Chapter 26: Melt Me Slowly
The fever didn't fade.
Not after one kiss.
Not even after the collapse of restraint.
⸻
Selene had thought—maybe—that would be enough.
That one night pressed against Aria's skin, her cold breath ghosting over flushed cheeks, would silence the wildfire.
But Aria whimpered again.
Hours later.
A soft, cracked sound—like the shatter of glass in a quiet cathedral.
"…please," Aria whispered.
Selene stirred instantly, her limbs aching from holding too still.
The sheets tangled between them, one bare arm wrapped around Aria's waist, her other hand gently resting over the curve of her ribs. The chill of Selene's skin kissed the heat from Aria's flesh like frost teasing flame.
Aria trembled under her touch.
Still burning.
"Still hurts?" Selene asked softly, her voice low, as though anything louder would tear open the fragile moment they'd stitched together in the dark.
Aria blinked up at her through the haze of fever. Her lips were parted, her eyes soft and distant.
"…your kiss helps."
Selene's heart stuttered.
A thousand warnings ran wild in her mind—she should stop this, should pull back, should remember who she was and what she'd already lost. But all of that unraveled when Aria reached for her again, fingers clumsy, lips trembling, a dazed flush covering her throat and chest like rose petals caught in fire.
"I don't know why…" Aria murmured, her voice small, almost broken. "But I want more."
Selene froze.
A breath caught in her lungs, sharp and punishing.
That voice. That ache. That hunger blooming behind Aria's eyes—Selene had imagined it before, dreamed of it in silent guilt-ridden moments. But now it was real. Alive. And reaching for her.
Aria leaned up, one weak hand pulling Selene down by the front of her shirt, her mouth brushing against hers with the faintest desperation.
This time, it wasn't a fevered mistake.
It wasn't confusion.
It was need.
Selene kissed her back.
Not out of obligation.
Not to soothe.
But because she couldn't not.
⸻
Her lips claimed Aria's slowly, reverently.
Not the quick, desperate kiss from before—but one steeped in longing, laced with everything she'd held back for two aching years. It was gentle, at first. Tender. As if Selene thought Aria might vanish beneath her hands.
Their tongues met tentatively, a dance of breath and silk and something unnamed. Selene exhaled against Aria's mouth, her cold breath mixing with heat, the sensation dizzying.
Aria sighed into her, melting under every touch.
And Selene—Selene shattered.
Her hands gripped Aria's waist. Pulled her close.
Like she could anchor her. Like she could douse the fire by embracing it instead of resisting it.
The world outside blurred.
The night held them like a secret, the moonlight slicing between the curtains and falling in pale strips across their tangled limbs. Selene kissed her again. Then again. And again.
As if trying to memorize every curve of her mouth.
As if kissing her could keep her here.
And maybe it could.
⸻
"Selene," Aria whispered, dazed, lips swollen, lashes fluttering. "You're the only one that makes it stop…"
Selene's throat closed around her name.
She kissed her harder.
There were no more lines between comfort and desire, no more distinction between what Aria needed and what Selene had always wanted. It was a blur—of magic, of sickness, of memory, of touch. Selene no longer knew if she was doing the right thing.
But gods, it felt right.
Their mouths met in rhythm. Fever against frost. Selene kissed her until Aria quieted, her body no longer twitching with pain, her breath no longer scattered. Until the heat gave way to a gentler warmth, one that settled between them like smoke after a fire.
⸻
When Selene finally pulled away, she was trembling.
Her breath was ragged. Her heart a war drum.
Aria had slipped back into sleep—lips parted, skin flushed but no longer burning, hair fanned against the pillow in damp, tangled waves. She looked like she belonged to another world, one softer, safer.
Selene brushed a strand of hair from her face with infinite care. Then kissed her forehead. Lightly. Like a secret.
"You don't remember me yet," she whispered.
Her voice cracked.
"But I've always been yours."
And maybe, just maybe, this was how the ice melted.
Not all at once. Not violently.
But slowly. Quietly.
With hands that clung in sleep.
With lips that begged for more.
Selene curled into her side, one arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her close. She didn't know what morning would bring.
Didn't care.
For tonight, she was fire's solace.
And Aria was finally warm enough to sleep.