A Long Time Coming

A Long Time Coming

I lay on the ground, admiring the towering spruce trees as they reached toward a single point in the night sky. I breathed deeply, letting the earthy scent of the forest fill my lungs. The sweet aroma of vegetation stirred something deep inside me–memories of peace, of safety. Memories of simpler times.

A lot had happened in the past eighteen months. Just two years ago, I didn’t even believe in ghosts, let alone monsters, demons, and… whatever else I’ve now faced.

I thought back to the day I met Elara. The way she burst into a room full of monsters with a look of death on her face. She carried herself with perfect confidence and control, without arrogance. When I first saw her, I thought she was an angel. Turns out, I wasn’t far off at the time.

She had saved my life more times than I could count. I would always be in her debt.

Which is why her behavior after our latest battle troubled me.

She told me to run–but I wouldn’t leave her. With everything she’s taught me, I gave her an opening, a moment to recover, and she did the rest. We both came out of it alive, though bloodied and drained.

Afterwards, she got angry. And then… she cried.

That was new.

I didn’t even try to defend myself. I don’t think she was mad at me for helping her. I think… I think she was scared. Scared that I could have died. Scared because maybe–just maybe–she cared that much.

She shoved me to the ground in frustration, but then collapsed beside me, crying. I got up to comfort her, and that’s when she grabbed my hand and kissed me.

It happened so fast, I barely had time to register the warmth of her lips before she pulled away and vanished into the woods.

That was two days ago.

I hadn’t seen her since.

But the memory of that kiss… it haunted me. Her lips were soft, and warm, tinged with the taste of blood and tears. The sensation lasted only a second, but the echo of it left me spinning. Could she really feel that way about me? I’d been drawn to her since not long after we met. I never imagined she felt the same. But the more time I spent with her, the more I saw the quiet, humble confidence behind mecidiyeköy escort the warrior–and the heart that carried it. She had sacrificed her life and anything that most people would consider the source of happiness; money, pleasure, love, fame… She was a ghost wandering to and fro helping those who can’t help themselves. She was the most noble and charitable person I had ever known, even if she was hard on me sometimes.

I’d tried to keep my feelings hidden. Maybe I hadn’t done a great job.

In the middle of my spiraling thoughts, I heard rustling to my right.

I stood up sharply. Elara stepped out from the trees.

We locked eyes. The moment stretched into something heavy and electric. I couldn’t speak. Neither could she.

Her long, wavy black hair hung over one shoulder. In the moonlight, her pale skin seemed to glow, like she’d stepped out of a dream. My body shivered just looking at her. My heart pounded like it was trying to escape my chest.

“Mark…” she whispered. Her voice–usually so confident and commanding–was soft, uncertain. My whole body trembled.

“I’m sorry for earlier,” she said. “I didn’t want to see you get hurt.”

Silence stretched again. She glanced down, brushing her hair behind her ear. A single tear slid down her cheek. My throat closed. I didn’t know what to do.

“I don’t want to ruin what we have,” she said, voice trembling. “I’ve spent so many years alone, knowing that any relationship would only end in death and more loneliness. But now–for the first time in my life–there’s someone I can imagine sharing this long existence with.”

Her voice faded into a whisper. A quiet sniffle followed.

“Don’t just stand there, Mark,” she added with a nervous chuckle, tears still in her eyes. “I need some feedback here.”

Oh. I’d been silent too long.

I swallowed hard, took a few shaky breaths, and tried to form words.

“Elara…” I began quietly. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

I paused, trying to collect the storm inside me.

“I want you to know that I will never leave you to save myself. Ever.” Her name caught in my throat. “If we nişantaşı escort die, then I guess we die together. Because I’m not going anywhere. These last eighteen months might be a blink to you–but to me, they’ve meant everything.”

Tears blurred my vision.

She stepped forward. Her woven armor of living plant fibers moved softly with her–an extension of her body. Living, breathing protection. She was a goddess made of forest and fire.

“These months haven’t been nothing to me,” she said gently. “They’ve been… everything. You are my everything.”

Her words hit me like a wave. Her eyes–bright green and glowing–held mine as she came closer. Her scent, soft and floral, wrapped around me like a memory.

She touched my cheek. Her hand was warm, fingers trembling slightly. I covered her hand with mine as it slid to my shoulder. I was shaking. Every nerve in my body was awake.

She stepped into me, placing her other hand gently behind my neck. Our foreheads met. I closed my eyes, breath uneven.

“Shhh…” she whispered, giggling lightly as she caressed my neck. “I’m here. Don’t be nervous, Mark.”

She leaned in to meet my lowered gaze, her smile glowing in the moonlight.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I said between heavy breaths. “Better than okay.”

I wanted to kiss her–but before I could move, she leaned in and placed her lips on mine.

It started soft–warm and tentative. But it deepened quickly. Her lips moved with mine, slow at first, then more eagerly. Her tongue brushed my lips, and I gasped as the feeling overtook me. When she pulled away, she was breathless too. Then she kissed me again, more passionately.

Time blurred.

We kissed for what felt like forever. Her hands roamed gently–my neck, my shoulders–while mine wrapped around her waist. Our bodies learned each other’s rhythm.

She kissed my neck, and I returned the gesture, tasting her skin, soft and alive with energy.

Eventually, she eased back, just enough to catch her breath. Then, without a word, she pushed me down–gently.

My back met the forest floor, and warm branches grew beneath şişli escort me, lifting me slightly. She straddled my hips with a grace that made the world disappear.

She reached down and pulled my shirt off, her fingers brushing my skin. My chest rose and fell rapidly under her touch.

She kissed me again before I felt something tug at my trousers. Her green eyes sparkled as twisting vines helped her reveal more of me, slowly and carefully. I turned my head, overwhelmed, but she cradled my face and kissed me with reassurance.

“Relax,” she whispered.

Then she pushed herself off, her hands gliding down my body, and stood over me. She pulled off her top and let her leggings fall.

I stopped breathing.

Her body was a miracle. Not just in beauty, but in power and grace. She climbed onto me again. I gasped and held my breath as her bare hips met mine. A guttural moan escaped me. My voice and body trembled as her glorious, exposed body met mine. She leaned into me again, and the forest responded–vines blooming, petals unfolding.

Our kissing resumed, deep and passionate. At one point she grabbed my head and pressed my face into her chest. She smelled unnaturally sweet, like something from a dream. She let off gentle, quiet moans as I basked in her beauty. Not in my wildest dreams did I think it was possible for me to want someone this badly, and especially to have that someone want me just as badly. I couldn’t believe this was real. That someone like her–fierce, radiant, untouchable–would want someone like me. I was half expecting at any moment to wake up.

I had never felt any sensation comparable to when she began grinding against me. Pleasure sounds escaped me, being unable to hold them back. The vines and roots holding us up groaned and snapped under us, quickly repairing themselves at Elara’s subconscious command. Even when we tried to be gentle, our strength broke the branches beneath us. Her warmth, her breath, her touch–all of it surrounded me, held me, claimed me.

And I let it.

Beneath the full moon, with glowing particles drifting around us, we moved together in sync–slow, certain, and whole.

Later, wrapped in a soft blanket of living cotton, our bodies tangled and warm, she snuggled tightly into my arms. I kissed the top of her head and inhaled her sweet, earthly scent. I tightened my hold on her, never wanting to let go.

After a while, I drifted into the first peaceful sleep I’d known in a long, long time.