Chapter 26: I Need to Touch You

"Stay,"

Well, that was new.

She didn’t know what to think about everything that’s been happening all evening.

Malachi stood perfectly still. His hand remained in her hair while her breathing slowly steadied against his chest.

Every instinct in him screamed to let go. Instead, his hand moved slowly, almost tenderly, and he brushed tangled strands of hair away from her face.

Della was a bit terrified of this...new side of him. She was more used to the anger, the danger, the cold in his gaze...not this.

The next moment, he had taken her hand and was guiding her to the bed. She stumbled once, but his hand immediately tightened around her waist steadily, refusing to let her fall.

The mate bond said everything to her.

Concern, irritation, and mostly, confusion. The man was confused regarding his actions. He couldn’t seem to help himself tonight.

When they reached the bed, he sat her down and Della looked up at him.

Her eyes were swollen.

Red.

Beautiful.

Dammit.

Malachi looked away first, but the bond still purred mockingly.

He hated it.

Hated himself.

Hated that he was still standing here.

Then Della asked in a whisper, "Why?"

"Why what?" His shoulders stiffened.

Her fingers twisted together, and she hit her lips nervously, "Why did you kiss me?"

Malachi stared at the floor briefly, not knowing how to answer.

Because there were too many answers.

Because none of them made sense.

Because every answer sounded dangerous.

He looked back at her and did the last thing she expected.

He shrugged. The hell of a man, actually shrugged.

Then, his stare turned deeper and Della knew he was thinking of something else now. The way he looked at her felt like he could literally see the fear she was still trying to hide.

At the tears drying on her cheeks.

At the way she kept shrinking into herself whenever he got too close.

"Moonfire." He called, and she blinked up at him.

Then, she looked back down.

Staring directly into his eyes brought this weakness to her bones that she couldn’t take, and she wasn’t sure if she could hold back the tears that were gathering once more.

"Look at me, Moonfire." There was even more intensity to it than before, and when she did look up at him, tears ran down her face.

"You’re safe." He stated, his thumb brushing beneath her eye, "Whatever happened before." Another stroke "Whatever hands touched you." His gaze darkened, "They are not mine."

Was that supposed to make her feel safe?! Has he ever made her feel safe? The only times he did so only led to him shattering her heart once again. He didn’t trust her, and where there is no trust, love cannot grow.

It seems her feelings were conveyed to him through the bond, because he suddenly grabbed her face and forced her to look at him again, "Whoever that person is, he is a dead man!"

He sounded serious. He felt serious and angry on her behalf.

"Don’t force yourself to act like you care about me," She pulled away his hands and looked away from him, "I can look after myself,"

"Della,"

"What?!" Rage flashed through her eyes, "I’m not just gonna sit here, let you give me hope so you can trample on it again! So stop staring at me like I’m pitiful, stop all this nonsense and just leave me alone,"

"I... can’t,"

"You can!"

"I can’t!"

She looked up at him, "You probably can’t," She laughed humourlessly, "Let’s say that’s true. But the moment you leave this room, you will. The immense hate will return, and you’ll want to see me dead!"

Malachi paused.

She was definitely right about that.

Them being in the same space always clouded his judgement because the mate bond was stronger here. Once they put some distance between themselves outside the walls of this room, he would start thinking straight again.

And the hate would flood his chest once again.

"See?" She laughed again, "I was correct, so stop acting as if you care. Blame it all on the mate bond,"

He grabbed her head again, slowly getting angrier. What if she was right? "I still want to know,"

"Know what?!"

"Who touched you,"

"So you can go ahead and reward him for his service?"

"No," He paused, a look of pure darkness gleaming in his eyes, "So that I can torture him mercilessly for days before granting him the most horrible death there is,"

Well, he sounded deadly serious again. But it wouldn’t last.

"Wow, thanks," She rolled her eyes sarcastically, "If we are done here, I would like to go back to my corner,"

His grip on her jaw didn’t loosen, but then his head dropped and he sighed.

What was wrong with him now?!

When he looked back up at her, Della’s breath hitched. He was staring at her again the same way he did back then, when he had kissed her a second time.

"W...what is it?"

He looked down at her lips, then back up at her eyes, "I think...," His voice sounded strained again, "I think I need to touch you,"

She froze.

"Everywhere,"

Her eyes widened, "You shouldn’t —"

But he shut her mouth with a deafening kiss that stole every breath from her lungs. She didn’t even understand the concept of how his thoughts were changing but they were dangerous.

A second ago, he had been greatly mad. And now...he had added more pressure and was lowering her down to the bed.

"Malachi—" She gasped as his hands began trailing up and down her gown.

If he kept this up, she might panic again and go back to that...place.

"I won’t let you," He muttered, his tongue dragging against hers, "I’ll make sure you remain here with me, Moonfire," He purred, kissing the corner of her lips, "You’re mine,"

Della squeezed her legs together, embarrassed.

Embarrassed and angry at herself, for not being able to push him away and stand her ground. For allowing his unholy, desirable energy to steal her breath away over and over again.

Her back softly hit the bed, and his large body covered her smaller frame. Not a second later did his heat flood her, and she returned every kiss of his. If danger had a taste, then it would be Malachi’s lips. He tasted like everything wrong wrapped into one succulent, full package that kept stealing her breath away.

His lips then moved to her ear, where the injury sat. The moment his lips brushed over it, her breath hitched and she buckled underneath him.

"It’s me," He whispered, "Listen to my voice, sweetness. It’s Malachi,"

That seems to make it better, because the tension in her bones eased completely and she settled more into his touch.

His lips caressed every piece of her, and she heard a quiet noise of satisfaction rumbling up his chest.

"You...," He purred again, his tongue running over her sensitive skin and forcing her to experience things she never knew were possible in this world.

Della moaned again, grabbing his sides. Her breath came out in sharp, fast pants and her back arched off the bed a little.

His lips returned to hers, and Malachi just couldn’t get enough of them. He had only spent seconds on her ears, but her lips were a whole new part to re-explore, like a whole new dimension that kept sucking him in, that he couldn’t get enough of.

And now, he was trapped in it.

The taste would forever remain imprinted in his veins, and the feel of it would overcome every other thing he’s ever touched.

He was definitely doomed.

"Moonfire...," He breathed, tilting her chin to get even deeper into this ethereal taste of rain.

"Mmmhmm," She moaned back, letting her hands slowly go up his back, feeling the solid muscles beneath his attire and even more slowly, she let her hands slide into his thick, dark hair.

The moment her hands touched his scalp, another rumble of deep satisfaction vibrated down his throat and she took that as her initiative to allow her hands move around his scalp, gently massaging through as they kept kissing.

This was something they could both do, for the rest of eternity.

Two people, of different worlds, finding solace, finding pleasure and tranquillity...in a kiss.

Nothing else but them.

A slave dressed in rags, and an Alpha putting on the most extensive attire in the whole kingdom, now tangled in each other’s lips, taste...and the terrifying comfort of knowing they belonged nowhere else but here.

Malachi groaned again.

He could kiss this woman forever... but forever wasn’t enough for him.

Not for a man like him.

And so, his hands began to wander once again.

He began pulling up her gown again, this time much slower than last time. He didn’t want to startle her and push her back into that horrifying world. So, it took it extremely slow.

But she noticed the moment it passed her knees, and one hand shot out to stop him.

"W...what are you doing?" She asked, breathless.

"Taking off your clothes," He murmured huskily.

"W...why?"

"I told you before," He brushed his lips over hers, light as a feather, "I want to touch you," He paused, then admitted, "I NEED to touch every inch of you, or I might explode, Moonfire,"