Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 381: The Body Remembers

Electra’s POV

I couldn’t sleep.

It had been hours since I yelled at Seraphina in the hallway. Hours since I watched her eyes fill with tears and her back disappear down the corridor. Hours since I came back to my room and locked the door behind me like that would somehow lock my thoughts out too, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. It was like her face had been burned into my mind. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her standing there, confused and hurt, asking me what she did wrong.

It irritated me more than I wanted to admit.

I rolled onto my side, then onto my back again, staring up at the ceiling. My room was large and quiet. The moonlight came in through the tall windows, stretching across the floor in pale lines. Everything was calm, everything was still, but my mind refused to follow.

The more I tried not to think about her, the more my thoughts drifted back to her. The way she rushed toward me earlier, the way she said my name, and the softness in her voice. And then my thoughts started going in directions I didn’t understand. I imagined her standing closer, I imagined her hands on me, and I imagined the way her lips would feel again.

My entire body began to feel warm.

At first, it was subtle, a slow heat spreading from my chest outward, but it didn’t stop there. It traveled lower, settling in my stomach, then further down. My breathing changed without me realizing it. It became heavier and slower but deeper, and my thighs pressed together instinctively as the warmth pooled between my legs.

"What is wrong with me?" I muttered into the darkness.

I sat up abruptly, pushing the sheets off me. My skin felt sensitive, almost tight. The room suddenly felt too small and too warm, even though I knew it wasn’t. I looked around my bed and my room, trying to ground myself. I had space, I had air, and I was alone, but my body felt anything but calm.

The first solution that came to mind was simple. Cold water.

I never slept with clothes on anyway. I didn’t see the point. So I stood up and walked straight into the bathroom without hesitation. The tiles were cool under my feet, which helped for a second. I turned the shower on and twisted the knob all the way to cold. When the water hit my skin, I sucked in a sharp breath.

The cold felt good.

For a few seconds, relief washed over me. The icy stream ran down my hair, across my shoulders, and over my chest. It dulled the heat instantly. I closed my eyes and leaned my hands against the wall, letting the water fall over me, but the relief didn’t last.

Within moments, the warmth began creeping back under my skin. It didn’t matter how cold the water was. The heat didn’t fade. It rose again, stronger this time. My breathing grew uneven, and I shifted uncomfortably under the stream. My body felt stiff, tense in ways I wasn’t used to.

When I opened my eyes, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror through the mist. My eyes were darker, and the faint fire in them flickered more intensely than usual. Tiny embers sparked briefly across my skin before disappearing.

"No," I whispered.

My power was reacting.

That only made everything worse because this wasn’t as a result of anger, fear, or being in danger. It was something else entirely, something that made my pulse race and my thoughts clouded.

I stepped out of the shower abruptly, not even bothering to dry myself. Water dripped from my hair and ran down my back as I walked back into my bedroom. The cool air hit my wet skin, but it didn’t calm me. Steam seemed to rise faintly from my shoulders as the heat inside me fought the cold.

I started pacing.

Back and forth across the room, my hands running through my wet hair. I felt restless, almost frantic. Every time I tried to think of something else, my mind returned to her. The curve of her mouth, the way her voice softened when she said my name, and the way she looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered.

The heat flared again, sharper this time.

I pressed my hand to my chest, but this wasn’t pain like earlier. It was a deep, aching pull, and my entire body felt alive in a way that made it hard to think clearly.

A knock suddenly echoed through the room, and I froze mid-step.

A frustrated sound slipped from my throat before I could stop it. The last thing I needed right now was Irina or Penelope knocking on my door, asking questions, and looking at me like I was unstable. It was too late for this, and I didn’t have the patience to explain anything.

The knock came again, and I didn’t even bother covering myself. I didn’t care. I stormed to the door with every intention of sending whoever it was away immediately.

I pulled the door open, and my breath caught.

It wasn’t Irina.

It wasn’t Penelope.

It was Seraphina.

She stood there in the hallway light, looking smaller than usual. Her expression was a mix of innocence, confusion, and concern. Her hands were clasped together nervously, like she wasn’t sure if she should even be there.

Her eyes widened when she saw me, and I knew it had to do with the fact that I was naked.

"I...I know you didn’t want to see me," she stuttered quickly, her cheeks turning red. "But I was worried about you and about earlier. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay."

Her voice was soft, careful, and genuine, and the heat inside me exploded.

It felt like something snapped. My body reacted before my mind could catch up, and without saying a word, I reached forward and grabbed her wrist. She gasped in surprise as I pulled her into my room. The door shut behind her with a firm click.

For a second, we just stood there.

She looked up at me, her breathing slightly uneven now. There was confusion in her eyes, but also something else. Something that matched the way my body was reacting.

I didn’t think.

I just stepped forward and crashed my lips against hers.

The kiss wasn’t soft or slow. It was intense, almost desperate. All the heat that had been building inside me poured into that moment. My hands moved to her waist, pulling her closer as I pressed her gently back against the door.

For a split second, she stiffened in shock.

Then she responded.

Her hands lifted slowly, resting against my shoulders. Her lips moved against mine, soft at first, then firmer as she kissed me back. A quiet sound escaped her, and that only made my heart pound harder.

The heat shifted. It wasn’t wild anymore. It felt focused and controlled. My mind, which had been chaotic all night, suddenly felt clear.

When I finally pulled back just enough to breathe, our foreheads almost touched. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips slightly swollen. Her eyes were half-lidded as she looked at me like she was trying to understand what just happened.

"Electra..." she whispered softly.

I stared at her, my chest rising and falling.

I still didn’t fully understand what had taken over me. I didn’t understand why my body reacted to her like this, why my power flared instead of burned out, but one thing was clear.

Even without my memories, even without knowing everything we used to be to each other...

My body remembered her.