In Ariadne's embrace

We're in the alley behind the club and I'm lost in her arms and her kisses. She breaks the kiss, smirks and her emerald eyes bore into mine. “You’re a beautiful girl,” she murmurs with a velvet voice.

I laugh, but it comes out wrong—tight and breathless. “You’re just saying that.”

She tilts her head. “I don’t lie, Thalia. I mean it.”

The way she says my name—it lingers on her tongue in such a way I want to hear her say it again.

Then, a sudden chill runs along my spine. Not fear exactly, but a kind of awareness, like the moment before a storm breaks. My instincts whisper warnings that something is about to happen. And then I recall Ethan’s words: There are forces at work you can’t begin to comprehend. I didn’t then. But I have a strange feeling I'm about to comprehend them a little better now.

Ariadne’s fingers graze my cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I lean into her touch before I can stop myself.

Then she kisses me again.

It starts soft, barely more than a brush of lips. But it deepens fast, drawing me in like a riptide. Her mouth is cold, but somehow that only fuels the fire climbing through my veins. Her hands slide to my waist, holding me close, her body pressed to mine in a way that offers no escape. As if I'd want to be anywhere else right now.

The kiss breaks, but only so her lips can find a path down my jaw, slow and deliberate. Her breath ghosts over my skin. My heart pounds. I know there is something off with all this, but I don't care, I really want her.

“You’re going to love this, my child,” she whispers, like a secret she’s been aching to share.

My child? Weird. But I think I've heard that before... recently... God, my head is useless right now.

I should say something. Should ask what she means. But I don’t. I tilt my head instead, baring my neck to her without even realizing I’m doing it. The invitation is silent. Instinctual. Kiss me, I'm all yours. I want this.

And then it happens.

There’s a sharp, unexpected sting at the side of my neck, like the sudden jab of a pair of needles, and I gasp. Instinctively, my hands move to push her away, but before I can do anything, her arms tighten around me. It’s not aggressive, but firm, like a reminder that I’m not going anywhere.__

When she bites, it’s not gentle. Two sharp points pierce my skin and I gasp, my hands flying to her shoulders. But she doesn’t let me pull away. Her arms lock me in a firm, unyielding embrace.

“Shhh...” Ariadne’s voice drifts to my ear, low and melodic. “Relax.”

It’s absurd—how can I relax when it feels like I’ve just been... bitten? And yet, my resistance falters. The initial sharpness dissolves into a warm, spreading sensation, emanating from my neck. I shudder, but not from pain. A strange languor overtakes me, softening my limbs and quieting my thoughts. What the hell is she doing with my neck?

"What- what are you doing?" I manage, barely.

The rhythm of her lips on my neck is steady, hypnotic, and my body continues to do it's own thing - betraying me. A weird pleasure blossoms low in my stomach, unfurling outward. My breaths grow faster, shallower, each exhale trembling as it escapes me. My hands, which had been pushing against her shoulders, falter and fall, unsure of their purpose. Instead, my fingers clutch at her dress, holding onto her like she’s the only solid thing in a world suddenly spinning.

I manage another whisper, though my voice feels distant, disconnected. “What are you...?”

Ariadne pulls back slightly and first I see her glistening lips. Is that... my blood? And yeah, instant confirmation comes when my eyes focus on a pair of fangs... No. Fucking. Way.

The sight sends my mind in overdrive mode and I just stutter something incoherent. My heart stumbles in its rhythm, caught between fear and something far more confusing.

Her gaze locks with mine, and it’s devastating. Predatory, yes—but also magnetic, drawing me in and comforting me at the same time.

“I think you already know what I am. And I must tell you - you’re delicious,” she murmurs, the words dripping with satisfaction and something deeper, something my racing mind can’t recognize.

“You... your’re a...” I start, but the word crumbles in my throat as her gaze holds mine, steady and unyielding. The faintest smile curves her lips—predatory, amused, adoring, all at once. I don't have to say it. I know she's a vampire, despite how crazy that sounds.

Before I can process any of it, her lips return to my neck, and the sensations flood back, stronger this time. This is fucking insane. Every nerve in my body seems to light up in sync with the gentle pull of her mouth. Why the fuck am I not fighting back? Well, for some reason, whatever she's doing at my neck feels so good it's making me stupid. Literally and figuratively. My head even tilts more, granting her even better access, and I hate myself for it even as I revel in the feeling.

My legs weaken. My breath comes faster. I’m not just letting her feed—I’m enjoying it. My hands don’t push her away anymore. They curl around her back, clinging.

This can’t be real. But it is. And I don’t want it to stop.

She drinks slowly, her mouth working in time with the dull throb of my pulse, and with each pull I feel less like myself and more like something… raw.

Her hand slides from my cheek, down to my chest, gently groping my breast. I'm so sensitive my nipples instantly harden under her touch through the fabric of my shirt. Then her hand moves lower, gliding under my dress, her fingers finding the edge of my panties, and then the undeniable wetness. She touches me there, her fingers brushing against my clit, and a long, **** moan escapes my parted lips.“Oh my god…”

I should be horrified. I should run. But instead, I arch into her touch as she slips her fingers beneath the fabric. I spread my legs slightly, welcoming her.

She feeds and touches me in perfect tandem, like a conductor drawing music from every nerve ending in my body. Her fingers circle my clit, teasing, firm. Her lips at my neck tug again—another pulse, another jolt of pleasure.

"Yes...yes..." I hear myself moaning. It's fucked up, I know, but reason and sane judgement left the place the moment her fangs pierced my neck.

My hips buck against her hand, chasing release. I grip her tighter, one hand holding her back, the other tangled in her hair pressing her head into my neck. I want her deeper. I want more.

She growls softly and her fingers slide into me—two of them, slow and sure. At the same moment, she bites down deeper into my neck, the pain and pleasure melding into one overwhelming sensation. I can’t hold back the dark, massive orgasm that's about to hit me, my body arching into hers as she feasts on my neck and finger fucks me. I cry out, my body shuddering. The pleasure builds fast and hot, mounting with every stroke.

My moans turn into breathless cries, each one louder than the last. "What-what are you doing to me?" I know damn well what she's doing. "Why...ahhh... why does this feel so... good?" The words tumble out of me and my voice echoes off the walls of the alley.

“I’m gonna—fuck—I’m gonna cum—”

My thighs tremble, my body convulses against hers. And then it hits me, one of those mind-numbing orgasms that rip through your whole body "Oh God, oh my fucking God! Yes... YES! AHH..." My surrender to this dark ecstasy is complete and my body is shuddering and writhing under her touch.

When she finally pulls back, I’m barely aware of it, my body still buzzing, my thoughts still reeling. Is it the blood loss or just the intensity of it all that makes my head spin?

Ariadne lifts her head. Her lips and chin are red. Her eyes, darker now, burn with a satisfied hunger. “See? I told you you'll love it. We're going to have so much fun, sweetie,” she murmurs, her fingers brushing my lips with the lightest of touches. I can feel her lips back on my neck and can't wait for more.

But as I feel her wonderful fangs sink into me again, a sharp voice slices through the haze.

“Ariadne! Leave her alone. Now.”