Serena tilted her head and raised her brows as though she did not hear his question. She nearly choked on her spit. Her eyes widened, mouth slightly ajar in a horrified "oh," which only prompted a rich laugh from Darius.
"Only confident when I’m asleep, eh?" he teased, his tone annoyingly amused.
Serena wanted nothing more than to dart behind the nearest tree and vanish into the night. Her cheeks warmed instantly, a slow flush creeping up her neck. Yes, she wanted another kiss, but why did he have to hear her?
"You misheard," she defended weakly.
Darius folded his arms, one brow arching in mock disbelief. "Did I now?"
Serena swallowed hard and gave a sheepish nod. "Maybe you had a dream about it."
He clicked his tongue and gave her a crooked grin. "You said I misheard- now it’s a dream?" He whistled lowly, half impressed, half incredulous. "Which one is it? I told you, you’re a terrible liar."
"You haven’t answered my question," Darius cut in smoothly, his voice dipping slightly.
Serena laid her palm flat against her side, straightening her spine. She refused to look away, though her cheeks burned. His eyes gleamed, catching the moonlight, and she hated how warm her chest felt at the sight.
"What was that?" Darius asked, leaning forward with his hand over his ear.
"I said yes," Serena repeated, louder this time.
"Is that so?" he grinned, smug and utterly unrepentant. "Of course, I am Darius Hawthorne, after all."
Serena’s nose slightly twitched. "Stop your gloating and-"
Serena clasped her hands in front of her and looked away, lips twitching as she fought a smile. "You make me sound like a needy wife whose husband is a warrior."
Darius stepped closer, his hands encircling her waist. "And if I said I liked that?"
"You’re very strange," she murmured, though the corners of her lips betrayed her.
"How nice," he replied, pleased with himself.
He leaned in slowly, his breath warm against her neck. His nose brushed the curve just beneath her ear as he inhaled deeply, and Serena shivered at the sensation, like sparks dancing across her skin.
Darius withdrew himself from her side and muttered an apology.
"No, don’t stop," she whispered, almost desperate.
Serena didn’t know what came over her, only that she didn’t want to think anymore. She rose on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips, tentative at first.
The moonlight cast a shadow on them both. Darius chuckled and pulled her closer with a small grin.
"You really are greedy."
Before the blonde woman could reply, Darius pressed his lips against hers.
When he kissed her this time, he was prepared for the jolt. It was no less devastating, no less exciting. Her face was cold and he used his lips to warm it, running them over her skin until he felt them both begin to shudder.
He slipped a hand into her hair, fingers threading through the soft strands until his palm cradled the back of her neck. His other arm remained firm on her waist, pressing her to his body.
"For Lunara’s sake, kiss me back, Serena." His voice was rough against her mouth, a plea disguised as a command. His eyes were open, burning into hers. "I’ll go mad if you don’t."
Serena laughed quietly, breathless, and threw her arms around his neck. "I will."
She all but took him to his knees. There was no hesitation, no demur. Her lips were as hungry as his, her tongue just as adventurous. She let her body press to his and thrilled at the sensation of his heart hammering against her.
Serena would never forget the scent of the grass and the rotting overripe fruit fallen from the trees, the sound of the animals scurrying around in the nighttime. Nor would she forget the strong, solid feel of him against her, the heat of his mouth, the sound of his pleasure.
She would remember this moment of abandon forever. Because deep down, she knew it could not last.
Serena pressed her palms to his chest and lifted herself up slowly. Her hair tumbled forward, falling over her face and spilling across Darius like golden threads caught in moonlight. Original content can be found at novel(ꜰ)ire.net
"Darius," she whispered.
There was apology in her voice, she could not give all of herself just yet. She was not sure what was holding her back. Embarrassment? Fear? Her body had acted freely, but her heart still hesitated, restrained by a chain she couldn’t see.
She stared into his hazel eyes. That little voice at the back of her head that neither belonged to Ferya nor her taunted her. How long would it take for those eyes to harden and cast her out?
Serena shook her head in an attempt to will those thoughts away. What a terrible habit she had formed in her exile.
"Yes," Darius answered in a soft voice.
Darius’ hands were still wrapped tightly around her waist, afraid she might just run away from him. The moon was just behind her, shining down on her hand and giving her a cast of light.
A goddess- that was what she was. In that moment, he felt like running away to somewhere far. Just to skip out on responsibilities and the myriad of questions that would be rained down on his head.
"You are breathtaking," he said.
His hand slid up to cradle the back of her neck, and he pulled her in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He could sense her hesitation to go further than this, and he would not push.
"Thank you," she said.
Serena glanced around. "This was... wonderful, Darius, but we are rendezvousing in the middle of the night and in the open. What if-"
"No one is around here, do not worry your head about it," he assured.
"Are you sure?" Serena asked.
"Do you want the truth?" Darius asked with a smile. He put her aside and stood up, then offered a hand to her.
She gripped it and pulled herself up, then dusted herself. "How far is here from the armoury?"
"A while," he said simply.
Darius took her hands and walked towards the door, holding it open for Serena. She said her thanks and walked in, going straight to the bedroom.
Serena’s ears felt hot. Would she be able to sleep now? Yet again, she would have to share a bed with Darius.
She climbed onto the bed and turned away, closing her eyes. Her mind replayed the kiss over and over again, it was so intense. What part of her had jumped out like that?
"Please tell him," her wolf said out of the blue, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Serena clenched her fist and pushed the thought aside.
Soon, Darius came in and the mattress dipped under his weight. Serena was facing the wall, and he sighed.
She acted so strange sometimes. He joined her in bed and laid on his back. After contemplating and arguing with himself and his wolf, Darius turned over and draped his hand around Serena.
"Goodnight," he whispered.
Serena clasped her hands in front of her and nodded along to Alexander’s words. He had gone on one of his tangents, from a historical lecture to something about his life.
"Sorry for the interruption, Commander. Are you and the Alpha close?" Serena asked.
Alexander looked at Darius, who was off to the side discussing something with his senior, General Silas. His eyes then flicked to the Ambassador.
"It is alright, my lady. No, we are not," he said, voice clipped. "But we knew each other as children."
Serena’s eyes lit up at the words, she was right, they had some sort of history. Would it be out of place to ask about the former Alpha?
Alexander stroked his chin, his gaze lifting to the sky as though the answers were hidden in the clouds.
"Far from what everyone knows today," he said slowly. "He was rather timid... clung to his mother’s side."
"His mother, you say. He must have been attached. What happened to the Luna and the Former Alpha? It sounded like a tragedy."
Serena would never forget Alexander’s eyes, even until she was dead. Those eyes that once looked eager to please suddenly turned cold.
"Natural death, you see, as how things happen," he said, voice deceptively calm. "Though I understand it might be hard for someone of your status in Crimsonclaw to understand. We in the West do not need your help."
Serena took a step back, her lips slightly parted in confusion. "What?"
Alexander blinked, and just like that, the moment passed.
"Ah, my lady, what were we saying?" he said, slipping seamlessly back into his practiced smile. "A cadet said she would love to meet you soon."
Alexander continued to talk as though she had never asked him a question. Serena glanced at Darius, who was still concentrated on his talk with the General, he had not heard anything that had happened between her and Alexander.
"I do hate to see you go so soon, but I understand you are a busy woman," Alexander said with a smile.
All Serena could do was offer a smile. Within her, confusion threatened to bubble over.