Tiny pause.
“I think I’m making another terrible decision.”
Something in him snapped quietly after that. Not in an explosive way . But enough to snap all his control and patience. His hand closed around my wrist instantly before he leaned down close enough that his voice brushed softly against my mouth.
“You should be careful saying things like that to me.”
My heartbeat stumbled fast. Finally, there he was, not the patient, not the hesitant demon, But mine .
“Maybe,” I whispered back, “I’m tired of you acting scared of me.”
His eyes darkened instantly.
“Scared?” he repeated softly.
“You keep touching me like I’ll disappear.”
The silence after that sentence felt dangerous. Then his hand tightened around mine before he started walking. Fast, directly toward the private hallway branching off the palace chambers.
Behind us, Nina pulled away from the younger brother long enough to gasp dramatically, “OH MY GOD.”
“I am unavailable for commentary,” I informed her while my demon dragged me down the hallway.
The younger brother was deeply impressed. “That escalated beautifully.”
Then my demon slammed the bedroom door shut behind us. Silence surrounded us heavily. Only my deep breaths paced perfectly with his ragged breathing.
The room was darker than the palace chambers outside. Silver fire burned low inside black lanterns while enormous curtains moved softly near the open balcony windows overlooking the glowing city below. And it was just us.
My demon still held my wrist. Still stood one step away from losing control entirely. But this time he wasn’t hiding it. Good. I stepped closer until barely any space remained between us.
“You know,” I murmured softly, “for someone terrifying enough to scare governments, you hesitate a lot.”
His hand moved from my wrist to my waist hard enough to pull me flush against him. The sudden movement knocked the breath out of me instantly.
“There,” he said quietly against my mouth. “Is that better?”
Oh.
God.
“Yes.”
The honesty slipped out before dignity could save me. His eyes darkened further at the answer. Then finally, finally, his control cracked. His hand slid sharply into my hair before he kissed me hard enough to shut every coherent thought out of my brain instantly.
This time there was nothing restrained about him. Weeks of holding back seemed to collapse in a single moment, leaving him rougher, needier, far less controlled than before. I caught the front of his coat to steady myself as he pulled me closer, his grip on my waist tightening with enough force to make my heartbeat stumble hard against my ribs.
The kiss deepened almost instantly, turning fierce before either of us could slow it down. It was messy with frustration, heavy with all the tension we’d been pretending not to feel for weeks. Every held-back thought, every lingering glance, every unfinished moment finally collided at once. And the worst part was, I wanted every second of it.
He pulled back just enough for our breaths to tangle, his forehead brushing mine as he murmured against my mouth, barely sounding in control anymore:
“You are unbelievably difficult to resist.”
“That sounds like a personal failing.”
His hand tightened in my hair again.
“Careful.”
