Page 10
Ten
T he corridor they walked through was dimly lit, with walls that pulsed faintly, like the soft throb of a living heartbeat. Leonie wasn’t sure if the light came from the walls themselves or from something beneath them. Everything about this place seemed half-organic, half-machinery. Alive and not.
Karian moved ahead of her without looking back, but she could sense his awareness of her. It was in the measured pace of his long strides, slow enough for her to keep up. In the way his tentacles moved—silent and fluid—never touching her, yet always just close enough to remind her how near they were.
He could reach her at any moment. Surround her. Crush her.
But he didn’t.
She was still reeling from the sight of them—those coiled limbs that moved with eerie grace. It should have repulsed her. She wanted it to. But it didn’t. Not entirely.
She was frightened.
But also… curious .
And more than that—if she was honest with herself—she was starting to find him compelling . Something in the way he moved. The sheer physicality of him. The presence he carried, silent and commanding.
They entered another room—this one different.
The lighting here was gentler, casting soft golden hues that shimmered along the curved walls. Cushions lined a low seating area, circular in shape, as if designed for conversation or meditation. A table at the center glowed faintly, its surface alive with slow-moving patterns.
A lounge, she realized. Or something like it.
Karian stopped and turned to her.
Then, without a word, he reached up and removed one of his gloves.
His bare hand was revealed—strong, long-fingered, the skin a smooth shade of moonlight-pale that shimmered slightly in the ambient light. He stepped closer.
Leonie’s heart was racing again, hammering against her ribs.
He reached out and—slowly, gently—brushed his fingers along her cheek.
Her breath hitched.
The contact sent a jolt through her—something warm, electric, alive . Not cold or slimy as she might have imagined. His skin was warmer than hers, with a texture like the finest silk, yet with a subtle firmness beneath.
She closed her eyes for a heartbeat.
He murmured something in his language—soft, almost reverent. She didn’t know the words, but the tone made her skin prickle.
Then, he held out his hand to her.
An invitation.
She hesitated, then lifted her own hand, placing it against his palm.
He let her explore. Let her feel .
She traced the lines of his fingers, the slight webbing between them, the unusual texture of his skin—like velvet-wrapped stone.
Then he moved.
One of his tentacles lifted, slowly, gracefully—coiling in the air beside them. She watched it, wide-eyed, unsure whether to step back.
But he offered it to her, just like his hand.
A silent question.
Trembling, she reached out and touched it.
It was nothing like she expected.
Not slimy. Not rough. It was soft . Warm. The surface had a strange, delicate give to it, and yet beneath that softness was the suggestion of immense strength.
She looked up at him—his mask still in place, unreadable—and he did something that startled her.
The tentacle wrapped gently around her forearm, curling once, twice, in a loose, possessive loop. It held her—not tight, not painful—but firmly. Securely.
She didn’t pull away.
Couldn’t.
He was holding her like something claimed.
The realization made her shiver. Not in fear. Not entirely.
She met the dark reflection of his mask, her breath shallow.
And though she couldn’t see his face, somehow she knew?—
Karian was no longer just studying her.
He had chosen her.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10 (Reading here)
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53