Sam, not taking his gaze off the girl, slowly pulled off his T-shirt. His body was perfect, toned muscles, a flat stomach with a trail of hair and a tattoo. His eyes looked bold and passionate, and his hair was hopelessly tangled.
He slowly approached her. Confident, sexy, dangerous. Blood thumped in her temples, and desire, thick and hot, flowed through her belly.
– Seems like this outfit is unnecessary now, – he said and with one light movement untied the shoelace holding the hospital shirt together.
The torn fabric immediately fell away, exposing her breasts and part of her belly.
– If you only knew what I want to do with you.
Lina's breath caught at his words. She felt like a mouse in front of a powerful python. Frozen by his poison and hungry gaze.
Sam traced his finger along her cheek, down to her chin. After a few, maddeningly long moments, the man leaned down to Lina, his lips, confident and unhurried, fused with hers.
The girl felt muscles somewhere deep inside her contract with sweet desire. She wanted him to pounce on her, to take her immediately, roughly, but instead, the dark one stretched the pleasure, moving as slowly as possible. He wrapped his arms around her, one hand buried in her hair, while the other traveled to her waist, then lower – to her buttocks. The dark one squeezed them softly, and the girl couldn’t hold back a moan. She could feel his erection, struggling to contain her feelings. Hormones surged in her head and body. Irresistible desire for closeness was driving her crazy.
Unable to restrain herself, the girl touched Sam's chest. She dug her nails into him, feeling his taut muscles and powerful heartbeat.
The man abruptly pulled away from the kiss, knelt down, squeezed her thighs with his hands, and touched her stomach with his tongue. He traced amazing burning patterns on her body, moving lower... lower... and lower...
The girl clutched at his hair; it felt strange and embarrassing to see Sam before her on his knees, she knew what he wanted to do. She wanted it but was also afraid of it.
The man looked up at her from below; his gaze burned through her. Without breaking eye contact, he slowly leaned forward and pressed his tongue between her legs. A hoarse moan escaped the girl’s throat, and a sweet pleasure rippled through her entire body. She felt his tongue, his lips – there. And it intoxicated her like the strongest drug.
Sam savored her slowly, his hands firmly squeezing her buttocks. And with every movement and kiss, Lina felt more and more pleasure. The man didn’t stop; he quickened his pace, sensing that the girl was about to reach her peak of pleasure. She could barely stand on her feet, unable to endure the seductive torture, and when Sam pressed harder – she couldn’t take it anymore, reaching the highest point of bliss. The girl melted into endless moments of pleasure, pulsing in waves of ecstasy.
Wet with saliva, sweating from the process, Lina couldn’t catch her breath; her heart raced with happiness, while her thoughts were in a complete mess and confusion. The only thing she now understood clearly: this was incredible!
She opened her eyes and saw Sam, who with a lewd smile was watching her reaction.
– Did you like it? – he asked shamelessly.
– Yes, – Lina confessed. – But you...
– I love torturing myself. Let’s go.
He picked up the shoelace from the ground, tied her hospital shirt again. Then he grabbed two bundles of firewood and, illuminating the path with the flashlight, walked back to the car. Lina trailed behind him. Her legs were still weak, and her head was full of chaos.
* * *
Near the car, Nathan was bent over some dry branches. He had formed them into a pyramid and was now trying to start a fire using a lighter.
– Nathaniel, – Sam smirked ironically. – Have you completely lost your mind? Forgotten about the power of words?
Sam threw their firewood into the common pile and said:
– Ignis.
Immediately the branches ignited, forming a hot and bright flame.
– You know it's not advisable to misuse that, – Nathan complained indignantly.
– As if I care, – the man smiled. – Sit down, Lina.
Samael took a jacket from the car and laid it down near the fire, ensuring the flames wouldn’t burn but would warm instead.
– You two were gone for a long time.
Lina, avoiding Nathan's direct gaze, settled onto the offered couch and focused on watching the flames’ tongues. A flush rose to her face, though it was unclear whether from the fire's heat or from the embarrassment of the oral sex she had just had with Sam a few minutes ago.
