Flames and shadows
1032 Words
Soraya
She couldn’t breathe.
Not because she couldn’t find air, but because she couldn’t find control.
It had been two days since Jace had walked out of her penthouse, and he hadn’t come back. Not a text. Not a call. Nothing.
Good, she told herself. She didn’t want him here anyway.
But even in the silence, her mind refused to stop. The memory of his pleading eyes, the way he’d looked when she told him he meant nothing—she wanted to erase it, to forget. But it clung to her, wrapped around her chest, squeezing, making her question everything.
She wasn’t supposed to feel this way.
This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.
But there was a problem. A big one. Jace had never been just a distraction. She could convince herself all she wanted, but she knew the truth now. Somewhere deep inside, the cold part of her that thrived on control and power wanted him. And that made him dangerous.
No. Not like this. I’m in control. Always.
She grabbed her phone, staring at his name. A wave of frustration surged through her. What did he want from her? He had no right to make her feel anything.
No. I won’t cave.
But then the text message came in.
Jace: “We need to talk. I’m coming to see you.”
Her heart did a traitorous flip, but she pushed the feeling down, hardened herself again.
Soraya: “I don’t have time for you.”
She put the phone down, her fingers trembling for just a second. She hated this. Hated him for making her feel something so inconvenient, so messy.
And then, the knock at her door.
She didn’t even bother to check the camera. She knew.
He was there.
Jace
He had spent the past two days pacing. Thinking. The pain of her rejection still gnawed at him, but it wasn’t just pain—it was anger. Confusion. She’d made it clear that he meant nothing, that he was just another notch in her conquest. So why was he still here? Why couldn’t he get her out of his head?
She’s a queen. And queens are never satisfied.
He didn’t care what she had to say. He needed answers.
When he saw her standing in the doorway, her expression cold, her beauty still commanding, his heart tightened.
“You came back,” she said, voice dripping with indifference.
“I couldn’t stay away,” he replied, his tone laced with defiance.
“Why?” she asked, stepping aside for him to enter. There was a moment’s hesitation in her eyes, but she masked it quickly.
Jace didn’t answer immediately, instead walking further into the apartment. “I don’t know. But you don’t get to shut me out.”
“Shut you out?” Her voice went quiet, dangerously calm. “I’m not the one who invited you in, Jace.”
His jaw clenched. “I’m not just some... distraction. I’m not going to walk away and pretend this doesn’t matter.”
She laughed—a sound so cold it sent a shiver down his spine. “Pretend? You think this is something real? You think I care?”
“You do care.” He was closer to her now, his voice lower, his breath shallow. “Don’t pretend you don’t.”
She met his gaze, the challenge in her eyes sharp as glass. “What’s the point, Jace? To hurt you? To prove you’re just a pawn in a game I’m playing? Do you really want to continue this?”
“Yes.” His voice was steady, but there was something underneath it—something raw. “I’m done being just a game piece. I’m tired of being your toy.”
Her eyes darkened. “I didn’t ask for your emotional outbursts.”
“You don’t get to control everything,” he snapped, finally stepping into her personal space. “You’re not untouchable. You don’t get to keep me at arm’s length and still expect me to care.”
She was silent for a long moment, her icy demeanor cracking just enough for him to see a flash of something behind her eyes. But it was gone before he could hold onto it.
“Why do you care, Jace? Tell me.”
“I care because,” he started, his voice lowering, the vulnerability leaking through, “you make me feel things I don’t want to feel.”
She studied him, her lips slightly parted. Her expression softened, almost imperceptibly. “That’s your problem.”
“No.” He stepped closer. “That’s your problem.”
Before she could react, he kissed her.
It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t sweet. It was desperate, filled with all the frustration, the longing, the madness that had been building since the night she had first burned him. She didn’t respond at first, her body stiff against his. But then, as if the walls she had built up around herself crumbled in that moment, she kissed him back.
It was messy. It was raw. And neither of them could stop.
Soraya
Her hands were on his chest, pushing, pulling, desperate for something she couldn’t define. Every kiss felt like fire, like the warmth she had denied herself for so long. But then she remembered.
No.
She pushed him away, but he was relentless. She had underestimated how deep he had sunk into her mind, her soul.
“You don’t get to make me care,” she whispered, trying to regain control.
“I don’t need to make you care,” he murmured against her lips, his hands sliding down to her waist. “I already know you do.”
Jace
Her words cut deep, but he didn’t care. She could lie to herself all she wanted—he knew the truth. They were both in this. Both playing a dangerous game that neither of them had the power to control.
“You want to play this game, Soraya?” he asked, his voice raw with emotion. “Then let’s play.”
She hesitated, her lips trembling as her cold, distant mask threatened to slip again.
But this time, he wasn’t leaving.
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- Writer
