The planet beneath them felt alive, the air heavy with the scent of something ancient, something that had been waiting. Mae stepped off the ship first, her boots crunching against the soft, foreign soil. Her heart was still racing from the journey, but there was something else, something simmering just beneath the surface.
Lucien followed behind her, his footsteps silent, but there was an undeniable tension between them now. The planet stretched out before them, the landscape foreign and alien, but Mae couldn't shake the feeling that everything had changed.
It wasn't just the world around her. It was him.
The way his presence seemed to wrap around her, the weight of his gaze always lingering just out of reach. Mae hadn't realized how much it affected her until now, how much she needed to close that gap between them, to feel the distance shrink.
"Are we just going to stand here?" Mae asked, her voice louder than she meant as she turned back toward him. Her breath uneven, betraying the tension in her chest.
Lucien didn't answer immediately. His gaze locked with hers, unspoken words heavy in the air between them. He looked at her like he was trying to read her, trying to understand the pull that had grown between them, something Mae couldn't ignore anymore.
"Mae," Lucien said, his voice low and steady. He stepped closer to her, the space between them narrowing. The air around them felt charged now, every movement filling the room with an invisible current, pulling them together. His hand brushed against hers, and the world seemed to stop.
Her breath hitched. "You know what this is," he continued, his eyes never leaving hers. "You feel it too. The connection. The pull. The inevitability."
Mae didn't answer. She couldn't. Her heart was pounding too hard to hear anything else. But in that moment, she knew he was right. She had felt it, the way he always seemed to understand her, the way she could never pull away from him. It wasn't just the darkness that surrounded them; it was him. He was the force she couldn't escape.
Her chest tightened, and before she could stop herself, she stepped into him, closing the last bit of distance. Lucien's hands came to her waist, pulling her close, the heat of his body searing through her. His mouth hovered just inches from hers, and she could feel the way he was holding back, waiting for her permission.
Mae couldn't wait anymore. She tilted her head up and closed the gap between them, her lips crashing against his.
At first, it was slow, tentative, an unspoken question. Then the kiss deepened, and Mae felt everything inside her shift. Every hesitation, every doubt, melted away under the weight of him. He tasted like everything she had wanted, everything she had needed. There was no more space between them, no more distance, just the pull that had always been there, waiting.
Lucien's hands tightened on her, pulling her closer. Mae's fingers tangled in his hair, tugging him closer, deepening the kiss. The world seemed to stop as they stood there, wrapped up in each other, the heat between them growing. Mae's pulse raced, igniting something deep inside her. She didn't want to fight it anymore. She didn't want to fight him.
When they pulled apart, their breaths ragged, Lucien's eyes were dark, filled with desire and something deeper, something that mirrored the darkness inside her.
"I knew you'd come to me," Lucien murmured, his voice thick with everything unsaid. Mae didn't respond at first. She was still trying to catch her breath, still grounded in the reality of what had just happened. But she knew. This was the point of no return.
"I'm here," she whispered, shaky but certain. "I've always been here." Lucien's lips twitched into the smallest of smiles. For the first time in what felt like forever, Mae saw something lighter in his gaze.
"Then let's stop running," he said, his hand brushing against her cheek. "We're in this together now. No more hiding."
Mae nodded, the weight of his words settling into her chest. She didn't know what the future held. She didn't know what the war would bring. But one thing was clear now, there was no going back. Whatever came next, they would face it together.
Mae felt the tension between them growing, pulsing with every beat of her heart. The heat of his body close to hers exhilarated her. Every inch of her skin felt alive. Every breath seemed heavier. The kiss had ignited something in her, a spark she couldn't ignore.
Lucien's lips trailed down her neck, sending a shiver through her spine. She gasped, fingers tightening in his hair, urging him on. His hands slipped to her back, pulling her in so tightly she could feel every hard line of him against her. Her breath caught, her pulse racing.
For a moment, she forgot everything, the war, the uncertainty, the fear. All that mattered was him, the overwhelming pull between them, the way he made her feel. Every touch seemed to speak louder than words, telling her more than anything else could. It was like a language they shared, a silent understanding neither could deny.
Lucien pulled back just for a moment, his forehead resting against hers, both of them breathing heavily, as if trying to catch their breath. He was staring at her, his eyes dark and intense, filled with something Mae couldn't quite place.
"You're sure?" Lucien's voice was low, almost a growl, but soft with something else. "Because once we cross this line, there's no going back." Mae's heart hammered in her chest. But as she looked into his eyes, she knew. There was no room for doubt.
"I'm sure," she whispered, her voice trembling with the weight of everything.
With that, the world around them seemed to fade. Mae felt herself being lifted, her body instinctively responding to his as she wrapped her arms around him. His hands roamed, pulling her closer. The space between them vanished, the heat of their bodies merging into one.
Lucien kissed her again, deeper this time, his touch urgent. Mae responded eagerly, her hands tracing the lines of his chest, feeling the tension that ran through him. She had never felt more alive, more in tune with everything around her. The need, the hunger, the connection, it was all consuming.
His lips parted from hers, and he whispered her name, his voice rough. "Mae."
The sound of it sent a thrill through her. She wanted more, needed more, but as the moment stretched between them, Mae knew they were no longer just two people trapped in the middle of a war. They were something more.
Her body pressed into his, and the kiss deepened once more. The world outside seemed far away in this moment.
But as they continued, moving together, Mae couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted. The darkness, the unknown, and their connection, it was all leading to something bigger, something that would change everything.