Page 88 of Possession

Though he has caressed and met nearly every part of me, inside of me, this is something different. Something new.

“Circumstances have changed, wouldn’t you say?” he murmurs, voice uncharacteristically soft.

His fingers continue to trail down my cheeks and to my jaw, where his touch is just as delicate. It’s so calming that I have to actively try not to lean into it, trying to retain some semblance of sense.

Could this really be Aris? And if it is, why has he come? What game is he playing?

My eyes shoot open, watching attentively as he strokes my forehead, then brings a finger down my nose, brushing it against my lips. His focus stays on his task, brows furrowed in thought while touching me.

He seems… at peace, but it could be an act.

What is he getting at? Why put us here, dress me like this? Does the storm mean something?

“It’s your dream. I’m merely a visitor.” His hand finally drops to his side, lips twitching in amusement. “Though I’ll agree, the setting is rather dramatic.”

Thunder rumbles above, as if to prove his point.

I look away from him, unnerved by a stare that is only growing in intensity. His black eyes are piercing, cutting me open and prying me apart. I keep my eyes on the ground, glaring at it. It makes me feel like a child throwing a fit, but I can’t muster the nerve to look back up.

“Why are you bothering me?” I mutter.

“Bothering?” He sighs. “And we were having such a nice reunion.”

“You can read my mind. You know what I talked about with the Grand Mage, and what I promised.”

“Are you blaming me now for the deals you make with others?”

I can’t help but laugh. “This isn’t happening,” I tell him. “This just isn’t happening. You’re out of my life now! You’re out, you left!”

His hands curl into fists at his sides, and for a moment I’m glad I can’t see his face, unwilling to see it twisted into a sneer. “Would you like for me to find you, to prove that I will never leave?” he demands.

“You wouldn’t come.”

“Oh?” He sounds annoyed by my challenge.

“You can’t,” I say, a little less certain now. “It’s—the mages—”

“You think they could keep you from me?”

I don’t answer.

“Do you?” Cool hands grab my jaw, forcing it upwards so I look at him. The grip is firm, unrelenting, and I fight him the only way I can: squeezing my eyes shut.

He abandons my face to bracket my waist instead, fingers digging into my skin. I have the borderline hysterical thought that he could rip me limb from limb right now and there’s not a thing I could do about it.

“Look at me.”

There is a command in his voice now. I cannot defy him; that is not an option. My breath trembles as I open one eye at a time, staring at the force of nature before me, and his hard gaze loses some of its edge.

He loosens his grip and begins to slide his hands up and down my back. The touch feels particularly possessive, as if he’s reclaiming something that he thought he lost. Something that he refuses to lose.

His favorite toy. His possession.

“This doesn’t make any sense. You’re telling me you’ll never leave me, but you did.” I try to move away, but his arms are steel bands, trapping me. I can never escape—it’s useless to try, which only frustrates me more. “Why did you leave? You said you were bored.”

“Stupid girl. I did it to save you.”

“So you lied,” I say to buy myself time. My head is spinning. He did it to help me? Since when does he care?

---