The dining hall glittered under soft light, silverware catching glimmers like quiet stars. Yet Selene Aravon barely touched her plate. The roasted lamb, the wine, the rich sauces, normally she would have eaten with polite appetite, but tonight every bite felt heavy, tasteless.
She sat across from Celestine, and it was impossible not to feel watched. Even when Celestine was silent, her presence pressed against Selene like an invisible hand at her throat.
"Selene," Celestine said suddenly, her tone smooth but cutting through the quiet like glass. "You're not eating."
Selene's fork stilled in midair. Her lips parted, then closed. Her cheeks warmed under that steady gaze.
Say something. Don't look weak. Don't let her see through you.
"I… I'm not very hungry," she murmured, lowering her eyes to the tablecloth.
A hum, low and skeptical, slipped from Celestine's lips. "Not hungry or unsettled?"
The words landed heavy. Selene swallowed, her throat dry.
Before she could speak, Elena jumped in, her voice bright and quick. "Mum , she's just tired. I worked her hard with lessons today. Isn't that right, Selene?"
Selene forced a small smile, grateful for the rescue, though her fingers tightened around the fork. "Yes. That must be it."
But Celestine's eyes lingered on her, unblinking, as if she already knew the truth.
Selene shifted under the weight of it. Why is she looking at me like that? As if she can hear the thoughts I'm not saying.
Elena laughed lightly, cutting through the tension. "Really, Mum, don't scare her. She was wonderful today. I've never understood geometry so easily in my life!"
Celestine leaned back in her chair, still watching Selene. "If she teaches as she eats, then I hope you learned enough."
The remark was calm, almost casual, but it slid under Selene's skin like a blade hidden in silk.
Elena pouted, reaching for Selene's hand across the table. "Mum, stop teasing. Selene is amazing."
Selene managed a quiet laugh, but her chest tightened. She had attended dozens of business dinners, had smiled at powerful men twice her father's age without flinching but this was different. Celestine's voice, her eyes, her silence between words —everything pulled her apart in ways she couldn't explain.
By the time dessert was served, Selene had barely eaten more than a few polite bites. She set her fork down with trembling hands, hiding it with a sip of water.
Outside, the rain began to fall, tapping softly against the windows.
"I should probably leave before it worsens," Selene said, her voice careful.
Celestine's reply came immediately. "No."
Selene blinked. "I....pardon?"
"You'll stay," Celestine repeated, tone calm but unmovable.
Elena lit up, clapping her hands. "Yes! Stay the night, Selene. Please."
Thunder rolled in the distance, low and deep. The room seemed to tilt with Celestine's words, with the storm outside. Selene opened her mouth to protest, but one look at Celestine's eyes—steady, commanding, leaving no space for refusal—and the words dissolved.
Her shoulders dropped. "Alright."
Elena smiled triumphantly. Celestine only raised her glass again, as if the matter had been settled before Selene even spoke.
---
Later, in the guest room, Selene lay awake staring at the ceiling. The storm outside had grown wild—rain racing down the glass, lightning slicing the night, thunder shuddering through the walls.
She turned onto her side, clutching the covers, but her body wouldn't still. You're fine. It's only a storm. Don't be foolish.
Another flash lit the room, followed by a deafening crack. She gasped, pressing her hands to her ears. Her heart pounded.
She hated storms. She always had.
Finally, unable to endure it, she rose and slipped barefoot into the hallway. Her steps were soft, guided by dim light, but her breath shook.
And then she saw her.
Celestine. Standing at the far end, a glass of water in her hand, her robe brushing her ankles, her presence commanding even in the shadows.
Selene froze, her stomach tightening. She should turn back. She should go hide. But Celestine's eyes found her before she could.
"Selene?" The name left her lips like a command more than a question. "Why are you out of bed?"
Selene's lips trembled. "I… the storm…."
Another thunderclap split the air, and Selene flinched violently, her hands flying up to cover her ears. Without thinking, she stumbled forward, straight into Celestine's arms.
She buried her face against her shoulder, trembling. No. This is wrong. You can't— But Celestine's warmth was undeniable, steady and strong against the chaos outside.
Her hand stroked Selene's back, firm, grounding. Her voice dropped, velvet and absolute. "Enough. You're safe now."
Selene's tears burned behind her eyes. Safe. The word felt dangerous on Celestine's tongue.
Before she could gather her breath, Celestine swept her up, carrying her as though she weighed nothing.
Selene clung to her shoulders, caught between shame and relief, between denial and surrender. Her heart pounded louder than the storm as Celestine carried her into the darker, heavier air of her own room.
When she was laid gently against dark sheets, Celestine's command came low and sure:
"Lie down."
