Evie stared blankly at the wall long after she'd returned to her room.
What the hell was that?
Her mind raced, grasping at possibilities—reasons for why Rohmir was the way he was, how they'd gotten to this moment, why she was suddenly feeling this heat.
A knock came at her door.
Before she could even answer, he stepped in.
Evie propped herself up on her elbow, heart hammering at the sight of him.
"What's going on?"
"We need to talk. About the new memory."
His voice was deep, controlled. He sat at the far end of the room, a predator lurking in the half-light. The side lamp cast a molten gold over everything — including the way his dark eyes devoured her.
"Okay," Evie said, trying to steady herself. "What do you think of it?"
He leaned back, one arm lazily draped over the chair, the picture of lethal control.
"I want to know what you think."
Evie swallowed. "I feel like I don't know the full story. I want to know what led to... all of it."
A slow, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips.
"Evie..." His voice dropped an octave. "Why do you keep saying things like that?"
"Things like what?"
"Things that make me want to pin you down and taste every inch of you."
The words landed heavy between them, but Rohmir remained a statue—watching, waiting, holding himself back like a predator just barely restrained.
Evie fought for breath. She tried to compose herself.
"Did you see how the past you noticed me?" she said, dragging the conversation back to safer ground.
Rohmir's dark eyes gleamed. "I more than noticed you...but how could I reach through the barriers of the bond to speak to you?" he murmured, more to himself than to her.
She barely heard him—too distracted by the way his full lower lip pinch in his fingers as he okays with them absentmindedly.
He looked delicious—fresh from the shower, clad only in pajama pants and an unbuttoned top that hung loose on his frame. And the bond… God, the bond was pulsing through her, hotter than ever, raw and insistent.
"I know a way to get another memory fast," Evie said, her voice low and suggestive.
His gaze snapped to hers, head tilting just slightly, like he could hear the sin in her tone.
"I don't think that's a good idea right now," Rohmir said, voice rough, reluctant. His eyes said something else entirely—they devoured her.
The heat in her belly twisted tighter.
"Fine," Evie said with a shrug, sinking back against the pillows. "If you won't participate... then you can just watch."
Rohmir's hands gripped the arms of the chair.
"Evie..."
Her name was a rasp of warning on his tongue, and it made her core clench.
But she couldn't stop. She spread her legs, slow and deliberate, and his eyes darkened further, he shifts forward, black eyes drinking in every movement, as if captivated.
My hands reach my panties, I can already feel how moist and hot it is.
Rohmir stands so fast his chair scrapes loudly against the floor.
He stalked toward her, raw hunger written in every line of his body. He grabbed her hand before it slipped beneath the fabric, his grip firm.
"You don't understand," he said, his voice thick with hunger. "The bond... it's magnifying everything. You're in heat, Evie. Your body's screaming for me—and fuck, mine's tearing itself apart just trying not to make you cum at least three times right here."
He dragged in a breath, like it physically hurt to hold back.
"Every night, I dream about tasting every inch of you. I crave you, Evie. I burn for you."
Rohmir's jaw flexed, his dark eyes burning with a need that could scorch the world.
"But it doesn't mean it's real," he finished.
"It is real," Evie breathed, twisting under the weight of his nearness.
Rohmir closed his eyes, cursing under his breath. Then, without thinking, he bent down and pressed a trail of scorching kisses along the inside of her thigh — slow, possessive —
"I could ruin you right now," he murmured against her skin. "Completely."
Then, with a superhuman act of restraint, he pushed away from the bed, retreating like a man at war with himself.
"We need to stop," he said, voice strained. "If we keep going, the only thing that's gonna happen is me fucking you until neither of us can think straight. And ---" His eyes burned into hers. "I killed those people, Evie. I'm not good. You can't afford to forget that."
And then he was gone. The door slammed behind him.
Evie lay there, burning with shame and desire.
She hated him for being right.
She hated herself for wanting him even more now.
Burying her face in the pillow, she let out a guttural scream of frustration.
"Fuck."
...
A week had passed since the last time Evie had seen Rohmir. When she woke up he was already gone and by the time she got back from the bookstore he still wasn't in. Sometimes she didn't even know if he was actually coming back to the house. She hated to admit but she missed his presence.
But she had thankfully been occupied with the renovations that had begun at the bookstore. Her vision of what the space could be was taking shape and she was immensely happy.
Plus her period had come. She had been a bit concerned about the the fact that she might fall pregnant with all the unprotected sex they were having. Having a baby now was definitely not in her plans. She needed to get to the doctor to see her options of contraceptives.
On the 9th day of Rohmir being gone, Evie couldn't hold it any longer. As she was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. Her mind called to him. Wondering where he was. What he was doing. Who he was doing things with.
"Rohmir..." She whispered into the dark. And. He answered. His voice low, in her mind.
Evie?
Evie shot up from the bed. Rohmir?
...
ROHMIR'S POV
Rohmir's eyes surveyed the arid dessert landscape around him. Coming here had been pointless. He wasn't any closer in finding the truth and it was beginning to truly piss him off. He raked a hand through his hair. He missed her. Evie.
She was constantly in his mind. Last time he was with her he had to physically restrain himself to not touch her again when she had intended on pleasuring herself in front of him. But he knew she was in heat. The bond had intensified after the last memory they shared, and he hadn't wanted to take advantage of her. Though he knew that deep down she was the one that had him tied around her little finger.
Rohmir.... He hears a whisper of his name on her lips. He groans and turns his face towards the setting sun.
He sat at a small café, a cold drink sweating in his hand, staring out across the endless stretch of desert. Around him, tourists bustled by—some exhausted, some sunburnt pink from the heat.
His mind wasn't on them. It was on the memory.
There had been something he noticed—etched into the long curtains of the hall: a crest.
He had sketched it from memory and run an image search. The symbol dated back centuries. The timeline of the empire's disappearance aligned disturbingly well with his own.
So he had come here, to the site where it once stood.
Now, all that remained were ruins swallowed by orange sands... the last relics displayed behind glass in high end museums & personal collections.
Rohmir..Her voice in his head. Haunting him. Every second he spent away from her was an agony he hadn't been prepared for.
When she had spread herself open before him, it had taken everything he had to walk away. He had to shift to accommodate the heat that was growing in his groin at the memory.
The bond was dangerous now, supercharged and ravenous, and he didn't want to exploit her.
She deserved better.
Rohmir...Her voice again. But...was she really. Could she?
Evie...He sent the thought. And he heard her take a breath. His heart surged. He could already imagine what her lips looked like now...probably slightly parted, always so soft. Always so delicious.
Rohmir? She called again. The way she said his name gave him goosebumps despite the warm setting sun on his skin.
Where are you? She asked.
Middle East. He replied. He leaned back into the chair. The gloomy day had suddenly turned around. Came to where it all began. Came home.
But as he said it he knew he didn't feel it. He felt like a foreigner in this land.
Home...Evie breathed and Rohmir shifted in his seat. When do you think you'll be back? He could feel her biting her bottom lip and it sent shivers through him.
Why? Miss me already pet? Rohmir purred. When she didn't answer right away he sent another thought: Tonight.
Her voice was home to him. And he had missed her more than he cared to admit.
Rohmir got up and stretched, warranting the roaming eyes of a few women. He smirked. The body Evie had imagined for him was really impressive. But it was for her to use. No one else. Just like she was his already.