Thirst For You

Weeks passed, and although Eva felt Elias's presence around her, he never appeared. The sense of him watching over her was both comforting and unsettling. She longed to see him, to understand more about their shared past, yet the absence made her fear grow.

During these weeks, Eva began to experience vivid, painful dreams. Each night, she found herself reliving fragments of her past life but in these dreams, she was not the lover of Elias—she was with Lucian. The dreams were disorienting and filled with anguish.

In her dreams, Lucian's touch sent shivers down her spine, a mix of fear and strange familiarity. She saw glimpses of their time together, their whispered conversations, and the way he looked at her with an intensity that both thrilled and terrified her. But the dreams always ended the same way: with Elias appearing, his eyes filled with hatred and sorrow, and the confrontation that led to her demise.

These dreams left her waking in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and her heart pounding. The pain from the dreams lingered, making her days restless and filled with anxiety. The more she dreamed, the more confused and scared she became.

Unbeknownst to Eva, Lucian was manipulating her dreams, weaving them with dark magic to make her hate Elias. His plan was working better than he had anticipated. Each night, the dreams grew more vivid, more painful, and Eva's fear and distrust of Elias deepened.

One particularly stormy night, Eva woke from another nightmare, her body trembling and tears streaming down her face. She felt a cold draft and turned to see her window slightly ajar. Stepping out onto her balcony, she looked into the darkened streets below, feeling the weight of the shadows around her.

"Elias..." she whispered, her voice carrying into the night. She knew he could hear her, even if he wouldn't show himself.

In the silence, her mind replayed the night he had flown her home. She remembered his anguish, the battle he fought within himself. The image of Elias's eyes, filled with hunger and despair, haunted her more than the dreams of Lucian.

Days turned into weeks, and the dreams persisted. Each night, the pain and fear grew stronger, making her dread sleep. Eva started to doubt everything she had felt about Elias. The dreams made it seem as if Lucian was the one she truly belonged to, and Elias was the enemy.

One evening, as Eva walked home from a late shift at work, she felt a sense of unease. The streets were unusually quiet, and the shadows seemed to stretch longer than usual. She quickened her pace, her heart pounding in her chest.

Suddenly, a drunk man stumbled out of an alleyway, his eyes glazed and predatory. "Hey there, pretty lady," he slurred, reaching out to grab her arm. "Why don't you keep me company?"

Eva tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. Panic surged through her, and she struggled to break free. "Let go of me!" she cried, her voice trembling with fear.

Before she could react, a blur of motion swept past her, and the man was thrown to the ground. Elias stood between them, his eyes blazing with fury. "Get away from her," he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

The drunk man scrambled to his feet and fled, leaving Eva and Elias alone in the darkened street. Eva's heart raced, a mix of relief and fear coursing through her veins. "Elias..."

Elias turned to her, his expression softening. "Are you alright, Eva?"

Eva nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm fine....I guess"

But even as she spoke, the memories of her dreams flooded back, and her gratitude was overshadowed by a deep-seated hatred. She took a step back, her eyes filled with distrust. "Why are you here, Elias? Why do you keep following me?"

Elias's face fell, his eyes filled with pain. "I'm trying to protect you, Eva. I promised I would."

Eva shook her head, her voice trembling with anger. "Protect me? From what? yourself? You're the reason I'm in danger. 

Elias reached out, but Eva recoiled, her fear and anger boiling over. "Stay away from me, Elias. I don't want anything to do with you or your fake stories you keep telling me."

Elias's heart ached at her words, but he knew he couldn't force her to understand. "I'm sorry, Eva. I never wanted this for you but I can't leave you unprotected."

Eva's eyes filled with tears, her voice breaking. "Just go, Elias please."

Elias stood frozen, torn between the urge to stay and the need to respect her wishes. His heart shattered as he took a step back, watching her with eyes filled with despair. Just as he began to fade into the shadows, a familiar figure emerged from the darkness.

Lucian approached, his eyes gleaming with delight and without thinking, Eva rushed to him and embraced him, seeking comfort in the familiarity of her dreams. Lucian's arms wrapped around her in a mockingly tender hold.

Elias watched in agony as the love of his life left him for his cunning brother. The sight of Eva seeking solace in Lucian's embrace felt like a dagger through his heart. He had endured centuries of pain, always hoping that this life would be different, but now it seemed his worst fears were coming true.

Lucian looked over Eva's shoulder, his eyes meeting Elias's with a triumphant glint. "Did you miss me that much, my love?" he whispered to Eva, his voice dripping with affection.

Eva clung to Lucian, the remnants of her manipulated dreams blurring her judgment. She felt a strange comfort in his arms, a twisted sense of belonging that only deepened Elias's heartbreak.

Elias's heart broke further with each passing moment. He stood rooted in place, forced to watch the woman he loved be held lovingly in his brother's arms. His mind screamed with the pain of betrayal, his soul crying out for the lost connection they once had.

Eva, held tightly by Lucian, felt a strange mixture of comfort and fear. She looked back at Elias one last time, her eyes betraying the confusion and turmoil within her. "Why, Elias? Why didn't you want us to be together ?" she whispered, tears streaming down her face.

Elias's voice trembled with heartbreak and desperation. "Eva, please, don't trust him he's not what you think."

Lucian's mocking laughter filled the night air. "Oh, brother, always the protector but you failed before, and you will fail again. She belongs to me "

Elias could only watch helplessly as Lucian led Eva away, his heart breaking with each step she took. The weight of centuries of love and loss crashed down on him, leaving him to grapple with the unbearable pain of his shattered heart.

Lucian led Eva to the top of her apartment building, the city lights casting an eerie glow around them. He held her close, his touch deceptively gentle. "Eva, my love, I've missed you so much," he whispered, his voice a seductive caress.

Eva looked up at him, her heart pounding with a mix of emotions. "Lucian, I...I don't understand any of this."

Lucian smiled, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "We were meant to be together, Eva. ...we have been for centuries Elias has always tried to keep us apart, but he can't stop our love."

Before Eva could respond, Lucian leaned in and kissed her deeply. The kiss was intense, overwhelming her senses and making her feel as if she were drowning in his embrace. Unbeknownst to her, Lucian used dark magic during the kiss, weaving a spell that twisted her memories.

As the magic took hold, Eva's mind was flooded with images of her past lives. She saw herself with Lucian, their love passionate and all-consuming but the memories were tainted, manipulated to show Elias as the villain. In each life, it was Elias who had killed her, driven by jealousy and rage.

When Lucian finally pulled away, Eva was left breathless and disoriented. The memories felt real, the pain and betrayal cutting deep. She looked at Lucian, her eyes filled with confusion and sorrow. "Elias...he's the one who killed me?"

Lucian nodded, his expression one of feigned sorrow. "Yes, my love. He has always been jealous of what we have. He will stop at nothing to keep us apart."

Eva's heart ached with the weight of the manipulated memories. Despite the unease that lingered in her heart, she believed Lucian's words. The pain and fear from her dreams had taken root, and she could no longer see Elias as anything but a threat.

Lucian held her close, his smile one of triumph. "Don't worry, Eva. I will protect you from him. We will be together, as we were always meant to be."

As they stood on the rooftop, the city below them, Eva felt a sense of resignation. The love she had once felt for Elias was now overshadowed by fear and mistrust. She clung to Lucian, believing that he was her only salvation.

Elias, watching from the shadows, felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. The woman he loved was now in the arms of his greatest enemy, her mind twisted by deceit and dark magic but even in his despair, he vowed to fight for her, to save her from Lucian's grasp and reclaim the love they had lost