Page 417 of Evil Hearts

As they made their way back through the forest, Elara stole a glance at Brian, her mind churning with unanswered questions.She wanted to trust him, to believe in the path he was guiding her along, but something within her rebelled, a small voice insisting that there was more, that he wasn’t telling her everything.

Chapter 7

In the dimglow of the evening, Elara moved quietly through the village, her heart racing with a new resolve. Shadows stretched along the path as she walked, each step leading her to the small clearing near the forest where she knew she’d find him. Tonight, she would get answers. The visions had been growing stronger, and with each one, her memories felt closer to the surface—tantalizingly close, yet agonizingly out of reach. And Brian, with his evasions and cryptic words, was only deepening the mystery.

As she approached the meadow, she spotted him standing alone, his back to the tree, his gaze lost in the distance. His silhouette was stark against the deep blue of the evening sky, his shoulders tense. She took a breath to steady herself, and then, without hesitation, stepped forward.

“Brian,” she called, her voice unwavering.

He turned to her, surprise flickering across his face as he took in her expression. “Elara… what are you doing out here?”

She crossed her arms, refusing to let him sidestep her questions this time. “I want the truth, Brian. No more evasions, no more riddles. I need to know who I am. And I think you know more than you’re letting on.”

He hesitated, his expression guarded. “Elara, it’s complicated. The answers you’re looking for… they may not bring you the peace you seek.”

She took a step closer, her eyes never leaving his. “Maybe not. But I deserve to know, don’t I? These visions… they feel real, Brian. They feel like memories. Of places and people I can’t possibly know. And every time I try to ask you about them, you push me away.”

His gaze softened, a hint of regret shadowing his face. “It’s not that simple. Some things… some truths are dangerous.”

“Dangerous for whom?” she pressed. “For me, or for you?” She reached out, placing a hand on his arm, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her touch. “Please, Brian. I trust you. But I need you to be honest with me.”

He looked down at her hand on his arm, his resolve wavering. For a moment, he seemed to wrestle with himself, caught between duty and something deeper. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it, stepping back as though trying to break free from her hold.

“Elara… you have to understand. There are forces at work here, forces that even I don’t fully understand. I’ve been charged with protecting you, but that protection comes at a cost.”

“Protecting me from what?” Her voice rose, frustration boiling over. “From my own past? From the truth about who I am?”

“Yes!” he snapped, his voice sharper than she’d ever heard it. She flinched, but he pressed on, his tone intense. “Sometimes, knowing who you were… it only makes things worse. What if the truth changes everything you think you are? Would you still want to know?”

Elara’s heart pounded, his words stirring something painful and defiant within her. She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze with equal force. “Yes. I would. Because this—this half-life, where I don’t know who I am or where I came from—it’s tearing meapart. I need to know, Brian. Even if it hurts. Even if it changes everything.”

Brian’s face softened, and for a heartbeat, he looked at her with such tenderness that her breath caught. He took a step forward, close enough that she could feel his warmth, close enough that their hands brushed. His voice dropped to a whisper.

“Elara… I wish I could give you the answers you’re looking for. But there are things you’re not ready to remember. Things that could put you in even more danger.”

She shook her head, desperation filling her voice. “But you’re keeping those things from me, aren’t you? Every time I get close to the truth, you’re there to pull me back. Why, Brian? Why are you so afraid of me finding out who I am?”

Brian clenched his jaw, his gaze hardening as he struggled to maintain control. “Because I care about you, Elara. More than you know. And if you were to remember… everything… I don’t know if I could protect you from the consequences.”

His words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken emotions, and for a moment, she felt the depth of his turmoil. But even his words couldn’t quell the need burning inside her.

“Then let me decide,” she whispered, stepping even closer, so close she could feel his breath against her cheek. “Let me choose, Brian.”

They stood in silence, the tension between them thick and electric. Elara could feel her heart pounding, her breaths coming faster as she looked up at him, her resolve unwavering. Brian’s eyes searched her face, and in that moment, the walls he had carefully built around himself began to crumble.

“Elara,” he breathed, his voice filled with longing and restraint, as if her name were both a prayer and a curse on his lips.

He reached out, his hand hesitating before it brushed her cheek, his touch gentle yet charged with an intensity that left her breathless.

She closed her eyes, leaning into his hand, savoring the warmth of his touch, the softness of his fingers. And then, in a moment of shared vulnerability, their lips met.

The kiss was slow at first, tender, as though they were both afraid to shatter the fragile connection between them. But then the tension that had been building for so long erupted, and they clung to each other, the kiss deepening with a fierce, unrestrained passion that took her breath away. She felt her hands tangling in his hair, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.

In his embrace, the world fell away. The forest, the village, the weight of her lost memories—none of it mattered. All that existed was the warmth of his body, the taste of his lips, the way his hands trembled slightly as he held her. For the first time, she felt truly alive, as though the missing pieces of herself had been waiting for this moment to return.

He broke off the kiss, only to shower her neck with more kisses, lightly biting and sucking hard where her pulse beat out of control. His hands moved down her back, firmly grasping her ass before pulling her tight against him.

She lost herself in the warmth of his touch, his hot kisses, and the feel of his hard cock against her. She moaned loudly while scratching her nails down the back of his neck.

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