DESTINED SOULMATES

CHAPTER 008

Ariana’s POV

“Come on, you’re killing the vibe. Just pick one already,” one of the people who came with Kaiser whined as I stayed silent for what felt like forever. All eyes were on me, making me feel small as they waited for me to pick an option.

I didn’t like the unnerving attention I was getting so I quickly blurted out truth, hoping to avoid anything embarrassing.

But the silly grin on Kaiser’s face only widened, and he shook his head as he wagged a finger. “Sorry, but you can’t pick that one. The last two people already picked truth, so you’re doing a dare.”

My stomach sank and I resisted the urge to go give him a good smack. Why bother asking me to pick when I didn’t have much of an option?

‘This is so embarrassing,’ I said inwardly.

“Fine,” I muttered, bracing myself for whatever was coming. “What’s the dare?”

Kaiser leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his drink. “Hmm, how about we start with something easy, shall we?” He smirked and shifted his eyes to Zayn with a cunning look in them. I glanced at Zayn from the corner of my eye and it looked like he was silently passing a message to Kaiser not to say whatever he was about to.

“I dare you to tell me the meaning of Zayn’s tattoos.”

I blinked—clearly dumbfounded by that. Tattoos? My gaze fully flickered to Zayn with confusion swirling in my mind. I had never seen a hint of ink on him. Zayn was always so…put together. His crisp shirts and tailored suits were always impeccable. But tattoos? They didn’t quite fit the image.

I expected a flat refusal as I turned to him. But instead, Zayn sighed, a muscle ticking in his jaw. Without another word, he stood up and began unbuttoning his shirt, each flick of his fingers deliberate….measured.

My breath caught in my throat as more of his skin was revealed—it looked so smooth as if he was sculpted like a marble statue. Every inch of him was toned to perfection.

I found myself slowly getting up from my seat in awe as my eyes stayed fixed on his body—ogling at the sight before me. When he finally shrugged the shirt off, my heart stuttered. His body looked so perfectly sculpted and it seemed like something that only belonged in a dream—or a myth.

His abs were hard and defined, with each ridge carved like stone and his chest rose and fell with that kind of control that felt…dangerous. The dim lighting didn’t help matters. Shadows danced across his skin, highlighting the defined muscles along his arms and shoulders.

But it was the ink on his forearm that held my attention. It looked like a Latin phrase. Bold, sharp and mysterious.

I didn’t need to touch him. I shouldn’t have touched him. But my hand…like it had a will of its own…hovered hesitantly for a moment before it finally made contact and brushed over his skin.

A spark.

A sharp jolt, like static electricity shot up my arm and a small gasp escaped my lips as I pulled back slightly. It felt like I was playing with fire and the sensation was so overwhelming that I wanted more of it. I swallowed hard as I realized just how close I was. His scent—clean but with a hint of something deeper, darker—wrapped around me and I found it hard to think straight.

“Well,” Kaiser’s voice cut through my reverie, snapping me back to reality. “What does it say?”

I blinked, trying to focus. But my gaze flicked up to Zayn’s, and for a moment, the whole world seemed to slightly tilt. His dark eyes were locked on mine, intense and unreadable.

“It means…” His voice was deep and rough, like he wasn’t used to explaining himself. “Noli Timere. Do not be afraid.”

‘Do not be afraid,’ the words echoed in my head and they kind of made me feel…safe.

I repeated it to Kaiser, the words tasting so foreign on my tongue.

I wanted to step back, to go back to my seat as my legs were feeling so shaky and weak all of a sudden. But Kaiser wasn’t done.

“You’re not finished,” he grinned, mischief dancing in his eyes. “Turn around, Zayn.”

Zayn’s jaw tightened, but he did as he was told, revealing another tattoo on his back—a massive dragon. Its scales looked almost real, inked with such precision that I felt the creature might come alive at any moment. The dragon’s head was twisted and it looked like it was staring right at me.

Slowly, as if compelled by some unseen force, I reached out again. My palm rested against the curve of his shoulder blade as I traced the dragon’s head.

The heat was unbearable and my fingers trembled against the curve of his back. I felt his body become tense beneath my touch and I wondered if he also felt what I was feeling.

My fingers traced the dragon’s tail wrapped around his hip and the rest disappeared just below his waist. I retreated my hand as I realized the territory I was heading to. Another text was curved below the dragon and I wondered what deal he had with Latin.

“And this?” my voice barely came out as a whisper but somehow, he heard it.

“Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo,” his tone softened as the words came out of his mouth so effortlessly. “If I cannot bend the will of Heaven, I shall move Hell.”

Woah… that was intense.

I pulled my hand back, my fingers still tingling, and let out a shaky breath. My heart was racing and my skin was still red with heat from the contact. I could barely look at him as I made my way back to my seat and I felt like I had just crossed some invisible line.

Without another word, I went back to my seat and sank into it. I wrapped my hands around myself, feeling much colder now.

The game continued and each round kept getting wilder. People were dared to lap dance, touch themselves in seductive ways, and even jump into the pool WITHOUT ANY CLOTHES ON. When it was finally Zayn’s turn again, Kaiser—of course—seized the moment.

“Truth or dare big bro,” he slurred, clearly enjoying what he was doing. “Oh and remember, you can’t choose truth.”

Zayn gave him a hard stare, but Kaiser seemed the least unbothered. “Dare.”

“Ooooh,” Kaiser rubbed his hands together. “I dare you…to kiss someone here.”

My breath hitched, and the air seemed to thicken despite the howling sounds and catcalls that erupted from Kaiser and his guests. I suddenly felt very aware of how close Zayn was sitting to me.

He exhaled sharply, his eyes flicking over the group before landing on me. A flicker of something crossed his face before he said, “Pass.”

“What?” Kaiser protested. “You can’t pass!”

“Watch me,” Zayn muttered as he stood up and walked away, clearly done with the game.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The game continued, but my mind was elsewhere, replaying that brief moment when Zayn’s gaze locked with mine.

The night stretched on, and one by one, people either stumbled off into the house or passed out where they were seated. Kaiser had already gone inside with the help of an unidentified Asian girl who carried him all the way and the rest of the group was scattered across the villa, all out cold.

I sighed, pinching my eyes. The villa was eerily quiet now as the chaos from earlier reduced to soft snores and the gentle sound of waves.

As I headed to my room, I noticed Zayn leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.

When he noticed my presence, he let out a tired sigh but he didn’t open his eyes. “I’ve been waiting for you. Kaiser’s in my room and I was wondering if—”

“You can stay in mine,” I blurted out before he could finish. “I mean, if you want to.”

For a moment, he said nothing. Then, with a slight nod, he said thanks and followed me inside. I grabbed a spare pillow and blanket from the closet, tossing them onto the couch. “Take the bed. I’ll sleep on the—”

He didn’t even let me finish my sentence before he turned to the couch and settled on it, lying down with a quiet groan.

“You sleep on the bed, I’m fine here.”

The room was dark and silent except for the sound of his breathing. Then, I nodded—even though he couldn’t see me—and climbed into the bed, pulling the covers up.

“Goodnight,” I whispered, not really expecting him to reply but then…

“Goodnight, Ariana,” he said softly and I felt a smile creep up my face as I closed my eyes to sleep after a surprisingly fun day.