Something inside me twisted painfully at the word selfish because he sounded angry at himself for staying. Not regretful. Just guilty for wanting to.I hated that for him.
“You are not allowed to decide what hurts me,” I muttered quietly.
My demon's gaze lingered on mine for a long moment before dropping to my hand at my side. Then, with a hesitation that was strangely unlike him, he reached for it and threaded his fingers through mine with a gentle familiarity that completely ruined my ability to think clearly.
“You should stop looking at me like you want me to stay,” he said softly.
I swallowed hard. “What if I do?”
My demon was genuinely speechless for the first time since I’d met him.
The hallway went too quiet around us.
Then his hand tightened around mine slightly before he stepped closer enough that I could feel warmth through the sleeve of his hoodie.
And when he kissed me, it felt nothing like the dramatic movie kisses people always described.
It was careful at first. Almost hesitant. Like he was trying very hard not to want this as much as he did. Then I finally kissed him back. That ruined whatever self-control he had left.
His free hand moved to my waist, pulling me closer while the kiss deepened hard enough to steal the air from my lungs completely. Everything around us blurred into warmth and adrenaline and the faint smell of smoke still lingering in the hallway.
For one terrible second, it was painfully easy to imagine him staying.
Then my demon pulled back slightly. The warmth around me disappeared with him.
His hand stayed against my waist for half a second longer before he forced himself to step away completely, and the distance between us seemed wrong so fast it almost made me angry.
Neither of us spoke.
My heartbeat was still completely ruined while he stood there looking at me like leaving was hurting him too.
“That,” he said quietly, “was a mistake.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “YOU kissed ME.”
“You kissed back aggressively.”
“I was operating on instinct rather than reason.”
For the smallest second, the corner of his mouth almost lifted again before the expression disappeared completely.
Then something shifted in his expression, not colder but worse, like he’d finally made up his mind.
My stomach dropped instantly.
“No,” I whispered.
My demon stepped closer one last time before resting his forehead briefly against mine. The touch lasted barely a second, but it still felt devastatingly gentle compared to the terrifying things I’d seen him do tonight.
“If I stay now,” he said softly, “they will stop warning me before they come for you.”
The fear hit me hard after that, and this time it had nothing to do with demons or monsters or Hell. The thought of losing him was worse than all of it combined. Before he could step away again, I grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie tightly.
“Don’t.”
His eyes closed briefly like that single word hurt more than the attack had.
For one horrible second, he wavered. Then, very gently, he pulled himself away from me.
