Call Of The Dark

The scent of sandalwood was so strong that she couldn't understand who he was. Her heart was hammering against her chest threatening to leap out of her throat. This was it. This would be her kiss in this tent. She prayed to God silently.

Whoever held her strongly against him, pulled her somewhere. Her fingers trailed to his chest and she realized that it was heaving. Her fingers trailed further up to find his face. And the moment she did that his body froze under her soft touch. She became nervous. Her fingers went to the soft fabric of his tunic until she reached his neck. She halted in her movements, afraid and feeling thrilled at the same time.

His hands remained at her lower back and then slipped to her hips. He squeezed them and then lowered his face to her side. His warm breath fell over her skin and her lips parted. Her fingers trailed further up and she found herself caressing the jawline.

"Who were you thinking you would kiss, Emma?" Lazarus's deep baritone voice came as a whisper in her ears.

A lump formed in her throat as a thousand butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She swallowed down the lump. She was intoxicated in his presence. She felt she would lose herself completely in his embrace. Her fingers traveled to his chin and she grazed his stubble and traced his jawline that could cut a glass. "Lazarus…" she murmured.

"Yes, that's me or were you expecting someone else?" His grip on her hips and waist tightened as he pressed her against his body hard.

She should have felt afraid, but she felt a thrill rushing down her body. She wanted to say something but before she could say anything, his lips were on hers. Electricity jolted her body as her skin prickled with goosebumps. Heat gushed to her core and she leaned forward, deepening the kiss and thanking god that it was him.

His lips were harsh, unyielding, as if full of rage. He opened her mouth and slid his tongue inside, colliding with hers. A small moan escaped her mouth which he absorbed in his mouth. Her world spun as her head became dizzy with the want of air. His hands on her hips kneaded her as his tongue devoured her hungrily. It was as if he couldn't get enough of her.

Her stomach coiled with a growing and burning need as the butterflies in her belly came to her chest making her heart thump faster.

When he pulled away, she was gasping for air. She collapsed against his chest and rested her face there for a while. "I was—" she said.

He had rested his chin over her head, panting hard. "Shhh…"

"Alright!" Zelda's voice sounded loud. "You can take out your blindfolds and see who you have kissed!"

All at once, his hands slipped away from her. He took a step back and Emma whimpered in the loss of warmth and heat as a cool breeze hit her face. Even the butterflies in her chest stopped fluttering. It was as if someone had thrown a bucket full of ice. She reached up her blindfold and frantically took it down to see him but she found herself looking at the boys and girls who were giggling or laughing.

He had traced away.

Emma's eyes became moist as her chest squeezed with an ache. Emotions swirled in her and she couldn't even speak. She felt that she was left… alone.

"Emma!" Olya's excited voice fell on her ears. She came to grab both her hands and said, "You know what?"

Emma tightened her lips in a thin line as she put on her best smile. "What happened? Who kissed you?"

Olya clasped her hands and looked up dreamily. "I don't know! But whoever kissed me was gone the next moment! I—" she was breathless. "I was shaking in his kiss. And he was so good!"

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "Who could that be?" she asked.

Olya became stiff. "I—I don't know…" she said in a soft voice.

When they came out, they found Yul standing and waiting for them looking extra peeved, with his arms crossed across his chest. He narrowed his gaze on Emma and studied her face. She was flushed and her lips were swollen. His nostrils flared in anger. He didn't even look at Olya who was boisterous. All around them were happy couples who were mingling with each other and talking and laughing.

"Foolish young lovebirds!" he snorted.

"Why?" Emma said. She chuckled. "Did you find your lover there?"

Yul remembered the mare he saw and a shudder passed through him. "No!" he snapped arrogantly. "I didn't kiss anyone. It was a useless exercise, simply a waste of time!"

"Really?" Olya was surprised. "But you were too eager to get inside. You spent one hour with us in the line to get in!"

Yul's face turned red but he had to hide his disappointment. "That was just to accompany you girls." When he recalled how he bumped into someone and then spun in a totally different direction, he wanted to get hold of that man and rip his throat. And he got bumped twice. Giving Emma a suspicious look, he asked, "Did someone—" he coughed. "Ahem— kiss you?"

Emma blushed a deep pink. "Yes…" she muttered under her breath.

Yul stopped, going stiffer than a rod. "Who the fuck kissed you?" he spat.

How could she reveal? She lowered her head and walked past him.

---

Lazarus was too uneasy in Zeph. Even though he was in the midst of consultation with the oracle, he could feel that something was about to happen. His heart was thrumming so fast that he couldn't concentrate. He just traced back to his room in the castle and found that Emma wasn't there. He traced to the tent where Cain and the rest were there. He was there only for a split second in which only Magnus was able to see him. But Lazarus traced from there too with Magnus following him and leaving everyone wondering as to what just happened.

"Where is she?" he growled at him.

"In the Kissing Tent!" he replied.