Chapter 15
959 Words
The warmth of my apartment did little to chase away the chill Cassian had left in my bones. I kicked off my heels, sighing as the pressure on my feet eased. My reflection in the hallway mirror caught my eye – I looked… unsettled. My lips slightly parted, my pupils still dilated. The effect of the night clung to me like a second skin, refusing to let go.
“God, get a grip,” I muttered, raking my fingers through my hair.
But how could I, when I had been standing between two of the most infuriatingly attractive men I’d ever met? And not just attractive – intense. Like they could peel back my layers with a single glance, leaving me exposed and trembling.
I grabbed a glass of wine and made my way to the couch, sinking into the cushions. The city lights flickered through my window, but my mind wasn’t on the view. Instead, it was replaying the way Cassian had looked at me, like he was memorizing every inch of my skin without even touching me. And then there was Lucas – his presence a constant pull, always just a little too close, a little too familiar.
I exhaled, taking a slow sip of my drink, letting the warmth spread through me. My body was still too alert, still humming from the energy between them. Maybe a hot shower would help wash away whatever spell they’d woven around me tonight.
I peeled off my clothes, letting my skirt slip down my body, pooling at my feet. The cool air sent a shiver down my spine as I stepped into the steaming shower, closing my eyes as the water cascaded over me. I let out a breath, finally allowing myself to relax.
And then it hit me.
The world tilted. My vision blurred. For a split second, I felt weightless – like I was floating, untethered from my body. And then I was somewhere else entirely.
A grand bedroom. Heavy drapes framing a massive bed. Candlelight flickering against ancient stone walls. My pulse spiked as I realized I wasn’t alone.
Cassian.
He was standing by the bed, watching me with those golden eyes, darker now, filled with something heady and consuming. He looked different – his hair was tied back, his suit replaced with something more old-fashioned, almost regal. But it was him. There was no mistaking the raw authority he carried, the way he owned the space without a single word.
And then, behind me, another presence. A familiar heat at my back.
Lucas.
His breath fanned against my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. My body reacted before my mind could catch up, arching slightly toward him, drawn to his warmth. I could feel the solid strength of his chest against me, the tension in his muscles as he held himself back.
“I’ve waited long enough,” Cassian murmured, stepping closer. His fingers traced along my collarbone, featherlight but searing.
“Haven’t we?”
Lucas’s lips brushed against my ear, his voice huskier than I’d ever heard. “You always make us wait.”
I inhaled sharply, my pulse a wild drumbeat. The air between us crackled, heavy with something unspoken but deeply known, as if this wasn’t the first time we had been tangled in this moment.
Cassian tilted my chin up, his eyes locking onto mine. “Tell me,” he said, his voice like velvet and command all at once. “Do you remember now?”
The question sent a ripple through me – something deep inside stirred, an echo of something lost but not forgotten. My lips parted, but before I could answer, the vision shattered.
I gasped, stumbling back against the shower wall, my breath ragged, my body trembling. Water still streamed over me, but I barely felt it. My pale skin was now flushed, my heart hammering like I’d just run miles.
What the hell was that?
I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to ground myself. It had felt so real – too real. I could still feel their touches ghosting over my skin, could still hear their voices curling around me like smoke.
I turned off the water and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around myself as I moved to my bedroom in a daze. The wine glass sat on the coffee table, untouched. I wasn’t sure I could handle another sip without losing myself completely.
Crawling into bed, I curled up under the covers, but sleep didn’t come easily. My mind kept replaying the vision, the way it had consumed me so effortlessly. It wasn’t a dream. It couldn’t be.
The sensation of their presence lingered, a whisper against my skin, a phantom touch that refused to fade. I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling, my fingers absentmindedly tracing my collarbone where Cassian had touched me in the vision. A part of me wanted to dismiss it, to tell myself it was just some elaborate fantasy conjured up by my overwhelmed mind.
But my body knew better. My pulse still thrummed with the memory, my breath still hitched when I thought of the way Lucas’s breath had tickled my ear. It wasn’t just a dream. It was something else – something deeper.
I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly, but instead of calming me, it only made the ache sharper, the longing more pronounced. What if these visions weren’t just random? What if they were pieces of something real, something I had forgotten?
As exhaustion finally pulled me under, one thought lingered in my mind, sharp and undeniable.
I had been in that room before.
And they had been there with me.
And this time, they weren’t going to let me forget.
- Writer