Selene obeyed.
And when Celestine slipped beside her, one arm circling her waist with slow certainty, the storm outside no longer seemed so terrifying.
What frightened her now was how much she wanted to stay.
---
The storm roared louder as the night deepened, rain thrashing against the tall windows of the mansion, thunder shaking the walls as if the heavens themselves were splitting apart. But inside Celestine's bedroom, the chaos was muted—distant, like a beast kept at bay.
Selene lay tense in Celestine's arms, her small frame trembling. At first, she thought she would never relax, that her body would resist the foreign closeness. But then Celestine's voice came—low, velvet, steady.
"Shhh…" Celestine cooed, her breath brushing against Selene's hair. Her hand stroked slowly down her back, firm but gentle. "Enough, little one. It's only thunder. It can't touch you here."
Selene clutched the silk of Celestine's robe, pressing her face against her chest. Her heart raced. How can she sound like this? As if she commands even the storm to quiet down.
Celestine's arms tightened, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them. Selene let out a shaky breath, and before she could stop herself, she whispered, "Don't let me go…"
The words slipped out raw, almost childlike. Selene wanted to bite them back immediately, but Celestine only answered with a soft, dangerous hum.
"I won't."
Her voice carried no hesitation.
Selene felt her cheeks burn. What am I saying? Why does it feel so safe here… so wrong and yet… right?
Celestine lowered her head slightly, lips near Selene's temple. She spoke in that same commanding softness, "Sleep. You're safe."
And Selene, as if bewitched, let her eyes flutter shut.
---
But for Celestine, sleep did not come.
She lay still, Selene pressed against her, breathing deeply now, the storm outside forgotten in her slumber. The girl had curled instinctively closer, her hand resting lightly against Celestine's collarbone, her face tucked beneath her chin.
With each breath, Selene's warm exhale brushed against Celestine's skin, slow and steady. It was unbearable—this innocence, this closeness.
She doesn't know. She has no idea what she's doing to me.
Celestine closed her eyes tightly, her jaw clenched. She was not a woman who lost control, not to storms, not to people, not to anything. Yet here was Selene, wrapped in her arms, melting her discipline one breath at a time.
At one point, Selene stirred in her sleep and shifted closer. Her nose brushed Celestine's neck, her lips nearly grazing the curve of her throat. Her breath tickled there, maddening in its softness.
Celestine's fingers curled into the sheets. Her body was tense with restraint.
Enough. You're being foolish.
She slipped out of the bed carefully, her movements precise so as not to wake Selene. The cold air of the room hit her immediately, but it wasn't enough. She needed more.
The bathroom was vast, marble and glass, lit only by faint golden sconces. Celestine turned the handle, and icy water cascaded into the bath. She stepped in without hesitation.
The shock of it ripped the heat from her skin, stealing her breath, grounding her back into herself. She leaned against the edge, eyes closed, letting the chill bite through her restraint.
Control, Celestine. You are not ruled by storms. Not by weakness. Not even by her.
When she returned, her robe clinging damply to her shoulders, Selene was curled tightly in the middle of the bed, hugging the pillow that still carried Celestine's warmth. The sight made her chest twist.
She slipped back in, careful, though Selene's body moved instinctively toward her the moment she lay down. Within seconds, Selene was pressed against her again, her breath brushing Celestine's collarbone this time.
Celestine stared at the ceiling, her arm tightening around Selene's waist without conscious thought. She listened to the storm outside, to the steady rhythm of Selene's breathing.
And for the first time in years, Celestine felt her guard slipping—not in public, not in battle, but here, in the quiet intimacy of a storm-lit night.
---
By dawn, the storm had eased into silence. The rain softened, the thunder distant, leaving only the faint drip of water from the eaves.
Selene stirred, her lashes fluttering as she blinked against the pale morning light. The first thing she noticed was warmth—then the absence of it.
The space beside her was empty.
Her hand moved across the sheets, finding only cool fabric where Celestine had been. Her chest tightened strangely, though she couldn't explain why.
The pillow still carried her scent—faint, expensive, intoxicating. The memory of strong arms around her, of a voice whispering comfort, clung to her more tightly than any storm could.
She sat up slowly, her hair mussed, her cheeks still flushed from sleep. For a long moment she simply stared at the untouched side of the bed.
She was here. She held me. I wasn't dreaming.
Her heart raced again, not from fear now, but from something she couldn't name.
---
When Selene finally left the room, the mansion was quiet, the storm's aftermath lingering in the mist outside. She found no trace of Celestine in the halls.
It was as though the woman had vanished with the storm, leaving behind nothing but questions… and the memory of her embrace that Selene knew she would carry long after the rain had dried.
---