Bound by fate:the vampire CEO's bride

Chapter 7: Unspoken Desires

The room plunged into darkness as the quiet hum of the electricity faded, the lights flickering out. Instantly, Amara froze. Her heartbeat sounded loud in her ears, heavy with tension. She could hear Damien's breathing beside her-steady, yet full of an intensity that quickened her pulse.

Damien?" Her voice cut into the silence, tentative but threaded with the fear which had started to creep into her chest. "What is going on?"

"Stay close behind me," he whispered, extending a hand to her out of the blackness. She immediately felt the heat of his skin against hers and the comfort of his touch-soothed nerves that her racing mind couldn't quite do anything about.

The silence was oppressive, stretching between them, until Amara found herself wanting to ask a thousand and one questions: who were these people, what were they really after, and why did it feel so wrong? But in that instant, more than anything else, she wanted the chaos to just dissipate-to feel the calmness associated with being near Damien.

His fingers clamped down around hers, anchoring her. "I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered, his voice a soft promise in the dark.

Amara swallowed, feeling her chest flutter as his words wrapped around her like a blanket. She had never felt so vulnerable, and yet with him beside her, the world outside seemed to not matter anymore. It was just the two of them-caught in a moment where nothing else seemed to reach them.

"Damien, what do they want from us?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper now.

His voice was low and measured, as though he was choosing each word with extreme care. "They want control. They want something. from you. But you don't have to worry about that right now."

"Why not?" Amara's heart was racing, the uncertainty of everything tearing at her mind. "I want to know, Damien. I want to understand."

There was a long pause; then, in the dark, his hand gently cupped her face. His touch, soft, soothing in its simplicity, for an instant made the world outside, with all its turmoil, cease to exist.

"You don't need to know everything right now," he said softly, his thumb brushing against her cheek in a gesture so intimate it sent a shiver through her. "All that matters is that we're here. Together."

Amara closed her eyes, letting herself lean into his touch. The world had turned into a whirlwind of confusion and danger, but in his arms, she felt safe, cherished, as though nothing could harm her. What had started as attraction toward him had grown into something more, something she had not quite understood yet but could not deny.

Damien… Her voice faltered, her heart swelling with emotion she couldn't quite define. "I don't want to be afraid anymore."

He moved closer, his presence enveloping her in the darkness. She could feel the warmth of his body near hers, the way his breath seemed to caress her skin. And in that moment, every doubt she had ever had faded away, replaced with the undeniable pull of desire.

"You won't be afraid," he murmured, his lips brushing the top of her head in a soft kiss. "Not when I'm here."

Her heart fluttered. His words… his touch… they made her feel like she was the most important person in the world. It was a feeling she had never experienced before, a sense of being seen, of being needed. It was as if the world outside them didn't exist.

Damien, I…," Amara fumbled for the words; it seemed as though, though welling up since she first met him, words tangled with emotions in a bundle up her throat and couldn't find their way out. "I don't know what this is. but I can't ignore it anymore."

Thus, words floated in air between them, fragile, unsure, and yet full of promise.

Damien's hand slid from her face to the back of her neck, his touch both tender and commanding. "You don't have to understand it, Amara. Just know that you're not alone. Not anymore."

Then, in one smooth, purposeful motion, he bridged the gap between them. His lips found hers in the dark, gentle at first, as if testing the waters. But the moment their mouths met, something inside of Amara sparked-something that had been waiting to be ignited.

The kiss deepened, his lips moving against hers with a slow, tender insistence, as though the world outside didn't exist. His hand tangled in her hair, pulling her closer, and Amara's heart raced as every touch, every sensation flooded her with a warmth she had never known. It was as if the tension in her body, the confusion and fear, melted away with each passing second.

It was several moments later when they finally drew apart; Amara's breathing was erratic, her heart pounding in her chest. Her fingers fell against his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath the fabric of his shirt.

"I don't want to leave," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I don't want to go back to the way things were before. Before you.

Damien's expression softened, and for the first time since she had met him, she saw a flicker of something tender in his eyes—something that mirrored the emotions swirling within her.

"You don't have to go anywhere," he said softly, his voice filled with a quiet intensity. "You're not alone in this. Not anymore, Amara."

It hitched itself in her throat. He meant it. The conviction of his words settled into her, the verity therein sinking into her soul.

For both of them, the rattling of the lights coming on again was a surprise-but it didn't break anything. The glow from those overhead lights illuminated the room as if in soft, gold-tinged light onto them both.

His eyes never once left hers, shining with emotion, and making her heart race. "This is just the beginning," he whispered softly, the pad of his thumb caressing her lips. "And I won't let anyone take you away from me."

Before Amara could reply, the soft chime of her phone broke the moment. She looked down to see an unknown number flashing on the screen. When she answered, a voice, low and familiar, echoed in her ear.

"We need to talk. It's about Damien."

The line went dead.