But it hit me like a punch straight to the ribs.
Because it was true.
And the worst part?
I didn’t want her to stop.
They finished their exchange. And when we stepped out into the night, the air was cold—but I couldn’t feel it. Not with the fire still licking under my skin. Not with her hand brushing mine again—hesitant, but deliberate.
I didn’t look at her.
I didn’t need to.
Because her fingers slid between mine like a promise. And I held on like I’d never let go.
The space between us had disappeared.
And what was left?
A battlefield.
A blood pact.
A goddamn beginning.
And the heat pulsing through me had only one name.
Persephone.
Chapter 23
Seph
The rain started soft—just a whisper against the car window. Barely there. But as we drove, it grew louder, heavier, until it beat against the roof in waves. A relentless rhythm that matched the storm rising inside me.
I couldn’t focus on anything but the glass.
The way the droplets chased each other down the pane. The way the world outside blurred behind them. It felt like watching my thoughts unravel—beautiful, chaotic, out of control.
Inside the car, the silence was loud. The air thick with the weight of everything we hadn’t said. Everything we couldn’t say.
I could still feel his mouth on mine.
The stacks. The taste of him. The fire. That kiss wasn’t just heat—it was a shift. A silent promise. Something had changed.
And I didn’t know how to come back from it.
He glanced at me more than once. I could feel it even before I saw it. That tight jaw. That flicker of something almost vulnerable in his eyes. As if he wanted to reach for me—but wasn’t sure if I’d burn him for it.
And fuck me, I didn’t know if I’d stop him.
“Are you okay?” he asked. His voice was low, steady against the rain. Like it was just the two of us in the whole world.
I turned slightly, but kept my gaze on the window. “Just thinking.”
“About what?”
He didn’t push. He never really did. But the question lingered, waiting for something real.
