𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑, luke castellan

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲

Keira woke up in the hotel bed with an incredible hangover the next day.

She felt like a hundred trucks had passed over her head, with a Minotaur on top. She closed her eyes as the midday sun entered through the window of her suite, gradually recalling the events of the previous night.

The taxi ride back to the hotel, where Luke and Jon had told her about the strange encounter with their half-sibling at the bathroom, providing a new location for the quest, where they should head next.

The reason they were kicked out of Club Abyss, after the fight with the dracaenae, and how she had spotted the monsters while she was smoking a cigarette.

Jon on the dance floor, bringing more and more glasses of alcohol that seemed to come from everywhere. She remembered him giving them to Luke and herself, and from that moment, they all seemed to be in a very good mood. Even Luke, who hated being there in the first place.

Luke.

She smiled without remorse as she recalled their scene on the dance floor alone during the night. The way he had let her in, thrilling at physical contact. His expression when Keira whispered strange and enigmatic words in his ear about the connection and the meaning of their relationship. He had even admitted to being attracted to her. Keira already knew it. Luke wasn't blind or foolish, and it was obvious he found her attractive. But hearing it from his mouth added an extra touch.

Lastly, she remembered the memory of Luke's reaction when she said his name.

Luke had completely lost control. She vividly recalled how he had involuntarily pulled her in closer, his grip tightening, and his hands moving with a slow and sensual rhythm along her bare back. The air had become charged with tension as he had looked at her, torn between intense desire and the struggle to resist primal instincts. That ambiguous gaze, where Luke couldn't quite decide between rejection and his yearning for her, had sent waves of immeasurable pleasure through Keira. The fact that he had hesitated so much, teetering on the edge of betraying his convictions for just a few whispered words in his ear, filled her with a gratifying sense of triumph.

Her smug smile expanded even further as she reminisced about the precise moment she had chosen to pull away. It was a strategic retreat, a deliberate step back right when it had seemed Luke might abandon all his principles and surrender to his desires. The expression on his face - a blend of frustration, desire, and perhaps a touch of realization - fueled Keira's sense of triumph. It was as if they had been engaged in an emotional game, a dance of desires, and she had expertly led the way.

Keira was genuinely hoping that Luke wouldn't kiss her in that moment, and he had lived up to her expectations. Of course, her ultimate desire was for him to fall completely for her and go crazy over her, but she wanted to savor the process. She wished to take him to places he never thought he'd venture, have more moments like last night where he questioned even his own name, and witness him wrestle with his inner self to the core. Keira relished in her ability to provoke such reactions from him.

If Luke had kissed her the night before, it would have disappointed her, and her game wouldn't have been as amusing as Keira anticipated. She had immense self-control, which is why she distanced herself from him. However, the truth was that in that dark moment, she too was quite lost in the atmosphere. If Luke had kissed her, it might not have been what she expected, but she would have enjoyed it because the kiss would have carried the flavor of him succumbing to her charms.

In reality, Keira wasn't bothered by Luke as much as he was by her. If she had to kiss and touch him like that night to execute her plan, she was willing to do so. It didn't repulse her; rather, she wanted to teach him a lesson on how not to treat Keira Blackwell.