Chapter Ten: Unraveling Control
423 Words
The silence stretched between them, thick with tension.
Elena could feel the heat radiating from Dante’s body, a furnace of danger and something darker—something unspoken.
He was still so close, his scent—a mix of spice, leather, and gunpowder—clouding her thoughts.
"You keep looking at me like that," Dante murmured, voice low and edged with warning, "and I might start thinking you like being here."
Elena scoffed, masking the way her pulse betrayed her. "I look at you like you’re insane."
Dante’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smirk.
"And yet, you’re not running."
Her fingers curled into fists. "Because you’d catch me."
He took a step closer, forcing her back against the wall.
"Exactly."
Elena’s breath hitched as she felt the cold press of the wall behind her and the solid heat of Dante in front.
He towered over her—a predator sizing up his prey.
His broad shoulders cast a shadow over her, his presence a heavy weight in the dimly lit room.
Elena wasn’t small, but next to him, she felt it.
Dante leaned in, his mouth just inches from her ear.
"You want to know the real reason you’re still here, Elena?" he murmured.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
"You could’ve run back at the apartment," he continued, his breath warm against her skin.
"You could’ve screamed for help."
His fingers brushed over her wrist, just a ghost of a touch.
"But you didn’t."
Elena’s breath shuddered out of her.
"I—"
His hand shot up, bracing against the wall beside her head.
Elena startled, but he didn’t touch her.
Didn’t push.
He just waited.
Watched.
Like he was daring her to deny it.
Deny the fire crackling between them.
Deny that something inside her—something reckless, something desperate—wanted to see how far he’d go.
Elena met his gaze, defiance burning in her chest.
"You think you know me," she whispered.
Dante’s lips tilted in amusement.
"No, little dove." He leaned in just enough for his nose to graze her temple.
"I know exactly what you are."
A sharp intake of breath.
His hand dropped, and just like that, the heat was gone.
Dante stepped back, leaving her cold, unsettled.
"Get some rest," he said smoothly, as if nothing had happened.
"As much as I’d love to play this game with you all night, you’ll need your energy."
Elena swallowed hard. "For what?"
Dante’s eyes darkened.
"For whatever comes next."
And somehow, that terrified her more than anything.
- Writer
