Beneath His Shadow

His mouth was on my throat again. Warm, Devouring. Cruel in the sweetest way. My back arched against the headboard as Daniel’s hands, big, rough and confident slid down my waist and held me exactly where he wanted me. His breath was hot against my ear, his voice a low growl that curled through my body like fire. Look at me Aurora he murmured . You’re mine tonight. I obeyed without thinking . I always did this in the dreams. His eyes were dark with hunger, the one no gentleman should never look at an eighteen year old with…but this wasn’t real. This was the version of him my mind created - less polished, less noble , more sinful . His brushed mine, barely just enough to make my heart beg. I felt his finger tighten- Then I woke up. My body jerked, breath slamming into my lungs.The sheet clung to my skin, damp with heat . My thigh pressed together instinctively, trying to calm the ache he left behind. Reality was cold in comparison. Cruel, even. The room was quiet except for my uneven breathing. The dream has felt so close , so vivid, like he had been right there, hovering over me, whispering all the things he would never dare say out loud. God, I whispered , dragging a hand down my face saying, “ Not again”. Every night for the last two year, Daniel Hale has invaded my sleep. And every morning guilt whispered that it was wrong . He was my father’s best friend. He’d watched me grow up. He opened pickle jar and disciplined the neighbor’s Dog and fixed lightbulbs like any perfectly boring, dependable adult should. Except he wasn’t boring. Not to me . Daniel was dangerously handsome in a quiet way - broad shoulders, ink dark hair always a little tousled, sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms that haunted my hormones. And that voice deep calm and authoritative. A voice that could command a room or pull breath straight from my lungs . I pressed my pillow against my face and groaned . ‘At this point I need therapy or an exorcism’ I was still recovering from my dream when a soft knock sounded on my bedroom door. “Aurora?” My mother called. “ we need to talk “. I scrambled upright, dragging the blanket over my legs and praying I didn’t look like someone who had just been kissed senseless in a fantasy. “Come in,” I croaked . Mom stepped inside, her expression too careful. Dad followed, a small suitcase already packed in his hand . Instant panic . “Are we going somewhere?” Dad sighed. “Sweetheart…… I have been offered promotion. Overseas. Oh. Oh no. “And we leave in a week,” Mom finished. My stomach twisted- not because they were leaving, but because I knew, I knew what was coming next. “We don’t want you to stop school,” Dad continued. So we talked to someone who can look after you while we relocate. My heart, thudded once. Then again, Louder. Please don’t say it . Please don’t say it . Please say it. “Daniel agreed to take you in ,” Mom said gently The world tilted. Daniel. His house. His rules. His voice calling my name in the hallway. His scent- cedar and fresh laundry-on every pillow , every blanket. I swallowed hard, fighting the heat rushing up my neck. “H-He said yes ?” “He insisted ,“ Dad chuckled. Said he’d feel better if you were somewhere familiar. Familiar. If only he knew how familiar he’d become in my dreams. I nodded like a well behaved daughter while my pulse hammered beneath my skin . “We trust you,” Mom said softly. Daniel is the safest place for you. Safe. If only she knew how unsafe my thoughts were. When the left the room, the silence returned warm, trembling,dangerous. I stood slowly from the bed, my legs still a little unsteady. In the mirror, my reflection looked at me with wide , stunned eyes This was happening. After years of quiet obsession. After years of pretending I didn’t want him. After years of dreaming of his hands on my skin… I was going to live with him . My lips parted with something like fear. Something like hunger. Something I had never allowed myself to believe. My only chance “I whispered”. And this time, I didn’t plan to waste it.