Chapter 33: The Thread Between Lifetimes
The room was cold, despite the heavy air pressing against the windows and walls.
It wasn't the sharp bite of winter, nor the stale chill of abandonment; it was something else — something thicker. A breath held too long. A pulse slowed to a crawl. The kind of silence that didn't settle, but hovered. Waiting.
Aria hadn't moved. Not since the last golden flicker faded from her fingertips. She sat perched at the edge of the couch, hands clenched in her lap, as if any movement might disturb the fragile stillness between them.
Her gaze stayed locked on Selene.
On the pale skin that no longer bled. The slack bandage that had come undone without effort. The woman who wore strength like a second skin — even now, even after everything.
Selene reclined against the cushions, posture deceptively casual. But Aria saw what others wouldn't. She noticed the slight tightness in her jaw, the controlled rigidity in her shoulders, the subtle way Selene's fingers brushed — almost absently — over the space where pain used to live.
The silence wasn't empty. It pulsed with everything they hadn't said. With the terror that had clawed its way through Aria's chest when she thought she'd lost her. With the unspoken words pressing like thorns against her tongue.
And with something else.
Something dangerous.
Aria swallowed hard. Her heart thudded painfully against her ribs, a violent drum in the quiet. It felt wrong to speak. But the words were already forming — shaky, trembling.
"It should've been me," she whispered.
The confession escaped before she could choke it back. Like a thread snapped under too much tension.
Selene's head turned sharply, her eyes catching Aria's — and the ice behind them could've frozen fire.
"Don't," Selene said, her voice low, lethal.
"But —"
"No." Sharper now. The kind of sharp that cut without touching. Like the crack of a whip through fog.
Aria flinched, her body curling in on itself. But Selene's gaze softened — not entirely, but enough to let something fractured through.
She sighed. A sound that seemed to come from somewhere deep and long - suffering. Slowly, she shifted her weight, one hand bracing herself as she adjusted her position on the couch. And for the first time, Aria realized how much effort it cost her. Even the simplest movements were measured. Strained.
Her mask was slipping.
Their eyes locked again — and this time, Selene didn't hide.
"I would bleed a thousand times," Selene said, her voice low, reverent, "before I let anything touch you."
The words struck like heat against exposed skin. Aria's breath caught. Her cheeks bloomed red, and she ducked her head, fingers twisting tighter in her lap like she could wring out the feeling swelling inside her.
Selene noticed. Of course she did.
A smile curled at the corners of her lips — sharp, rare, wicked. The kind that made Aria's heart hiccup violently in her chest.
"You're blushing," Selene said, smooth as silk over frost.
Aria's head snapped up, scandalized. "I — I'm not!"
Selene laughed, a low, intoxicating sound that sent a shiver dancing down Aria's spine — not from warmth, but the opposite. Like a breath of night air against bare skin.
"If you say so, little dove."
The nickname made her squirm. Aria pressed her palms to her cheeks, trying to will the heat away, but it was hopeless.
Still, when she peeked through her fingers, Selene wasn't mocking her. She was watching — with quiet intensity. Not cold. Not sharp.
Inviting.
Aria shifted closer without thinking. Their knees brushed. A thrill coursed through her — not from warmth, but from the coolness of Selene's skin, the way her presence seemed to calm and heighten every nerve at once. Her proximity made the world feel sharper. Crisper.
"I can't heal you," Aria murmured, lips parting on a breath. "You're already healed."
Selene tilted her head, feigning consideration. "I might still need a little help."
"Really?" Aria asked, skeptical but intrigued.
"Mmhmm," Selene said, eyes narrowing with playful calculation. "Right here." She tapped her collarbone. "Still aching."
Aria arched a brow. "That's not even remotely believable."
Selene let her hand drift lower, fingers teasing along her ribs. "Here too. And maybe… here."
Aria stared at her. "You're awful."
"Then help me," Selene purred, eyes gleaming.
Aria exhaled, flustered and flushed and helpless. Her fingers trembled as she leaned in — not with magic this time, but with something far more dangerous.
She kissed her.
Soft, at first. A slow brush of lips, trembling with hesitation. But Selene responded immediately — pulling her closer with a quiet sound of approval.
The kiss deepened. Aria's light flared, not golden this time, but subtle, pulsing beneath her skin like a second heartbeat.
Selene chased it. Her mouth coaxed Aria's open, tongue tracing the edge of hers, tasting her slowly. She caught Aria's lower lip between her teeth, nibbling — never harsh, never cruel — just enough to make her gasp.
The cold of Selene's mouth was exquisite. Shocking. It stole Aria's breath and replaced it with something heady and intoxicating.
She melted into it, fingers tangled in dark fabric, knees sliding against Selene's as they leaned into each other. Selene's hand found her hip, not possessive but steady, anchoring. Her thumb stroked circles through the thin fabric of Aria's shirt, sending sparks racing up her spine.
When they finally broke apart, Aria was dazed, breathless, blushing furiously.
Selene let her forehead rest against Aria's. "You taste like fire," she murmured, voice low and amused.
Aria opened her mouth to protest — but Selene silenced her with another kiss.
This one was hungry.
Not rushed. But fierce. A claiming. Aria whimpered against her, overwhelmed by the press of tongue, teeth, the delicious cold against her flushed lips.
When it finally ended, Aria's lips tingled, her chest heaving.
Selene smirked. "Still hurt. Thought I told you."
Aria buried her face in Selene's shoulder, hiding the full crimson of her cheeks against the cool silk of her skin. "You're impossible."
"I know."
Selene's hand slid into her hair, fingers cool and gentle. The silence returned — but this time, it wasn't hovering. It was settled, saturated with something raw and shared.
"You scared me," Aria whispered.
"I know," Selene said softly. "I scared myself."
Her fingers traced lazy lines along Aria's spine, trailing cold fire down her back.
"I thought —" Aria's voice cracked. "I thought I'd lose you."
"You won't." Selene shifted to hold her more fully. "Not while I have breath in me. Not while I can still fight."
Aria pulled back just enough to see her face. "But what if you couldn't?"
Selene paused. Her lips parted — then closed again. Something honest passed through her gaze.
"Then I'd hope," she said finally, "that you'd be there. To carry me. Just like you always do."
Aria's heart clenched. "Always."
They stayed like that — bodies twined, breath mingled. The cool of Selene's skin against the heat still blooming in Aria's cheeks created a strange, electric balance. Neither too much, neither too little.
Just right.
Selene kissed her temple. "Next time," she said, smirking faintly, "maybe I'll let you heal me. Just so you have an excuse to kiss me again."
Aria laughed. The sound came out breathless, light. "As if I need one."
She pulled Selene down into another kiss.
This one wasn't fire or ice.
It was both.