42: Game over

Alora’s POV

His presence felt overwhelming, suffocating in the most intoxicating way, and I found myself holding my breath as he reached out, his fingers brushing against a loose strand of my red hair.

Gently, he twisted it around his thumb and forefinger, like he used to do when we were younger, back when things were simpler, when things hadn’t spiraled into this madness. He would toy with my hair absentmindedly.

But now, with his touch so close to me, the memory of those innocent times was clouded by the heat thrumming through my body, and all I could think about was how desperately I wanted those hands to be somewhere else.

I quivered under his touch, and he noticed. Oh, he noticed. His smirk widened, a look of pure, wicked satisfaction crossing his face. He knew exactly what he was doing to me, how much control he had. He always did.

He leaned in closer, his warm breath ghosting across my skin as his fingers slid down, tracing the curve of my ear, then lower, brushing along the