Dusk's Embrace

CHAPTER 10- UNEXPECTED KISS

"Arrgghh!!!" Alice winced as another hard kick came from Coral.

She had endured countless kicks and blows from them, each one more painful than the last. Breathing had become a struggle as the pain constricted her chest.

Despite her efforts to summon her magic, it proved feeble against their formidable powers.

"How do you love that little bitch?" Coral said, gripping Alice's chin. "Not as sweet as his d*ck felt inside you, huh?" She smirked, and Alice mustered the strength to spit in her face.

"You're insane! Get your filthy hands off me" She managed to weakly protest and Coral slapped her forcefully, causing blood to spurt from her mouth.

"She wants to die" a girl chuckled sadistically.

"And she's going to die" Coral responded wickedly, reaching for a whip.

As Alice observed Coral raise the whip, she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the worst moment of her life.

"Don't you dare bring that down!" a voice echoed with authority, cutting through the tense atmosphere. All eyes turned toward the source, and even Alice opened her eyes.

"Baby!" Coral called out, rushing towards him.

"Don't you dare touch me" Phoenix spat, blocking her reaching hand.

The girls hung their heads in shame and fear.

"What's wrong, baby?" Coral managed to ask, her voice trembling.

"You dare to ask that?" Phoenix glared fiercely, causing Coral to nervously swallow. "How could you do that to her?" he shouted.

"I'm sorry, please don't take it personally" Coral pleaded, attempting to touch him, but he slapped her hand away and walked towards the defenseless Alice.

Giving her a stoic look, he bent down and gently scooped her into his arms, sending shockwaves through everyone present.

Phoenix walked past Coral, leaving her dumbfounded and reeling from the unexpected turn of events. Everything felt surreal to her, but it was all too real.

<PHOENIX'S ROOM>

Phoenix watched over Alice as she slept soundly on his bed, her breathing was steady and peaceful. The wounds he had tended to were slowly healing. Seeing her eyelashes flutter, indicating the return of consciousness, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Gradually, her eyes opened, revealing a dazed and confused expression as she took in her surroundings.

"You finally decided to wake up" he said and Alice turned to meet his gaze, her eyes searching for answers.

"Where am I?" she inquired, her voice laced with curiosity as she slowly sat up.

"You're in my room, silly" Phoenix replied.

"Huh?" She gasped and turned to see there was no one else in there.

A sense of unease washed over her immediately, knowing clearly who he was.

"Relax! I don't mess with innocent girls" Phoenix reassured her, sensing her tension and Alice's head lowered slightly in shyness.

"Are you still feeling any pain?" he asked calmly, genuine concern evident in his voice.

"A little" she replied.

"You'll feel much better soon" Phoenix assured her.

"Thank you" Alice whispered.

"There's no need to thank me. I was the reason you ended up in such a state" Phoenix admitted.

"You don't know the rule of life, do you?" he said.

"What rule?" She asked, staring at him with confusion.

"You have to be a predator to survive" he stated and the weight of his statement caused Alice to blink.

"Rest here for a while till you regain the strength to leave" Phoenix said, breaking the silence that had settled between them.
Alice nodded gently and obeyed his words.

As she settled back on the bed, her mind began to drift, remembering how he had saved her earlier.

She's very grateful that he had stepped in at the right time.

<REVA'S ROOM>

Just like most nights, Reva went out of school for another thrilling adventure. As she made her way back into her room, she was looking forward to a relaxing bath before bed.

Stepping into her bathroom, Reva froze in shock at the sight before her. There, in her bathtub, was Lucien fast asleep in the water. Confusion mixed with anger swelled inside her, and she wasted no time in expressing it.

"What the fuck are you doing in my bathroom?" Reva stormed towards him.

Lucien slowly opened his eyes, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"You're back, Red" he said, his tone strangely calm.

As the gruesome scene of what he did earlier flashed into her mind, she swallowed hard, a sense of unease settling in.

"You don't have to be scared. Everyone else can see my dark side, but not you" he smiled mischievously.

"Scared my foot! Didn't you hear my question?" She glared at him.

"I think you should reduce your voice" Lucien replied casually, and Reva suddenly realized she was being too loud. Loud enough that someone might hear their argument.

"I want you to take your perverted self out of my bathroom right now" she ordered firmly.

"I'm not leaving" he replied sternly. "Besides, it's very comfortable here" he smirked.

"Fine. I'll get rid of you myself" Reva declared defiantly.

She reached out to pull Lucien out of the tub, but to her surprise, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her towards him, causing her to lose her balance and land on his chest.

Reva's eyes widened in shock as she found herself lying on top of Lucien, their bodies now intimately close. She quickly raised her head and frowned.

"You pervert!" She screamed and hit him hard on the shoulder.

"Careful, Red" Lucien warned, a smug smile tugging at his lips. "Don't forget you're still on a towel" he added, pointing out the fact that her cleavage was now slightly exposed.

Panicking, Reva attempted to scramble off him, but he held her back, preventing her from escaping. She tried to change into her clothes using magic, but Lucien's hold made her unable to do so.

"What are you doing?" She furrowed her brows.

"I'm simply enjoying the view" Lucien replied with a sly grin and Reva shot him a hateful glare.

"Release me right now!" she demanded, her frustration reaching its peak.

"You don't want anyone to hear you, do you?" Lucien taunted.

"Do I look like I care?" She spat.

"Very well then, I hope you don't mind if I moan your name and make the walls very thin so that everyone can hear the sound" he said.

"You won't dare!" She challenged and he smirked.

"Fuck! Re..."

"Shut that trap up!" She glared, cutting the moan off by closing his mouth.

"You're different from other girls" Lucien muttered with a smile cause he noticed she hadn't blushed desperate the fact she was sitting on his lap.

"Let go of me and get out of my room before I do something you'll regret."

Lucien ignored her warning and did something that left her speechless and frozen without magic.

He closed the distance between them and kissed her neck.