I straighten up in my seat with a jolt when I hear something in the darker corner of the library. My head snaps in that direction, and it’s a similar sound to that of a book falling off the shelf.
“Is anyone there?” I call out, knowing that all of the horror movies start exactly like this. However, no matter the fear that’s slowly rising inside of me, I push the chair back and slowly make my waytoward the source of the sound.
It’s rows and rows of historical books, research papers, and I can’t help but feel irked that they weren’t categorized properly. They should’ve at least been put by the height of the book, and the sight of one taller, one shorter is making my stomach flip uncomfortably.
My feet carry me deeper into the library, into the spots that aren’t covered by the security cameras. My heart skips a beat, and I realize that this was probably one of the stupidest things I could’ve done. Why the hell am I even doing this?
“There’s nothing here,” I breathe out. “Calm down, Sophia.”
I pat my pockets, and dread fills me when I can’t feel my phone — because I left it at the table with my other belongings. With a deep breath, I take the right turn and immediately spot a book on the floor.
I bend down, picking it up, and turning a couple of pages. It’s one of the books on the Cold War, and my eyes skim through the shelf, looking for where to put the book back. Why the hell did it fall? There’s no wind, all the windows are closed shut, and unless there’s something supernatural happening, it shouldn’t have fallen so easily, or made such a noise.
Shivers run down my spine, and I can smell him before I see him. He’s so close to me, his chest almost touching my back. I straighten up, goosebumps appearing all over my arms.
“Getting you alone is harder than breaking into the academy,” Soren whispers against the back of my neck, causing all the small hairs to stand up straight. His hot breath tickles my skin, and the moment his arms wrap around my waist, a sigh slips from me.
“Soren,” I whisper back. “Why are you here?”
“Why else?” He murmurs, gently pecking the spot where my shoulder and neck meet. “To see you, of course.”
My heart skips a beat, warmth filling me from the inside. Myeyes close for a brief moment, and when he pulls me flat against his chest, I’m all putty in his hands.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” I rasp out, my head falling back against him. “There’s just too much at stake, and the consequences aren’t something I want happening.”
Soren hums. “Oh, Princess, are you worried about getting cut off?” His tone is almost mocking, his arms tightening around me. “Right now, you should be worried about something else.”
Slowly, Soren spins me around, my back hitting the bookshelf. It rattles a little, two books falling to my feet. His hand clasps around my wrist, pulling it above my head, then adding my other wrist, too, holding them in place with one hand.
He’s so close to me.
“This is a terrible idea, Soren,” I swallow, but my eyes fall to his lips. And God, they’re so inviting. So close, yet so far. Whenever this man is near me, I seem to forget all reason, and it doesn’t help that he’s looking at me like he’s ready to devour me whole.
“Oh, I know,” Soren mutters, his free hand coming to cup my cheek. It’s a tender touch, something I’ve never felt from him and fuck, it’s making my heart swell in my chest. “We’ll face big consequences.”
“That’s why we really shouldn’t. It’s not too late to go our separate ways and pretend none of this ever happened.”
The tension around is thick, like a dark cloud judging my mind and vision. All I can focus on is Soren, and when he steps closer, pressing our bodies tightly together, I can’t think straight. Hell, I’m barely standing.
“But it is, my Princess,” he murmurs, his breath ghosting over my lips. His eyes darken a shade, and I’m not sure why, but even in the darkness of this corner, and the coldness that seems to seepthrough my clothes, I feel at ease. I feel safe. “The moment I had you, it was already too late. I’m not giving you up, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You and I are similar in that way; we both get what we want. And right now, I want you. You’re the object of my obsession, my deepest desires, and the only one that I’m yearning for. You had more than enough time to run and hide; now it’s too late.”
“Soren,” his name is barely a whisper, and the moment his eyes close, and his jaw clenches, I know that tonight, all I’ll feel is him.
“You say my name so sweetly,” he mutters. “God, Sophia. You drive me absolutely crazy,” he says, his tone lowering with each word he says. The gravelly tune makes me shiver, and my throat dries out.
The world’s biggest hypocrisy award should go straight to me because I told Sawyer to break things off with Astrid, yet here I am, standing so tightly pressed against Soren, but my heart’s not getting the hint. This is wrong on too many levels, and there isn’t a single scenario where this ends on a good note. We’ve hurt each other too much in the past, and it’s been too severe.
“Don’t do this,” I swallow, trying to back away, but the shelf behind me is preventing me from moving a single inch. “You know this isn’t right.”
“Then why does it feel so good, Sloane?” He murmurs, his lips brushing against mine. It provokes a small moan from me, and that’s all the encouragement Soren needs.
He kisses me like he’s a starving man. His hand grips my wrists above my head, the other one threading through my hair at the back, angling me better, and deepening the kiss.
Soren slips his tongue into my mouth, groaning when he tastes me. My hands itch to hold him closer, and the moment he releases my wrists, I cup his cheeks, wanting to feel him so muchcloser.
His hands go to my thighs, picking me up and holding me securely against the bookshelf with his body. The kiss is all sorts of intense, passionate, and raw. The kind of rawness that scares me because it’s filled with a hunger that’ll never go away.
If Soren’s the hunter, then I’ve become his willing prey, and the warmth of my predator has never felt so tender before.
