Apocalypse: The Dead Lives
Chapter 57: Beneath His Touch

Chapter 57: Beneath His Touch

I should have screamed. I should have reached for the knife I kept in my drawer or called for Ellie.

I should have done something other than just stand there, wrapped in nothing but a towel, staring at the angel in my bathroom.

But I didn’t.

Because the second he looked at me really looked at me, something inside me locked into place. Like I’d been paralyzed from the neck down. I wasn’t afraid- just shocked

Orion smirked like he could hear my thoughts. "You’re not afraid of me."

It wasn’t a question.

I swallowed hard, tightening the towel around me. "Should I be?"

His gaze flickered like he found my response amusing. "Most people would be."

I lifted my chin. "I’m not most people."

His smirk deepened. "No, you’re not."

The way he said those words made my skin prickle like he was peeling back layers I hadn’t even realized I had.

I took a shaky breath, trying to gather myself. "What do you want?"

Orion sighed, his broad shoulders shifting. "You," he said simply.

My stomach flipped. "Excuse me?"

"You disappoint me, Hailey." He tsked, shaking his head. "All that fire, all that potential, and yet you let yourself get caught up in such... petty things." His eyes darkened slightly. "Letting boys fight over you? Running from your power? It’s beneath you."

I stiffened. "I didn’t ask for any of this."

"No," he agreed. "But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s happening." He took a slow step forward, and I could feel the weight of him. His presence alone thickened the air between us.

"I suppose I can’t blame them, though." His eyes flickered over me, taking his time. "I’d fight over you too."

A flush crept up my neck, my skin heating under his gaze. I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to hold his stare. "I’m not a prize to be won."

"Of course not." His voice dropped lower, smoother. "But that doesn’t mean you’re not worth fighting for."

I hated the way my breath caught. The heat in his voice woke something up inside of me, something I hadn’t even realized was there.

I turned sharply, forcing distance between us. "I need to get dressed."

"By all means."

I paused. "Turn around."

He grinned. "No."

My stomach twisted. "Orion."

He lifted his hands. "Fine, fine." He turned, but I could still feel his presence. It was undeniable. He was undeniable.

I moved quickly, pulling on a tank top and shorts, my hands unsteady. But even fully clothed, I still felt bare. Like he could still see through it all.

When I turned back, he was leaning against the sink, arms crossed. Watching me.

He let out a low hum. "Much better. Though, I have to admit..." His gaze flickered over me again. "I preferred the towel."

A spark of irritation flared through me, but it was tangled with something else, something dangerous. I ignored it, crossing my arms. "Are you always this insufferable?"

His grin was infuriating. "Only with people I like."

I exhaled sharply. "You don’t even know me."

His expression shifted, something unreadable flickering in his storm-colored eyes. "Oh, Hailey." He pushed off the counter, stepping closer. "I know exactly who you are."

I forced myself to stay still, even as my heart pounded. "Then tell me."

Orion tilted his head. "You want the truth?"

"Always."

His expression darkened, the teasing edge fading slightly. "You don’t belong with them."

My brows furrowed. "With who?"

"Ronan. Marco. Any of them." His voice was steady, certain. "They’re holding you back. They will hold you back."

My stomach twisted. "That’s not true."

"It is." He took another step, his presence swallowing the space between us.

"You have a role to play, Hailey. A real one. One that doesn’t involve fighting beside them." His voice dropped, and his next words came in a chilling whisper.

"You will fight against them."

I froze. "What?"

"You heard me." He studied me carefully.

"Ronan, Marco, Oliver- they are no longer on the side of the dead." His voice was smooth, certain. "But you? You belong there."

A chill ran through me. "That’s not possible."

He smiled, but there was no humor in it. "You’ll see."

Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy.

Then, in a blur of movement, he was suddenly behind me.

I sucked in a sharp breath as his fingers ghosted along my wrist, his breath warm against my ear.

"You feel it, don’t you?" His voice was barely a murmur.

My breathing was unsteady, my pulse thrumming beneath his touch. "Feel what?"

"The pull." His fingers traced up my arm, slow and deliberate. "The way your body reacts to me. The way your heart races when I’m close."

He smirked against my skin. "And that ache-" his voice dropped lower, teasing "-between your thighs?"

I hated that he was right.

Even now, with everything he was saying, with the warning bells ringing in my head- I felt it.

Felt him.

And it terrified me.

I pulled away, ignoring the way my skin burned where he had touched me. "You’re insane."

He chuckled. "Maybe."

I turned to face him again, my heart still racing. "Why are you really here?"

His smirk softened slightly. "To give you a choice."

I swallowed. "A choice?"

"To embrace what you are." His voice was softer now, but no less intense. "Or fight against it and lose."

My throat was dry. "And what am I?"

Orion smiled.

"You’ll find out soon enough."

I barely had time to process his words before a gust of wind tore through the room again, making the candles flicker wildly.

When I blinked- he was gone.

I stood there, breathing heavily, my skin still tingling, my thoughts racing.

Had that been real? Had he been real?

Or had I just imagined the whole thing?

I wasn’t sure.

But as I glanced at my reflection in the mirror, I saw it.

A single black feather, resting on the floor.

And deep down, I knew.

Orion had been real.

And whatever was coming- whatever I was...

There was no running from it anymore.