Page 42 of Semper
My heart raced. I looked up at him as he drew back, waiting for me to give in, to surrender just a little more. Unsure of what I’d get in return, I kissed him anyway.
I stretched up, my body moving toward his like it was on autopilot. With the height difference between us, I had to stand on my toes, my balance already faltering. Alexander didn’t miss a beat.
His hand slid to the center of my back, pressing gently to steady me, while his other hand cradled the back of my head. His fingers threaded through my hair, pulling me closer as his lips met mine.
At first, the kiss was soft, controlled—a mere brush of lips that was meant to coax me in, to ease me into his rhythm, but it didn’t stay that way. The gentleness evaporated in a heartbeat. His hold on me tightened, pulling me against him with an urgency that made my stomach dip. I could feel the heat radiating off him, the possessiveness behind every movement, every shift of his body.
The kiss deepened, spiraling out of control as I melted into him. It was a claim, a reminder of who I belonged to. His mouth was demanding, consuming, like he was trying to pull me deeper into him, into the life I wasn’t sure I had the strength to resist anymore.
My hands clung to him, fingers gripping the fabric of his suit as his tongue brushed against mine, sending a shock of heat through me. Every part of me reacted to him, betraying the part of my mind that was still trying to hold on to something beyond him. He broke the kiss, but not by much. His lips hovered just above mine. His beautiful eyes had a predatory gleam in them as they searched my face. “You can greet me like that every time I come home from now on."
Before I could respond, he fluffed my hair playfully. “Come on,deliciae,” he murmured, his voice low and coaxing, leadingme toward the kitchen. Once we reached the sleek marble island, he gently placed me on a barstool, then loosened his tie in one fluid motion. “I want to make something clear before I say anything else,” he said, his eyes locking onto mine.
“You no longer have a boss. There is no man above you—other than myself, of course.”
I blinked, momentarily caught off guard. I hadn't expected his possessiveness to extend to my past job, to that part of my life that I had thought was separate from all this, but then Alexander had been a part of that too.
He moved to the liquor cabinet, beginning to make himself his usual drink with methodical precision. I had noticed, over time, that the servitors never did this for him—this small ritual was something he always took care of himself.
“They are our cousins, the Erebus,” he said casually as he poured the liquor over ice, the sound sharp in the quiet kitchen. “And they weave certain ideologies of Impío into their off-Isle operations.”
“Operations?” I echoed, frowning slightly.
He glanced at me as he stirred his drink. “That’s a whole other story, much different than the recruitment chapels being built.”
“Recruitment?” My confusion deepened. “I thought everyone here was...”
“Related?” He finished with a grin, a knowing glint in his eyes.
He was fully aware of what I was still avoiding, the line of thought I hadn’t been ready to confront. “Our people are all rooted to this Isle, yes, but we rotate in long-standing disciples from outside. Fresh blood,” he said with a smirk, “to avoid a batch of children that look like something the Devil shit out.”
I couldn’t help it—I laughed, the sound slipping out despite the dark and twisted nature of his words. It was sick and wrong,but the absurdity of it cracked something in me for just a moment. And when he heard me laugh, Alexander paused, his gaze locking onto mine with an unreadable expression.
"I love that sound," he murmured, a faint smile touching his lips. "Did you know when you laugh or smile, your entire face lights up? It's beautiful." His smile widened slightly, the warmth of it disarming for a moment. "I need to make sure you do it more often." He turned back toward the ice chest, placing the cubes inside with a slow, deliberate movement.
Then, almost as an afterthought, his voice dropped. "The only sound better than that is when I'm inside of you."
My face heated instantly, my skin flushing as his words hit me. There were two sides to him, both dangerously possessive but in diverse ways. The darker, intense side that commanded my submission without question, and this—this softer, yet still relentless version of him that wrapped around me like a velvet snare.
I swallowed, trying to regain my composure.
"Tell me," I began, keeping my voice steady, though my heart raced. "How far does this reach? How much of my life... have you been involved in?"
He paused for a moment, the clink of the ice in the glass the only sound in the room as he processed my question. "I haven’t always known about you," he admitted slowly. "But when I did find out you existed, a few years ago... everything changed. I’ve spent every waking minute since preparing for your arrival on the Isle." His voice was smooth, but the intensity in his eyes betrayed him.
"This house, everything you see around you—it was all built for you. I made sure no other woman could claim we were together, that none of them mattered enough." He smirked, teasing me as his gaze roved over my face. "That one matters to you, doesn’t it?"
Without giving me a chance to respond, he continued, his tone deepening.
"And yes, I made sure you were always somewhere I could have eyes on you. Thatshittyapartment of yours aside." He chuckled, the sound dark and knowing. "But short of burning it to the ground, I knew you'd never buy the idea of moving into the manor I bought a few blocks from the resort."
My eyes widened. "You bought a house... near the resort?"
His grin grew wider, the playful malice in it unmistakable. "And now you know we have another vacation home." He took another sip of his drink and ran a hand through his dark hair. "When I tell you that you were always meant to be mine, it goes beyond the physical, Lolita. From the moment I learned of you, I made sure nothing could stand in the way of that."
He turned away and grabbed another glass, filling it with ice, the soft clinking sound echoing in the quiet room. His words, his revelations, swirled around my mind, tangling with the uncertainty of what I knew and what I still didn’t.We’re tied together by blood.That was the part I couldn’t shake. I swallowed hard, feeling the question rise in my throat, the one I’d been avoiding for so long.
"You told me we’re tied together by blood... but what does that mean?"