“She used to hum,” he murmurs, almost smiling. “Never a full song. Just… humming. She said words got in the way sometimes.” I nod, damp hair clinging to the back of my neck.
“You definitely take after her.” That makes the corner of his mouth twitch, fully up for a brief moment, communication not being his strong suit.
“She was the strongest person I’ve ever known,” Kai says, finally meeting my eyes. “But not in a loud way. She was strong like the trees, like winter, resilient, steady.”
I shift closer, “Thank you for bringing me here.”
His throat tightens, but he swallows it down. “I think she’d like you.”
I smile faintly. “I know I liked her.”
I may not remember every detail, but intuition never lies. We sit like that, shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, hand in hand. No need to fix anything. Just two souls, in a hot spring beneath the moonlight, holding space for a truth that doesn't need to be healed, only shared, and that’s enough.
“Thank you,” Kai whispers against my temple, followed by lips on skin. Icy air licks at my bare skin, but I’m not cold. Not with him watching me like that, as if I’m the only thing he’s ever truly seen.
“You’re perfect, little terror,” he murmurs, voice rough in the quiet night.
“Why do you keep calling me that?” Kai holds my stare, a flicker of tenderness slipping through the heat in his eyes.
“Because. You. Torment me. I wake up every damn day thinking about the exact shade of your eyes, the way your body was made for my hands, or how just the scent of you can make me go insane.”
My heart skips a beat.
“You think you’re the only one affected here?”
The moment feels suspended, as if we’re both caught between two worlds. One where we're both still wearing the masks of where we’re supposed to belong, and one where all of that is stripped away. I fully turn toward him, and the tension between us shifts into something tender. Without a word, he pulls me closer, letting the water lap against our skin, the heat dizzying. The kiss comes slow, but this time it's more than just flesh meeting flesh; it’s a whispered promise. It’s him, and it’s me, wrapped in the quiet heat of the spring. Kai’s hands rise from the water and frame my face, fingertips trembling ever so slightly.
“You sure?” voice stripped of all the arrogance, naked from pretenses. And just like that, he’s not the sharp-edged soldier or the lycan made of ice and instincts. He’s just Kai.
My Kai.
Bare, vulnerable, waiting for me.
“Yes,” I whisper. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.” Something cracks open in him, a second heartbeat aligning with mine. His mouth meets me softly at first, careful, as if I might break. But the moment deepens, swelling as a tide, hungry, desperate for more.
Kai’s hands slide down my back, fingers splaying across my skin. Grabbing my ass, he pulls me closer until our bodies align. The world narrows to nothing but us. The press of his chest, the pulse of his heart, the kisses he trails over my scars.
A cool breeze brushes over my spine, a welcome contrast to the heat igniting all around us. Brackwell’s lips slide over mine, urging them to open, and then he’s tasting me, exploring my mouth, claiming me. I moan when the tips of his canines pierce my bottom lip, welcoming the hot and metallic tang.
Kai lets out a moan of his own, kissing me deeper as his hands work their way into my wet curls. Feeling every hardnessof him, his shoulders, his scarred back, his toned stomach and Kvirr, his rock-hard cock. Our breaths quicken.
I want him, all of him, and I know Kai is right alongside me. His head dips to my breast, lifting me slightly out of the water. Towering over him, my head falls back as I lose myself in ecstasy. He draws more scarlet drops from my flesh, the pain making me wetter. Hips rolling, looking for release.
I don’t have to wait too long as two fingers stretch me roughly. But I welcome it, the urgency. His breath comes faster, each exhale followed by a ragged groan. As if nothing can quench his thirst. Kai kisses me hard, grinding his dick against my core, feeling his desperate need.
“If you change your mind, you stop me.” His words are mumbled, dancing over my skin, never pausing his exploration. I nod, my fingers tightening around the hard muscles of his neck, grounding myself as I brace for what’s coming.
“Say it,” Kai commands, voice thick, strained with restraint.
“I will,” the words barely escape my mouth before he thrusts into me. And fuck, he’s big, uncomfortably so as I cry out, pain mixed with pleasure. Kai’s stretching me in a place that doesn't have a lot of experience, and definitely not one of this calibre. He holds still, letting me adjust to him, quickly transforming the ache into a hum of pleasure. He brings his forehead to mine, barely holding still.
“You okay?” voice strained, teeth grinding.
“Yes,” I moan, slowly moving my hips, and that’s all he needs, before Kai pulls out of me slowly, only to sink back in with the same languorous rhythm. And he does it again before I join him, as we both start syncing in harmony. His jaw clenches tight as we continue our dance, and energy shimmers between us, palpable as delicateluminous threads.
The tempo quickens before turning into pure primal need. The prickles of light dance across our skin as we move. Gettingcloser and closer, with every thrust and roll of hips. The swelling of his dick pushes so deliciously inside me, it makes my eyes roll back.
“Faster,please.”
