“Ifeel human, too,” she answered quietly, eyes never leaving mine. “You make me feel real.”
My hand moved lower, pressing harder now, softly poking and massaging the skin on her neck as if trying to poke holes in the illusion, desperate to verify what my body already knew but my mind refused to believe.
That she was here with me, as real as I was – meaning we were either both real or not, and I was okay with either, as long as I got to exist or not exist with her.
She shifted slightly on her legs, and the silk fabric gleamed as it caught the light. My gaze briefly traveled down to her legs, but she cupped my chin with a force that surprised me, forcing my eyes to meet hers again.
“Eyes on me only,” she murmured, eyes dark with satisfaction.
I gulped, then nodded quickly. As if I’d look anywhere else but at her.
My fingers moved to the thin, silk strap on her shoulder, taut like it was dangerously close to snapping and revealing the forbidden beauty of a woman I wasn’t supposed to touch. I touched her collarbone with just one finger, tracing it with reverence, like her body was a sculpture carved out from the heavens themselves, her energy too overwhelming for my mortal body – until now. Her breath came faster now, midnighteyes following my every touch. Only the soft ambient sounds broke the silence.
My fingers rested on the sapphire necklace. Her eyes flickered down as I cupped the necklace, my thumb tracing the dark blue stone.
“You always wear this,” I muttered, slowly turning the stone to admire how it reflected the candlelight. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s my only possession that’s truly mine,” she said softly.
I glanced up to spot a hint of sadness behind her sly smile.
“It’s the color of your eyes,” she whispered. My eyebrows shot up.
Over her shoulder, I glimpsed myself in the mirror. I’d never thought of my eyes as sapphire, but seeing the light flicker in my dark blue eyes, I realized she was right. She wore my eyes around her neck just like I wore hers. Was it a coincidence?
In an instant, both her hands grabbed my waist with a strength that made me gasp. I groaned softly as her fingernails – sharp enough to be felt, not to hurt – dug into the soft skin through my shirt. My hands flew to her head in response, firmly cupping the sides of her face, my thumbs stroking the corners of her mouth.
Zafyra leaned in so close, her exhale tickled my parted lips. A choked sound traveled from the back of my throat. I inhaled sharply, still desperate to make out a smell.
“Well?” Her breath brushed over my skin, which erupted in goosebumps.
“Oxygen,” I forced out.
She raised her eyebrows.
I backed away slightly to look her in the eyes.
“You smell like oxygen,” I clarified.
Her eyebrows rose even further, almost disappearing behind the strand of dark hair that fell in front of her face. “Oxygen has no smell.”
“Yes, it does.” A slow smile spread across my face. “You smell like fresh air. Breathing you in opens my lungs. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Before I could speak another word, she grabbed my face and pulled me toward her. Her lips met mine in a collision of desire – fierce, desperate, relentless. The hunger in her kiss made my head spin and my legs tremble. The intensity that would normally overwhelm me and make me want to run, now left me breathless for more.
Zafyra not only smelled like oxygen – she tasted like it, too. She pulled my head back by grabbing a fistful of my hair, taking my gasp as an invitation to slide her tongue in deeper – and every breath filled mylungs with her. The fire quickly spread through my body, burning my veins like sizzling electrical wires.
Her hands clawed at my hips, lifting me up and putting me down on the window seat. I arched my back against the cold glass, moaning quietly into her mouth.
“If it’s too much,” she gasped in between kisses, “tell me to stop.”
My core clenched at her breathless words. Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around her waist, desperate to pull her closer and satisfy the raw hunger she’d instilled in me.
Zafyra chuckled darkly against my mouth. I whimpered in response. “Be patient,” she muttered, shifting to press her thigh between my legs. I gasped as the friction sent sharp jolts of electricity through my whole body. “You wanted me to take it slow?” A slow, venomous smirk crept over her face. “I’ll show you slow, darling. I’m going to draw out your desperation until you’re gasping for me like you’re dying, and I’m your only source of oxygen.”
I couldn’t control the sound that left me – helpless, pathetic. My hips shifted forward, trying to grind on her leg, but she stepped back. I almost lost my balance at the loss of contact, but she caught me in her arms.
My hand flew up to wrap around her neck, and when my tense body relaxed in her soft arms and I gazed into her eyes – endless pits of darkened obsidian – she felt more real than ever.
