📖 Defying Destiny – Book 2, Episode 13
776 Words
Tangled in Love and Shadows
Claire woke to the sensation of fingertips tracing lazy patterns along her back.
She sighed, stretching against Ethan’s warmth, her bare skin brushing against his.
"Morning," Ethan murmured, his voice still heavy with sleep.
Claire smiled, eyes still closed.
"Morning."
Ethan’s fingers slid up her spine, his touch slow and lingering.
"I like waking up to you."
Claire opened her eyes, finding him watching her, his blue gaze dark and hungry.
She swallowed hard.
Because the way he looked at her?
Like she was his whole world.
Like he would never stop wanting her.
"We should get up," she whispered.
Ethan smirked, flipping her onto her back.
"We could. But where’s the fun in that?"
His lips brushed against hers, teasing, his hands sliding over her curves, memorizing.
Claire’s breath hitched.
Because last night wasn’t enough.
It would never be enough.
She tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him down, crashing into him.
"You’re impossible," she murmured.
Ethan chuckled against her skin.
"And you love it."
And then—
They were lost again.
In slow, deep kisses.
In whispered I love you’s.
In the kind of love that refused to be erased.
The Ghost of a Memory
The world outside their motel room felt different.
Still.
Unfinished.
Claire pulled her jacket tighter around herself as she stood beside Ethan, staring at the empty road ahead.
"It feels wrong," she muttered.
Ethan exhaled.
"Yeah."
His fingers laced through hers, grounding her.
Because no matter what happened—
No matter what they uncovered—
They were in this together.
"Ready to go back?" Ethan asked.
Claire swallowed hard.
Back to the place where it all started.
Back to Ashwick.
"Not even a little."
Ethan smirked.
"Then let’s go anyway."
The Journey to Ashwick
They drove in silence, the road stretching endlessly before them.
The closer they got, the heavier the air felt.
Like the past was waiting for them.
Like Ryan was waiting.
Claire closed her eyes, the memory of her dream still haunting her.
The hallway.
The door.
His voice.
"Claire?"
She shivered.
Because she knew.
She knew that whatever happened next—
They wouldn’t be leaving Ashwick the same.
If they even left at all.
Ashwick Still Stands
When they pulled up to the estate, Claire’s breath caught.
Because it was still there.
Standing.
Untouched.
But that was impossible.
They had watched it collapse.
Watched it burn.
"How is this possible?" Ethan whispered.
Claire stepped out of the car, gravel crunching beneath her boots.
The house loomed before them, dark and waiting.
"I don’t know."
But deep inside—
She felt it.
That pull.
Like something inside was calling to her.
Like Ryan was calling.
Ethan placed a hand on the small of her back.
"Whatever happens in there, we face it together."
Claire nodded.
"Together."
And just like that—
They stepped into the past.
The Hallway from Claire’s Dream
The air inside the estate was cold.
Too cold.
Like it hadn’t seen life in centuries.
Dust floated through the air, settling in thick layers.
But the moment Claire stepped inside—
She knew exactly where to go.
She didn’t question it.
Didn’t hesitate.
She just moved.
Down the hall.
To the door from her dream.
The closer she got, the faster her heart pounded.
Because she knew.
Something was waiting for them.
Something that had been waiting for a long time.
She reached out.
Her fingers trembled as they touched the doorknob.
And then—
A voice whispered through the darkness.
"You shouldn’t have come back."
Claire gasped.
Because that voice?
That was Ryan.
And then—
The door swung open on its own.
The Truth Behind the Door
The room was dark.
Dust-covered furniture.
A cracked mirror.
And in the center—
A chair.
Facing the wall.
Claire’s stomach twisted.
Because someone was sitting there.
Still.
Unmoving.
Ethan stepped forward.
"Ryan?"
No answer.
Claire’s throat tightened.
Something was wrong.
Ethan reached out, touching the chair—
And then—
The figure moved.
Claire screamed.
Because when the person turned to face them—
It was Ryan.
But it wasn’t.
His face was blank.
His eyes empty.
Like he wasn’t there.
Like he had been wiped clean.
Ethan pulled Claire behind him, his pulse racing.
"Ryan?"
The figure tilted its head.
And then—
It smiled.
A slow, eerie smile.
And in a voice that wasn’t his, it spoke.
"He belongs to us now."
The room plunged into darkness.
And Claire knew.
This wasn’t just about Ryan anymore.
Something else had taken him.
And whatever it was—
It was coming for them next.
To Be Continued…
- Writer
