Trapped
~Euphoria~
The heat in my body was becoming unbearable.
I was nearly perspiring.
My muscles were tightening, my skin felt raw, and every inch of me felt strangely sensitive.
It was like I was crawling out of my own body.
I didn’t understand what was happening.
I didn’t understand why I suddenly felt this way.
Then, without warning, I was jerked violently to the side and tossed into a closet.
My senses went on high alert.
Oh my goodness.
Oh no.
What do I do?
Darkness swallowed me whole.
My back slammed against something hard and cold, and before I could even process what was happening, my arms were pinned above my head.
My tiptoes barely touched the floor.
I couldn’t see anything.
I couldn’t see him.
I couldn’t even tell where the door was.
My heart began pounding.
Despite the fear rushing through me, there was something else.
Something stirring deep in the pit of my stomach.
His closeness seemed to soothe the heat burning through my body, yet somehow, it made the fire inside me burn even hotter.
I didn’t understand it.
I didn’t know this person.
I didn’t know what he looked like.
I didn’t know his name.
Yet even in this precarious position, I didn’t feel threatened.
Afraid, yes.
Very afraid.
But not for my life.
For something else entirely.
Something I couldn’t name.
A feeling I’d never experienced before.
A strange sense of familiarity.
Like some hidden part of me recognized him even though my mind didn’t.
I was scared.
But despite being trapped and completely defenseless, the loneliness that had plagued my soul for so long seemed to quiet.
Just a little.
As if his presence had somehow reached a part of me that had been aching for years.
I felt his heat close in around me.
He was hot.
Burning hot.
His breath brushed against my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.
Then he pulled back.
Suddenly, a tiny flame appeared on the tip of his finger.
The light burst into the darkness so suddenly that I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my face away.
He touched my chin.
Gently.
He lifted it.
The flame glowed between us, giving off just enough light for me to see him.
Not clearly.
The fire cast shadows across his face, hiding pieces of him in darkness and revealing others in flickering gold.
My breath hitched.
Then, without warning, something soft, wet, and warm pressed against my lips.
My entire body went still.
Then it melted.
The flame disappeared.
Darkness settled around us once more.
On instinct, my hands flew upward and pressed against something hard and hot.
I think that’s his chest.
Oh goodness.
His chest.
I’m touching a man’s chest.
My fingers curled slightly against him.
I should push him away.
I knew I should.
But I couldn’t.
I don’t know why.
Something inside me refused.
My mind screamed, Run.
Get away.
But my body refused to listen.
His lips moved against mine.
I didn’t fight back.
I couldn’t.
I tried to take a breath, only for his tongue to slip between my lips.
My heart pounded harder.
The world around me disappeared.
There was only the heat.
His scent.
His body.
His lips.
And that strange feeling in my chest that told me I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
Which made absolutely no sense.
I didn’t know him.
I didn’t know why my body reacted to him this way.
I didn’t know why I wasn’t running.
I didn’t know why I wanted to stay.
I don’t know how long we stood like that, but eventually, the unbearable heat began to recede.
Slowly.
Little by little.
Then he broke the kiss.
I wasn’t sure if I was grateful or disappointed.
Which was insane.
Completely insane.
I should be grateful.
I should be trying to escape.
I should be screaming.
But instead, I stood there trying to catch my breath, wondering why part of me already missed the warmth he’d taken away.
Then he pressed what I thought was his forehead against mine.
I was panting, desperate to catch my breath.
His breathing slowly synced with mine.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
A wave of rightness washed over me.
The fear was still there, sure.
But beneath it was something warmer.
Something deeper.
A sense of wholeness I hadn’t felt since my mom was alive.
My chest tightened.
Why did being near him make me feel less alone?
Why did he feel familiar?
He moved away, leaving a strange coolness on my forehead where his had been.
Then he snapped his fingers.
Fire ignited in his palm before floating upward, dancing above us.
I stared at the flame for a moment.
Then I looked toward his face.
My heart nearly stopped.
He was beautiful.
So incredibly beautiful.
His white hair glowed beneath the firelight, streaked with hints of red and gold.
The shadows made his features look sharper.
More dangerous.
But somehow, even with that intimidating aura surrounding him, I couldn’t look away.
It was like my soul was calling out to him.
I couldn’t explain it.
I didn’t even know what that meant.
He was simply…
Breathtaking.
His lips were full.
They looked just as soft as they had felt.
“Hello, Euphoria.”
His voice was deep.
Warm.
It carried something almost intoxicating in it.
Heat.
Confidence.
Lust.
How did he know my name?
There was no doubt in my mind now.
He was a beast.
His aura was powerful.
Oppressive, even. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
It pressed against me like an invisible weight, making it difficult to breathe.
A powerful beast.
Yet somehow, I still wasn’t threatened by his overwhelming presence.
That should have terrified me more than anything.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
What?
I blinked.
What did he mean by that?
Waiting for me?
“I think you have the wrong person.”
Somehow, saying those words tasted like a lie.
But I was positive I’d never seen him before.
Not ever.
“You are Euphoria Ri-chan from Alamosa River Village?” he asked.
The way he said my full name made my stomach twist.
He sounded like he already knew everything about me.
Like I was the one pretending not to know him.
“Yes…” I answered quietly.
“Then you are the right person.”
I swallowed.
“Don’t you think this is an unusual way to greet a stranger?”
“Typically…
yes.”
A small chuckle escaped him.
“But Kyo, my fox, sometimes forgets I’m supposed to have manners.”
He sounded almost embarrassed.
Good.
Because that wasn’t okay.
Not even a little.
Yet…
I didn’t feel wronged.
And that confused me even more.
He took a step closer.
I instinctively tried to move backward, but there was nowhere to go.
My back was still pressed flat against the wall.
I didn’t know what to say.
I didn’t know how to navigate something like this.
So I just stood there quietly.
Like an absolute idiot.
Then his eyes settled on me.
“Euphoria.
You belong to me now.”
My stomach dropped.
“My fox and I have both decided to claim you as ours this year.”
My breath hitched.
What was he talking about?
“From the moment your picture appeared on the broadcast, I knew.”
He stepped closer.
“You would be mine.”
His words sent shivers down my spine.
I shuddered from the sudden chill.
It was strange.
His body radiated heat.
But his words…
His words were ice.
“Do you have anything to say?”
I had plenty to say.
A whole lot, actually.
Just no words to say them with.
He waited.
Then, when I remained silent, the corner of his mouth lifted.
“I’ll take your silence as agreement.”
That snapped me out of it.
“I don’t even know your name!”
My voice came out louder this time.
He looked genuinely puzzled.
“You don’t know me?”
I shook my head.
His expression changed.
For the first time, he looked almost…
Surprised.
Then a slow smile spread across his face.
“You have the pleasure of being the personal pet of Prince Aries Fieran of the Fire Sect.”