"It feels alive," she breathed against my mouth.
"It is alive. I am alive. We are alive," I growled, pulling her against me.
Our clothing dissolved beneath eager hands. I traced every curve, every hollow of her body, memorizing her with touch. Her skin glowed faintly in the darkness, luminous against my shadow.
"I need you," she demanded, her nails digging into my shoulders.
I positioned myself above her, watching her eyes darken with desire. As I entered her, my shadow essence enveloped us, cocooning us in darkness.
Aya cried out, but not in pain. Her eyes flew open, now ringed with silver—like mine, like all shadow creatures.
"What's happening?" she gasped, moving against me.
"We're bonding," I managed, feeling my control slipping. "Truly bonding."
With each movement, the boundary between us blurred. My shadow essence swirled around and through her, while something bright and warm from her core reached for me. Where our bodies joined, light and shadow danced together.
Her fingers traced patterns on my chest, leaving trails of light that didn't fade. My shadow caressed her inner thighs, leaving marks like delicate tattoos that shimmered with darkness.
"I can feel you," she whispered in wonder. "Not just your body—you. Your thoughts, your feelings."
I could feel her too, her pleasure spiraling higher, her love wrapping around my consciousness, her very essence merging with mine.
"Don't fight it," I urged, increasing our pace. "Surrender to it. To us."
She did. We both did.
When release came, it wasn't just physical. Our combined energies exploded outward, shadow and light intertwining in a blinding fusion. I felt myself pouring into her, and her essence flowing into me.
For a moment, we weren't two beings, but one entity of perfect balance.
When awareness returned, we lay tangled together, breathing hard. My shadow had retreated, but not completely. Thin lines of darkness remained on Aya's skin, forming beautiful patterns across her shoulders and down her spine.
And on my chest, over my heart, a small point of light glowed steadily.
"What did we just do?" Aya whispered, touching the light embedded in my skin.
"Something ancient. Something forbidden." I traced the shadow patterns on her back. "Something perfect."
We fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms, changed in ways we didn't yet understand.
Morning came too soon. Sunlight filtered through the small window, and I instinctively recoiled, then froze in shock.
The beam of light crossing my arm didn't burn.
"Aya," I whispered, staring in disbelief. "Aya, wake up."
She stirred, her eyes opening slowly. They still held flecks of silver among the brown.
"Look." I held my arm in the sunbeam.
Her eyes widened. "How...?"
Before I could answer, she gasped, holding her hand up. The shadow from the window frame seemed to bend toward her fingers, stretching unnaturally.
"Are you doing that?" I asked.
She concentrated, and the shadow moved, curling around her wrist like a bracelet.
