Chapter 332: Malakai & Solaira - II
Malakai was shocked by her sudden declaration.
He stared at her wordlessly, his face a stoic mask, but internally, he racked his brain to understand what could have led her to this decision.
He knew she had been growing comfortable in the camp and even more so around him. He enjoyed her company and loved talking to her, as he had never been able to speak with anyone else in quite the same way.
Within just two weeks, he had felt an inexplicable connection with her that grew stronger with every passing second.
Whenever they were alone, the tension between them was palpable.
He knew she felt it, too. He could not put a name to the sensation, but he liked it and he wanted more of her.
Why was he feeling this way? Why had this started the moment he first laid eyes on her?
Was it simply because she was also a celestial being?
Was that the only reason, or was there something more? The more he wondered, the more he felt driven to find the truth.
She had disappeared from the tent early that morning. When he woke, his eyes had naturally drifted toward her bed, only to find another woman there in a state of undress. He had felt shocked by the sight before sudden anger burned within him, a fury he rarely felt unless he was facing the dark ones.
In a fit of rage, he had thrown the woman out of his tent with the intention to kill. She scrambled for her life as he composed himself and bolted out in search of Solaira, desperate to overwrite the memory of that intruder with the image of her beautiful face.
When he asked around, the people told him she had gone toward the stream. He initially held himself back, not wanting to invade her privacy.
However, as he turned to head back to the tent, he saw her clothes discarded by a tree, and he rushed off to find her. His heart beat frantically against his chest at the thought of her disappearing without so much as a word.
He searched the stream before rushing toward the willow tree where he usually found her and halted the moment he saw her.
She was performing a mesmerising, deadly dance, her glinting swords wielded with such fluid ease that it made his heart thunder.
And Malakai could not take his eyes off her.
Before he knew it, his head tilted ever so slightly as he watched the tiny droplets of sweat clinging to her milky skin. Her golden hair flowed like rays of the sun, and her thick lashes fanned her cheeks. Her lips were parted as she breathed, and the sight was truly beguiling.
His feet began to move on their own, as if he could not help but be drawn toward her, the deadly goddess standing before him.
Before he knew it, he was standing far too close to her and her blades moved to strike his neck, but he caught them just in time. Amusement flashed in his eyes because he knew that, just like him, she could feel when he was near, yet she had not stopped her attack.
He became lost in those beautiful, honeyed depths when she opened her eyes, which shone like liquid gold.
But as soon as she uttered those words, it felt as though he had been punched hard in the chest.
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[Music recommendation: Narrow Skies - All These Dreams]
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Filled with confusion and shock, he could only ask, "Why?"
Without looking at him, she clenched her fists at her sides. "Why?" she echoed, her voice soft but strained. "Because I do not think this is going to work. I was alright before you found me. I think it would be better if you took care of your duties while I take care of mine."
Malakai was utterly lost for words as he continued to stare at her back. The more he heard her speak, the more a violent sense of rejection rose through his body, as if he could not accept the thought of parting with her.
He marched forward, closing the distance between them at once. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her to face him, forcing a gasp from her lips as her hands landed against his hard chest.
"What do you think you are doing?" Solaira asked, startled by his sudden movement and his proximity. Her heart began to race as she saw the sheer gravity in his expression while he stared into her eyes.
"Why.... why do you want to leave?" Malakai asked again. His voice was lower now, yet it did nothing to dull the intensity and the slight trace of helplessness and confusion in his gaze.
She was taken aback by his tone, but she pressed on regardless. "Because it is better this way."
"Better how?"
"Better so that I do not have to be confused like this anymore," Solaira blurted out. Her face remained unreadable, yet the chaos in her eyes was a language he could read clearly.
"Am I confusing you, Solaira?"
"You are," she admitted, her voice growing smaller.
"How?" His voice dropped to a low whisper as he leaned closer.
Her eyes moved across his face as he drew near, and her voice dropped in response. "Like now. You are leaning into me while... bedding other women."
Malakai’s eyes widened slightly at her answer before narrowing. "You saw the woman who was in the tent." It was not a question, but a statement.
She remained silent, but her gaze sharpened, providing a telltale sign that he had spoken the truth.
He tilted his head slightly as he observed her. "It bothered you, didn’t it?"
"Why would it bother me?" she countered.
He leaned in even further until his cool breath fell over her lips. "Because you feel it. Just like me. You feel this growing tension between us that seems ready to burst at any moment."
He raised his hand, cupping her cheek while rubbing his thumb over her smooth chin. "Because you cannot stop feeling this growing want between us. Something that makes your heart race every time you are in close proximity to me. Because all you want is... to claim me. And I....you."
Solaira’s eyes widened at every word he uttered. She felt something inside her shudder as his soft yet heavy words reached the very depths of her soul. Her breathing became uneven, her heart pounded against her chest, and her pupils dilated.
Before she could speak, her world tilted as he sealed her lips with his.
Her hands instinctively tightened around his black shirt. Her entire body grew rigid before fireworks exploded in her mind.
Then, slowly, it registered. She felt his warmth and the softness of his lips as they pressed against hers, and she melted.
Before she knew it, she gave in to their first kiss.
It was slow at first, as if he were still processing his own actions, but he gradually began to deepen it.
But doubts had started to creep into Malakai’s mind, wondering if he had misread her when he felt her body stiffen.
He was about to pull away when he felt her hands slowly release their grip on his shirt. They travelled up to his neck, and she pressed herself against him, beginning to move her lips against his. That was all it took for his doubts to vanish.
He wrapped his arms around her soft body as if wanting to merge with her, and he kissed her with newfound strength.
When he caught her lower lip, a soft moan escaped her throat, and she parted her lips like a blooming flower, and he finally plunged his tongue inside her mouth to taste her. Their tongues tangled, and he felt as though he were finally drinking from a sweet oasis he had been dying to find.
Both of them grew utterly lost in one another. Their hands travelled across each other’s bodies before weaving through their hair, devouring each other with equal fervour. They were unable to stop themselves, unable to extinguish the fire that had been set ablaze within them.
They remained in each other’s arms for what seemed like forever.
Eventually, they reluctantly pulled away as they both ran out of air, gasping heavily.
They stared at one another, their eyes burning with an intense mixture of awe, confusion, and a hunger that neither could hide.
Malakai cupped her beautiful face with his large, warm hands and rested his forehead against hers.
Without looking away for even a second, he spoke her name. "Solaira...." He uttered it with so much longing that her heart beat even faster than before.
"Don’t go. Stay with me," he whispered.
When she remained silent, he continued, "That woman you saw, I did not know she was inside the tent. I was asleep. When I woke, I found her on your bed. Believe me when I tell you that I did not call for her, nor did I touch her. I came looking for you the moment I cast her out."
As Solaira listened to him, she continued to gaze into his warm eyes. She could tell they were pleading with her to believe him. She knew that what he said was not a lie. She could feel it in her very bones that he was telling the truth.
