Her breath hitched the moment his fingers touched her skin.
It wasn't just heat—it was pull. A magnetic hunger written into their blood by something older than fate.
She didn't back away. Not yet.
"This bond," she whispered, her voice brittle, "is dangerous. It consumes both."
Kael's hand drifted to her throat—not gripping, just resting there. Feeling her pulse race beneath his fingers.
"Then burn with me," he said.
And she did.
Their mouths met with violence, no hesitation—just fire. Her fingers tangled in his wet hair as he pushed her back against a tree, lips claiming hers like a war he had to win. She bit his lower lip, drawing blood, and he growled against her mouth.
She wasn't submissive. She fought for control, even as her cloak dropped to the forest floor