– We got held up, – Sam said, sitting down near the girl.
– Why? – Nathan pressed on.
– Natural needs, – Sam replied ambiguously.
Fortunately, Nathan decided not to clarify what exactly Sam meant. He presumably dismissed it as banal physiological processes.
– You know what I’m curious about? – Lina suddenly said, trying to steer the topic into safer waters.
– What? – Sam asked.
– Two questions. First – what’s up with that ritual murder? And second – why do I need guides at all? And two of them, at that.
– The murder is complicated. It was done not by the dark ones but by some organization or religious sect. I found out everything I could and passed the case to my brother, – Nathaniel explained. Well, and as for us...
– Each has their own goal, – came Sam’s quiet voice.
His face darkened at the mention of the mission, and a tense crease formed on his forehead.
– My goal is to watch Samael’s actions, – Nathan said.
– And what’s your goal, Sam? – Lina asked.
– You won’t like the answer.
The man looked at the girl, their gazes crossed. Everything disappeared: the fire, the stars, the moonlight, the grim silhouettes of trees. Only the silent battle of their eyes remained. The dark one didn’t want to reveal what Lina already suspected. But now she wanted to hear the truth from him.
– There are many things in this life I dislike, but I have no choice. Come on, tell me, – the girl said.
– My goal is to make you fulfill what the order has taught since childhood.
– You mean suicide?
– Yes, – Sam finally looked away.
His face was covered in shadows, and his lips became a thin tight line.
– So, if at the last moment I change my mind and want to flee, you won’t let me do that. Is that correct? – Lina continued her interrogation in a colorless voice.
– Yes.
– So you’ll throw me into the abyss or kill me in some other way?
– I haven’t thought about that yet.
– No, you tell me, I just want to know, how exactly will I die?
– I haven’t thought about it yet! – Sam snapped, and the girl instantly fell silent.
Something burned inside her, whether it was resentment or the realization of the absurdity of the situation. She knew the order would take care of everything. In any case, they would throw her into the infernal flames, whether she wanted it or not. But convincing herself that this was a sacred mission, a chance to save the world, to become a true hero... This was what sustained the illusion of the nobility of her act. But the longer the journey went on, the more these convictions faded within her. Instead, fear of death and a desire to flee arose. And also the understanding that it would be Sam who would do it...
This made Lina want to cry out loud. He stole her heart the moment she left the estate. And realizing he would be the one to kill her... It tore her soul apart.
– You won’t feel anything. It will happen quickly; the hellish flames are the only way in the world to die instantly with no chance of survival, – Nathan tried to comfort her.
– What will happen if I don’t die? Where did this theory even come from if I’m immortal? After all, the scripture says nothing about this.
– The theory didn’t arise without reason. It’s quite logical to think that at the moment when you gain your own power, any boundaries and protections will vanish. I believe there will be just a few seconds when you will be vulnerable. But that’s enough to kill you and prevent the apocalypse, – the light one replied, warming his hands by the flame.
Lina didn’t ask anything else. She lay back on the grass, looking at the myriad of stars. Her gaze sank among the silver glow and infinite darkness. Even though she wasn’t looking at Sam now, she could sharply feel his presence. Her entire soul reached out to that cruel, prickly man. She wanted to embrace him, gaze into his eyes, wake up together in the morning and fall asleep at night. But instead, she had to tense in silence and try not to think about the end of this story.
A dark cloud covered the moon. Suddenly, everything around became completely dark, as if all sources of light had stopped performing their main function at once.
– What’s happening? – Nathaniel asked, and the air hissed loudly, as if someone poured water onto an overheated frying pan.
– Run, Lina! – Sam yelled.
The girl sprang up suddenly, trying to comprehend what was happening. Around her, it was as if black smoke had been blown in, and she couldn’t see anything. Only dozens of dark silhouettes were running back and forth. Suddenly, one silhouette quickly approached her, and she felt a burning sting in her neck.
The substance spread instantaneously throughout her body, and everything before her eyes swam. The forest dissolved in a whirlwind of dim colors, and then the world vanished.
* * *
**"Ignis" – Fire;**