Chapter 36: You’re toying with me!!
But Xalor couldn’t stop himself and leaned in; the familiar scent of him wafted up to him. It was a scent he both detested and found oddly compelling. Despite the rage building within him, he inhaled deeply, trying to break the mix of emotions it stirred. The scent was a bittersweet echo of their past, a reminder of what once was, now twisted into something painfully saddening.
But unaware of all his emotions, Cassian, who was pinned helplessly against the wall, was on the brink of emotional collapse. He had been heading back to his quarters silently; his mind was filled with numerous thoughts.
He didn’t know when this unknown figure had appeared from nowhere. The oppressive aura of murderous intent pressed down on him, making it hard for him to breathe, and the hold on his neck was painfully tight. The place where Xalor’s hand gripped him burned with a strange, searing heat, a sensation that left Cassian feeling both confused and frightened.
This is a pure nightmare, Cassian thought as he felt the man’s breath on his face. What kind of sick joke is this? Why is he so close, and why does his touch feel so... unsettlingly? The sensation of Xalor’s breath against his cheek, the warmth mingled with the intense pressure, and all—it was just too overwhelming for him.
He really doesn’t know how to respond or from where this man came from. And why he had pin him on the wall. Like he had stolen something precious from him, and he couldn’t wait to extinguish the very life of him.
Cassian shuddered uncontrollably when he felt something gazing on his cheeks. He was unable to clearly see Xalor’s face through the blur of his tears and the overpowering sense of dread.
The close proximity made Cassian feel incredibly exposed; every breath Xalor took against his skin made him shiver. The touch of Xalor’s nose on his cheek was both unsettling and strange.
In a low, husky voice, barely audible but clear to Cassian, Xalor asked, "Why did you come back? Why can’t you leave me alone? Leave me! I can live without you."
Cassian was stunned by the pain in Xalor’s voice. His tears stopped for a moment, and his heart ached painfully, though he didn’t understand why. His lips moved to answer, but no sound came out. He was silent, his struggles fading away as he listened to the tortured voice.
Cassian’s throat felt dry; his voice caught in a knot of fear and confusion. His mind raced, but no words would come. The intense pressure on his neck and the heat from Xalor’s touch made it hard to think clearly. The anguish in Xalor’s voice was like a cold dagger, piercing through his resolve and leaving him paralyzed.
Xalor’s grip seemed to tighten slightly, but his voice remained low and broken. "You don’t understand what you’ve done," he murmured, the words laced with a mix of sorrow and desperation. "You always come back, but you never really stay. It’s like you’re toying with me, only to disappear again."
Cassian could feel the trembling in Xalor’s voice, a stark contrast to the earlier menace. He tried to focus on the words, to grasp their meaning, but his own fear clouded his thoughts. The touch that once burned now seemed almost gentle, as if Xalor were trying to hold on to something that was slipping away.