Chapter 4
1017 Words
Vaelora’s POV
Time seemed to stop as his eyes drew me in even while his gaze bored into my very soul.
Marcus still held me, his grip so firm that I could feel his fingers boring into my flesh but not in a painful way. For a long, agonizing moment, we just stood there, tangled in each other's space as his words hung in the air. He was intimidating but I wasn’t scared in the slightest because I knew I had provoked him to this extent. Seeing his unexpected aura that was released at being provoked was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
"Let go, Marcus," I whispered, the words slurring slightly as I tried to push against his hard chest. My hands felt weak as I tried to push him away. "I’m tired. I want to go to bed."
I made a move to step around him and to flee to the safety of the stairs, but he didn't budge. Instead, his arm tightened around my waist, pulling me back until I stumbled against him.
"You aren't going anywhere until we talk about tonight," he said, a little too coldly.
"There's nothing to talk about. I went out and I had fun. Isn't that what adults do?" I challenged, my drunken mind playing back at him. I looked up at him and my vision doubled, making me let out a laugh. "Or are you going to ground me, Marcus? Put me in time-out?"
I was teasing him and he was falling into my trap because at my words, the muscle in his jaw jumped. Without a word, he pivoted and maneuvered me like I weighed nothing. Before I knew what was going on, my back was already pressed against the cold wall. Startled, I tried to pull away but he didn’t let me go. He stepped close and used his solid body to pin me back in place before placing his hands on the wall on either side of my head.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for a girl in your state to be out with a boy like that?" he hissed, his face so close I tried not to lean into his lips. "Jace is a reckless, arrogant child. He was too drunk to drive you, let alone protect you. You could have been hurt or worse, you could have been killed."
"I was fine," I snapped, though my heart was hammering frantically against my chest. "He is my boyfriend and he was taking care of me."
"He was pawing at you like you were a trophy he'd won at a fair!" Marcus spat, his restraint finally snapping. He leaned in further as his eyes bored into my very soul. "You need to stay away from boys like him. You need to be in this house, where it's safe. Where I can see you."
"Why do you care?" I cried out, the frustration of the last few years boiling over. "You've spent years acting like I’m just a responsibility. Like I’m a chore you have to finish. You stay three feet away from me at all times like I’m contagious! If I’m so much trouble, why don't you just let me go?"
"Because you don't know what you're doing!" he countered, his eyes flashing with a possessive fire. "You're out there trying to prove something, throwing yourself at idiots just to get a rise out of me. It’s foolish, Vaelora. It’s beneath you."
"Maybe I’m tired of being 'beneath' things, Marcus," I said, my voice shaking. My hazy mind was having a hard time keeping me focused. I looked at his lips, so close to mine, and the restraint I had tried so hard to have slowly began to melt away. "Maybe I only do it because it’s the only way you'll actually look at me."
Marcus froze, clearly taken aback by my words.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"You know what I’m talking about," I said as I fought my tears even harder. "I don't want Jace and I never wanted Jace. I’ve spent every night for the last three years dreaming about someone else. Someone who lives in this house. Someone who won't even want to touch my hand when he passes me a cup of coffee."
As I finished these words, the tears I had been trying so hard to hold back finally started spilling. His hold on me immediately softened but he only moved closer to me, as if the mere thought of watching me cry was too much for him. I could tell he was having a hard time thinking straight.
"Vaelora," he said in that same cold tone but this time it was slightly softer. "You’re drunk. You don't know what you're saying. I think you had a little too much fun at the party with that silly boy."
"I know exactly what I’m saying," I pushed, my gaze locking onto his without backing down. Even though I was drunk, I was filled with tension as I braced myself for the effect of the confession I had spent years holding back. "I have a crush on you, Marcus. A deep, stupid, forbidden crush that is eating me alive and silly enough, I think... I think you feel it too but you’re just too scared to acknowledge it."
The silence returned, but this time it wasn't empty. I couldn’t tell what it was, either. His eyes met mine once more and as the moment grew more intense, I felt powerless in his hold. I could tell he was searching for ways to deny what I had just said, but he couldn’t because even now, his eyes were filled with a hunger that was undeniable. His hand moved from the wall with his fingers hovering just inches from my jaw and my breath hitched as the air grew heavier. My mind yelled for me to apologize and back off but my body seemed to be acting on its own.
Before I could help myself, I was already leaning into him.
- Writer
