LEVEL EVERYTHING UP in my Eldritch Tribe - Chapter 116

Chapter 116: Primal Tension / R18
Suddenly, the atmosphere between Lyerin and Sophia shifted like the quiet before a storm, heavy with unspoken tension and charged with an energy neither of them fully understood.

Lyerin’s gaze locked onto Sophia, with an unreadable expression, and for a moment, the world seemed to pause.

Sophia, caught in the intensity of his stare, felt a flutter of unease mingling with something else—something that made her heart beat faster.

“What’s going on?” Sophia wondered, trying to make sense of the sudden change in Lyerin’s demeanor. But before she could untangle her thoughts, Lyerin moved toward her with a speed that made her breath catch.

Her heart leaped into her throat, a mixture of alarm and anticipation gripping her as he closed the distance between them in an instant.

“Lyerin?” she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper.

The look in his eyes was different—there was a hunger there, a deep, magnetic pull that made her feel like she was teetering on the edge of something she couldn’t comprehend.

The usually composed and mysterious Lyerin seemed almost… vulnerable in that moment, but there was also an intensity in him that made her pulse race.

He stepped even closer, so close that Sophia could feel the heat radiating off his body. Her thoughts scrambled, her mind a whirl of confusion and a strange excitement she couldn’t fully grasp.

This was the same Lyerin who had saved them, who had always been distant and untouchable, yet now…

Now, he was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.

“Sophia,” Lyerin said, his voice low and rough, “you looked good as a human. But now that you’ve transformed into an Eldritch being, you’re even more stunning.” His words were a revelation, spoken with such seriousness that Sophia felt them deep in her core.

Her breath hitched, and for a fleeting moment, she wondered if she was imagining things. But the way he looked at her, the sincerity in his gaze—it was so real.

She closed her eyes for a second, trying to steady herself, but curiosity got the better of her.

She peeked through her lashes, and there he was, still staring at her with that same intensity, his expression one of pure admiration.

It felt like a dream, like something out of a fantasy she never knew she had.

Her heart pounded in her chest, the sound of it echoing in her ears as her mind raced to catch up with what was happening.

Is this really happening? she thought, her emotions swirling in a chaotic storm.

Every fiber of her being was hyper-aware of Lyerin, of the way his eyes lingered on her, of the way he made her feel both exhilarated and terrified at the same time.

Her heartbeat quickened, each thump reverberating through her like a drumbeat.

And then, before she could fully process her thoughts, Lyerin moved closer still, so close that his breath brushed against her skin.

Sophia’s eyes widened, immediately panic set in as she realized just how close they were.

She didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to react.

This was Lyerin—calm, collected, enigmatic Lyerin. And yet, here he was, standing inches away from her, with an intense gaze that was locked onto hers as if she were the most captivating thing he had ever seen.

“Sophia,” he murmured, his voice a rumble that sent a shiver down her spine. “Do you really have a boyfriend?”

The question hit her like a jolt of electricity.

What kind of question was that?

Her thoughts scattered, trying to make sense of his questions.

Why would Lyerin ask something like that? But when she looked into his eyes, any attempt at logical thinking evaporated.

The intensity in his gaze was so overwhelming that it made her feel like she was drowning in it.

Sophia swallowed hard, but she felt her throat were dry. Her mind screamed at her to answer, to say something, anything, but all she could do was stare at him, as if her voice was stolen by the tension between them.

The world seemed to narrow to just the two of them, everything else fading into the background as she stood there, frozen under the weight of his question.

Lyerin’s eyes bore into hers, as if searching for something deep within her soul. “Do you love your boyfriend?” he asked, his tone deadly serious, the kind of seriousness that made her insides twist with an unexplainable feeling.

The question lingered in the air, heavy and charged, and Sophia felt like the ground had just shifted beneath her feet.

She wanted to say yes, to declare her love for her boyfriend with all the certainty in the world. But the words wouldn’t come.

They were trapped in her throat, lodged there by the way Lyerin was looking at her, as if he could see right through her, as if he knew every secret she had ever kept.

Her boyfriend never looked at her like that, never.

So, the certainty she had once felt began to waver, she could feel her emotions tangling into a confusing knot of loyalty and something much more primal.

Of course she loved her boyfriend—she had loved him for as long as she could remember.

Even in the face of the apocalypse, their love had been a constant, something that grounded her in the chaos.

They were supposed to get married one day, to start a life together despite everything. But standing here, under Lyerin’s intense gaze, all of that seemed to blur into the background, overtaken by the heat that was spreading through her body, making her feel things she didn’t understand.

Lyerin’s expression didn’t change, his eyes still locked on hers with that same soul-piercing intensity. “Sophia,” he whispered, his voice a low, dangerous murmur, “if you don’t like this, if this makes you feel uncomfortable, just take my hand away… because I’m afraid that I just couldn’t help it.”

His hand brushed against her cheek, his touch sending a bolt of electricity through skin at the center, all the way down to her stomach.

Her entire body heated up at the contact, a flush spreading across her skin as she felt the warmth of his fingers against her face.

It was a gentle touch, yet it carried a weight that made her knees weak, a touch that made her feel as if the ground had fallen away beneath her.

Sophia’s mind screamed at her to pull away, to do something, but her body refused to move.

It was as if she were under a spell, completely entranced by the way Lyerin was looking at her, by the way his hand felt against her skin. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, a chaotic swirl of emotions she couldn’t make sense of.

Why was this happening?

Why was her body reacting like this?

And then, before she could even begin to find answers to the questions racing through her mind, Lyerin did something that made her heart stop altogether.

He leaned in closer, with his breath ghosting over her lips, and with a smooth, deliberate motion, he slid his arm around her waist.

Sophia barely had time to process what was happening before he lifted her off the ground, carrying her effortlessly in his arms.

Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide with shock as she stared up at him.

Lyerin didn’t look away, his gaze never leaving hers as he held her close, his expression a mixture of admiration and something far darker.

The world around them faded into nothingness, leaving only the two of them, locked in this moment that felt both surreal and inevitable.

Sophia’s heart pounded in her chest, her mind reeling as she tried to make sense of the situation.

However, all she could feel was the heat of Lyerin’s body against hers, the strength in his arms as he held her, and the overwhelming intensity of his gaze that made her feel like she was about to drown in it.

And as Lyerin carried her away, his eyes still fixed on her with that same, unreadable intensity, Sophia knew that whatever was happening between them was far from over, but something she wanted to deny was going to happen.