapping around me, pulling me closer, drawing me deeper into something I couldn't name.
Dominic leaned closer, the air thickening with the weight of his presence. His face was inches from mine now, and I could feel the heat radiating off of him. "You're not going anywhere," he murmured, his lips barely moving. "You are mine, Lena."
I looked up at him, my throat dry, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. "No. I'm not yours," I said, more forcefully this time. My chest tightened with the effort, but I didn't back down.
His eyes narrowed, not in anger, but something darker, something even more dangerous. "You don't get to choose that," he said, his voice low, almost a growl. "This isn't about what you want. It's about what you need. And I'm the only one who can give that to you."
Electric tension crackled between us, sending a violent shiver down my spine. The words hung there, thick and suffocating, and I felt them seep into me, settling deep in my bones. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.
"I won't let you go," he said, his voice a whisper now, his breath warm against my skin. "You're mine, Lena. And I'm not letting you slip away."
I shook my head, the words stuck in my throat. I wanted to scream at him, to make him understand, but the power in his gaze, the certainty in his voice, was unraveling me.
"You don't get to decide that," I said, my voice barely audible, my hands trembling as I tried to pull away. "I'm no one's to claim."
His hand moved again, cupping my face, tilting my chin up so I was forced to meet his gaze. His eyes were molten, burning with something that went beyond desire. It was deep and intense and sexy as hell. "You don't have a choice, Lena," he whispered, his fingers tracing the line of my jaw. "This bond is not something you can fight. It's in you, whether you want it or not."
I flinched at the touch, but instead of pulling back, I felt myself leaning into him, drawn in against my will. My heart pounded, my breath coming in shallow gasps. The way he looked at me, the way his presence consumed me, made me feel like I was losing control.
"I won't give in to this," I said, but even as I said the words, I knew they were hollow. I wanted to believe them, but the pull between us was so, so strong.
"You will," he said, his voice so certain that it sent a ripple of dread through me. "Because I won't let you go, Lena. Not now. Not ever."
His lips hovered just above mine, and I felt every inch of my body tense, every nerve singing in anticipation, fear, and something else I couldn't name. Something that twisted in my gut and made my head spin.
"No," I whispered again, though it sounded more like a plea than a refusal. "I'm not yours."
He paused, his lips brushing mine ever so slightly. "You are," he murmured again, his breath mingling with mine, warm and heavy. "Soon enough, you'll admit, too."
His words were like a promise, a warning, and I had no idea what to do with them. No idea how to escape the pull of this bond, this connection between us that was starting to feel impossible to break.
I didn't know what was happening to me, but I knew this much: I couldn't fight him. Not at this moment. Not in the face of whatever was drawing me to him.
"You'll understand," he said, his voice low and steady. "You'll see, Lena. That this is inevitable."
I couldn't speak. I didn't have the words. Instead, I stood there, caught in the web of his gaze, my heart thundering in my chest, and the terrifying realization that I was no longer in control.
And I wasn't sure I ever would be again.