Chapter 224: Tangled in Light and Fire

Words : 1193 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Evaline: They did try to decorate. Honestly, they did. For a whole ten minutes, ribbons were fluffed, ornaments were gently unpacked, and Oscar was calmly setting the big star aside for the tree topper while Draven adjusted the lights on the lower branches. I had just started placing a few of the crystal ornaments on the side of the tree when I felt the familiar presence behind me... again. Ten minutes. That was his limit. He wrapped one arm around my waist before pressing a soft kiss on my neck. I tilted my head slightly, half amused and half exasperated. "Draven," I warned, laughing under my breath. "We are supposed to be decorating." He hummed against my skin, that deep, rich sound that always sent a ripple of heat through my core. "We are. Just... decorating you instead." I turned around to give him a pointed look, only to have him lean in and kiss me. And I... I didn’t resist. His kiss was slow at first - teasing, warm, a gentle press of lips that melted far too quickly into something more. The world slipped sideways again as I kissed him back. I clutched the front of his sweater as his arms pulled me closer, one hand sliding up to cup the back of my neck. Hus familiar scent wrapped around me like a blanket I never wanted to shed. It was the kind of kiss that made you forget everything else. Made you forget snowstorms, tree ornaments, time itself. And then I felt it... Oscar. Not with a touch, not with a sound, but with a shift in energy that only came when he was near. It was something magnetic. My senses had started recognizing it, even when my back was to him. Draven must have sensed him too, because he slowly broke the kiss, though his hand lingered on my waist, and his lips brushed my cheek as he whispered, "You are not off the hook yet." Then he stepped back just a few inches, and I turned slightly... and there he was. Oscar. Leaning casually against the arm of the couch, with arms crossed, eyes dark and unreadable. But the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips said everything. "Well," he murmured. "Glad I didn’t miss the fun this time." My heart skipped. I knew that look. I didn’t even get a chance to speak. One moment, we were standing near the tree, and the next, I was on the couch, breathless, with Oscar’s lips on mine. His kiss was fire compared to Draven’s storm. Where Draven kissed like he was trying to memorize me, Oscar kissed like he already had and was trying to make me forget everything else. My hands curled into his shirt as he deepened the kiss, slow and confident, coaxing me into matching his rhythm. There was something commanding in the way he kissed me, like he wasn’t asking... he was claiming. And yet it never felt like too much. It felt right. It always did with him. Just as the air between us started to thin, I felt a shift again. Hands - Draven’s - on my waist, and then his breath near my ear as he murmured, "Told you, not off the hook." Oscar smiled against my lips and then pulled back just enough for Draven to lean in and kiss me again. Being caught between the two of them like that... I wasn’t sure I could think straight anymore. They didn’t push, didn’t demand... but they surrounded me, flanked me, each one taking turns and giving space when needed. Oscar’s fingertips brushed against my thigh as Draven’s lips trailed down my neck. The intensity was dizzying, every sensation heightened by the way they worked in sync without needing to speak. A breathless moan left me before My body was sinking deeper into the couch cushions as they each took a side, caging me in, but never making me feel trapped. Only... adored. That was the word. It wasn’t just hunger, it was adoration. The way Oscar kissed the corner of my lips before resting his forehead against mine. The way Draven pulled back just enough to search my eyes before leaning in again. It was overwhelming in the most breathtaking way. I knew, with all certainty, that if either of them went even an inch further, I wouldn’t stop them. But they didn’t. They knew where to pause, how far to lean in without crossing into something more. Their restraint wasn’t cold... it was intentional. It was love, cloaked in heat. My heart was racing, my skin was flushed, and my lips were tingling, when Draven finally sat back with a deep breath, running a hand through his hair like he needed air. Oscar exhaled beside me and leaned back against the cushions, draping his arm across the back of the couch behind me, his fingers brushing my shoulder. "Well," he said, voice husky and amused, "that explains why no one gets any decorating done when the two of us are together." I laughed softly, my cheeks still warm as I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and looked at the mess of garlands and lights on the floor. "We barely got through the first box," I muttered. Draven chuckled. "That’s still better than last year." I turned to him, eyebrows raised. "You have done this before?" "Let’s just say the last time the four of us tried to decorate a tree together, Oscar and I ended up wrestling on the floor and knocked the whole thing down. River was... unimpressed." I burst into laughter at the image. "I can only imagine." But before any of us could say more, a gust of wind howled outside the window, and I turned toward it, eyes widening. Snow. Heavy, thick snow was falling fast... so fast that the distant hills were already vanishing behind a curtain of white. "Oh no," I whispered, standing quickly and walking toward the window. "Oscar... you were out earlier. Did it look this bad when you came back?" He was already behind me, but kept enough distance as Draven had unlocked the door. "Not even close. It started picking up about ten minutes ago." I was about to say something else when the door creaked open and Kieran walked in, with snowflakes clinging to his dark coat as if he had taken a walk outside. My breath caught. He looked... striking, as always. Tall, composed, a soft flush on his cheeks from the cold. But what caught me most was his gaze - warm and unwavering, as it landed on me. Oscar took a step back, and I smiled at Kieran as he made his way into the room. "Good timing," I said lightly, trying to act casual. "We have made almost no progress." He glanced around the room, at the half-lit tree, the open boxes, and then at me. His lips curved. "I can see that." But instead of teasing or saying something sharp, he walked closer and picked up a ribbon from the box near the fireplace. "We still got some time."

Chapter 224: Tangled in Light and Fire

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