Bound By The Mark
“Don’t,” he ordered firmly with a low growl but the gentleness in his words was unmistakable. “Never think that. It holds no truth in it and never will.”
I blinked, stunned by the intensity in his eyes and the honesty in his words. My cheeks grew warm under his scrutiny and my gut twisted in tingly knots.
“I’m not in pain because I’m repulsed,” he whispered, his thumb brushing my cheek with aching tenderness. “It’s because being near you makes it impossible... to suppress what I’ve been feeling... what I feel now.”
My breath hitched, heat creeping up my neck. There was no lie in his voice, no hesitation in the way he looked at me like I was something precious, something his. Yet the idea was too unrealistic to fathom.
In what reality would anything he said possibly be true?
Slowly, cautiously, I reached up to hold his hand that rested against my cheek. His touch was making it hard to think and it felt like I was falling thoughtlessly into his essence.
But then, it played right in my eyes.
Ethan's face, impossibly close, his lips brushing mine with aching tenderness, a kiss stolen in the quiet sanctuary of my bedroom in the middle of the night.
I gasped softly, realization hitting me like a wave. “It was you?”
Ethan blinked, his eyes fully simmered yet the green glistened brighter than ever. His lips curled into a faint smile that suggested he knew exactly what was going through my mind.
“You remember,” he whispered. His voice boldly expressed his relief and something far more intimate.
My heart pounded in my chest as I searched his gaze, understanding dawning like the breaking of dawn after a long, stormy night.
Ethan kissed me?
I pulled away from him in shock, my eyes wide along with my mouth as I gaped. No words could find its way into coherency in my head as I thought about it.
Before I knew it, I was placed in a small circle in the room, my fingers tugging at the hem of my sweater. My heart felt like it was trying to punch its way out of my chest, and Ethan's gaze followed my every step.
“We?“ I gestured to the space between us with my fingers. He curled a brow up before nodding.
“In my bedroom?“ My pitch hiked up as the question rushed out of my mouth. I ran my hand through my hair, pulling at its roots in contemplation.
We kissed in my bedroom! How did he get there? Why didn't I remember? It was a simple kiss, right?
“Unless it's not,” I muttered to myself, pausing my steps. I shifted my feet to face him once again. “You’re not telling me something,” I blurted. “If we kissed, then tell me. Why don’t I remember it?”
Ethan stayed silent, his jaw tightening. His hands rested on his knees, his posture wary but still calm, like he was afraid any sudden movement might scare me off.
“That's complicated,” he stated with a frown.
“How is it complicated?“ I retorted with my eyes squinted.
“Because it also explains why you were in a coma for a month,” he suddenly revealed, shifting slowly to stand.
I stepped back as he stepped closer. “Did something...happen that wasn't supposed to happen?“ I couldn't help the suspicion in my tone. I wasn't still fully aware and I was terrified.
“I’ll explain,” he said finally, “but you have to sit down. You’re going to drive yourself crazy.”
I folded my arms and stayed rooted where I stood. “I’m fine right here. Just tell me.”
He sighed, stepping back slightly. “The evening you left my house…” His voice wavered, and he hesitated before continuing. “I was in pain—worse than what you saw today. I couldn’t breathe. All I could think about was you. Being near you was the only thing that made sense. So I came to you. Your room.”
“You what?” My arms dropped to my sides, and I stared at him in disbelief. It was clear I didn't invite him in my bedroom but it did complicate things.
“I climbed into your room.” His tone was firm but unrepentant. “You were asleep, and I just… I needed to see you. I told myself I would leave immediately.”
My heart twisted painfully at the thought of him sneaking into my space like that—not out of malice, but because something in him couldn’t bear the distance. “Yet?” I urged him.
Ethan’s eyes softened. “You woke up and the first thing you did was look at your left shoulder.“
“What?“ I frowned deeper. What was wrong with that?
He took a hesitant step closer. “Your ‘birthmark’... it’s not what you think.” His voice dipped lower, shadows flickering in his eyes. “It’s not... a birthmark, Harlyn.”
“Then what is it?“ I bit the bait and asked regardless because I was truly curious as to where he was going with his explanation.
I didn't want to think Ethan was that kind of person to enter a girl's room for illicit reasons yet the more words that came out his mouth, the more I was questioning his character.
However, the notion that he'd harm me felt out of place and nothing in my body, not even my frail heart seemed to believe that he could.
“It’s a mark,” he confessed, his voice trembling with restrained emotion. “A soul bite... from twelve years ago... one your mother begged me to give you. One that has been calling out to me for years.”
My thoughts buzzed, and my brain tried to keep up with his words but I was failing.
“I marked you Harlyn, I tied our souls together.“