📖 Defying Destiny – Book 2, Episode 14
877 Words
The Darkness in Ryan’s Eyes
"He belongs to us now."
The words rang through the cold, dead air.
Claire’s blood ran cold as she gripped Ethan’s arm.
Ryan sat before them, his face eerily blank, his once-bright eyes now hollow.
Something had taken him.
Something had changed him.
"Ryan?" Ethan took a step forward, his jaw tight, his hands clenched into fists.
No response.
Claire’s throat tightened.
"He’s not—he’s not him."
Ryan’s head tilted slightly, the shadow of a smile forming on his lips.
"You always come back."
The voice was his.
But the way he said it?
Like it was a memory.
Like it wasn’t him speaking at all.
Ethan exhaled sharply.
"What the hell did they do to you?"
Ryan blinked.
And suddenly—
The lights flickered.
The air shifted.
And in the blink of an eye—
Ryan was gone.
Vanished.
Like he had never been there at all.
The Desperate Need for Something Real
The silence was suffocating.
Ethan ran a hand through his hair, his body tense with frustration.
"We have to find him," Claire whispered.
Ethan exhaled sharply, turning to her.
"We will. But Claire—this is different. He’s different."
Claire knew that.
She felt it in her bones.
Something inside Ryan had been erased.
Or worse—rewritten.
And now?
Now, they were playing a game they didn’t understand.
Claire stepped closer, resting her hands on Ethan’s chest.
"I just need you," she whispered.
Ethan’s gaze darkened.
"Claire—"
"Please."
She needed to feel something real.
Something that couldn’t be taken.
Something that wouldn’t disappear.
And Ethan?
Ethan had always been her constant.
She reached up, threading her fingers into his hair, pulling him down into a kiss that burned.
A kiss that was desperate, raw, unrelenting.
Ethan growled against her lips, his hands sliding over her hips, pressing her against the wall.
"You want me?" his voice was low, dangerous.
Claire swallowed hard, nodding.
"I want you."
Ethan’s lips brushed against her throat, his breath hot against her skin.
"Then you have me."
And just like that—
They lost themselves.
A Love That Defies Fate
Ethan lifted Claire effortlessly, pressing her into him as he carried her toward the bedroom.
His lips never left hers.
His hands never stopped worshiping.
Claire gasped as his mouth trailed lower, as his fingers mapped every inch of her body, like he was claiming her soul.
Like he was reminding her—
That no matter what happened, no matter what they lost—
They were still here.
Still theirs.
Still real.
"Say it," Ethan whispered, his breath ragged.
Claire’s pulse pounded.
"I love you."
Ethan groaned, his grip on her tightening.
"Again."
"I love you, Ethan."
And then—
They fell into each other completely.
Into love that had defied death.
Into passion that had rewritten fate.
Into a moment that would never be stolen.
Because this time?
They weren’t letting go.
The Moment Reality Shattered
Hours later, Claire lay tangled in Ethan’s arms, his breath warm against her skin.
Her fingers traced slow, lazy patterns across his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath her touch.
"I don’t want to move," she murmured.
Ethan chuckled, tightening his grip around her.
"Then don’t."
Claire sighed, her lips brushing against his collarbone.
"It’s not that easy."
Ethan shifted, rolling so she was beneath him again.
"I know."
Their eyes met, and for a moment—
There was only them.
No fate.
No gods.
No past.
Just this love.
But then—
The room shifted.
The air grew cold.
And suddenly—
Claire wasn’t in the bedroom anymore.
The Vision That Shouldn’t Exist
Claire gasped, looking around.
She was somewhere else.
The same hallway from her dreams.
The same door.
And just like before—
Ryan’s voice echoed from inside.
"Claire?"
Her pulse spiked.
Because this wasn’t a dream.
This wasn’t a memory.
This was real.
And when she reached for the door handle—
It swung open on its own.
Inside the room—
A mirror stood in the center.
Dust-covered.
Old.
But when Claire stepped forward—
Her reflection wasn’t her own.
Her breath caught.
Because staring back at her—
Was a version of herself she didn’t remember being.
A version of herself in a wedding dress.
A version of herself smiling—but her eyes filled with fear.
And behind her?
Ryan.
Watching.
Waiting.
And just as Claire’s fingers touched the glass—
A whisper curled around her ear.
"He’s still trapped."
Claire’s heart stopped.
And then—
She was ripped back into reality.
The Truth That Changes Everything
Claire gasped, sitting up in bed.
Ethan was already awake, his hands on her arms, his eyes wild with concern.
"Claire! What happened?"
Her body shook.
Her fingers clenched the sheets.
"I saw him."
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
"Ryan?"
Claire nodded.
Her hands trembled as she grabbed Ethan’s face, forcing him to look at her.
"Ethan, he’s still trapped."
Ethan swallowed hard.
"Where?"
Claire’s lips parted.
And the words tumbled out before she even understood them.
"Inside the mirror."
Ethan stiffened.
Because that?
That wasn’t just a dream.
That was a warning.
And whatever they thought they knew about Ryan—
They were wrong.
To Be Continued…
- Writer
