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I press him forward until our foreheads meet, once again taken aback by how good he smells.

Fuck me. The second I inhale him again, that same sweet, dangerous scent wraps around my senses, calming something restless inside me. My eyes slip shut just to breathe him in properly.

This can’t possibly be a normal level of obsession.

“And then you started interrogating me like some kind of obsessed detective.”

“Maybe because I’m curious. And always in for trouble.” I tighten my grip, enjoying the way his breath catches. He wants it. “Besides, if you’re searching for something on Sero, it’s probably useful to have someone beside you who people don’t say no to.”

Rowan’s eyes narrow. “And why exactly do you care?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I like innocent boys who try to hide things on my planet.” I brush my mouth softly against his. “I mean, you disappear into restricted parts of the academy, nearly crack your skull open, and call me whenever things go bad.” My thumb drags slowly across his throat. “Feels pretty personal to me.”

“This isn’t Düren,” Rowan snaps. “People are allowed to ask questions here.”

“Questions about what? About something someone tried to erase?”

Rowan swallows but doesn’t answer, his lips parting like he’s trying to come up with an excuse. “You’re unbelievable.”

I lift my hands in mock innocence. “What? I’m just trying to help, little mouse.”

“No, you’re not. You’re somehow trying to make this worse.” He shoves against my chest, actually managing to force me back half an inch before I catch both his wrists and pin them above his head.

Fuck, I could happily live in this position.

Rowan glares up at me, breathing hard, hair a golden mess across his forehead while his pulse jumps wildly beneath my hand.

“You know what your problem is?” I murmur.

“Enlighten me.” He scowls, then adds, “You really know how to ruin a rescue mission.”

“But somehow it always ends the same way. The chamber. The city. My room.” I lean closer until our mouths nearly brush. “Because every single time, you end up right back under me. Still want to pretend this is accidental?”

“Accidental.” Rowan scoffs. “Maybe because you keep dragging me there, asshole.”

“That’s right. And you know what I think, little mouse? That you like ending up here. Like this, in my bed, wrapped around my thighs. Admit it. Admit you want me.”

Rowan stares up at me, chest heaving, that stubborn set to his jaw wavering beneath my hand. He looks away, then turns back. Bites his lip, then gives me a shaky nod.

Oh, fuck. Fuck me.

Him actually admitting he wants to be here is so intoxicating I almost laugh from the rush of it.

“So here’s what’s going to happen.” I trace a finger through his golden hair. “I will hurt you if you stop coming to me when you’re in trouble. But as a show of goodwill, I will help you find whatever someone tried so hard to erase.”

“I don’t—” he starts, but I shut him up by pressing my thigh harder into his.

“And then you don’t need to come to me anymore because you’re in trouble.” I grab his nape, bringing him close. “But you’ll come because you’ve stopped pretending you don’t already belong with me.”

Rowan’s breath catches. “That doesn’t mean I belong to anyone. But you keep coming back too, Zoryan.”

My lips part, something sharp and almost dizzying hitting me straight in the chest. Fuck me, I didn’t imagine it. Rowan really called me that.

A rough, strangled sound tears out of him before he crashes his mouth into mine, dragging his tongue against my teeth, his hand fisting my hair. A metallic taste explodes in my mouth, and I’m not sure whether it’s his blood or mine. I don’t care either, because Rowan just called me something that feels far too intimate to survive.

Zoryan.

My Prince.