Riven didn't know what hurt more—the bruises on his skin or the ache of Cassian's absence.
He had left before dawn, sheets still warm, the scent of him clinging to the room like a phantom. And now, hours later, Riven stood in the training room, fists wrapped in leather, beating down a bag like it was the only thing keeping him sane.
Every punch was for a truth Cassian hadn't told him.
Every swing was for the part of him that still needed Cassian like air.
"You're going to break something," came that voice—cool, deep, maddening.
Riven froze mid-swing, turning to find Cassian leaning in the doorway. Dressed in black. Watching him with eyes that had haunted every one of Riven's breaths since he left.
"You already broke it," Riven spat, chest heaving.
Cassian stepped inside. "I had to go. There are things I still need to fix before I can—"
"Be with me?" Riven laughed bitterly. "You're always fixing things. But you never fix this. Us."
Cassian reached him in two strides. "Because I keep breaking it."
Riven shoved him. "Then stop kissing me like you mean it."
Cassian grabbed his wrist, yanked him close. "And you stop kissing me like it hurts."
The kiss exploded between them—violent, teeth-clashing, mouths open in a fury of tongues and heat and desperation. Riven bit down on Cassian's lower lip, drawing blood. Cassian groaned, hand sliding up the back of Riven's neck to anchor him, claiming him.
Riven shoved him against the wall, grinding against him, fury and lust entwined. "This is poison," he growled.
"And you drink it every time," Cassian whispered back, eyes wild. "You crave it."
Their clothes tore as they reached for skin—touches like fire, bruises like promises. Cassian's mouth was everywhere, licking over old bites, adding new ones. Riven responded with nails, hips, heat.
They fucked like it was war—hard, unforgiving, beautiful.
And afterward, as they collapsed on the mats, sweat-drenched and breathless, Riven whispered, "I don't know how to stop loving you."
Cassian turned his face, eyes dark and glassy. "Then don't."