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The air between us crackled, silent yet screaming.
Raiden's hand rested loosely on the arm of the leather chair, his fingers tapping a slow, deliberate rhythm. His eyes—those goddamn silver eyes—bored into me like they could tear apart the lies I told myself.
I swallowed hard, clutching my bag tighter against my chest.
I had no armor left, no shield against him. Only my foolish pride. Only the stupid illusion that I could still walk away untouched.
"Come here, Aria," he said softly, voice dangerous in its calmness.
I hesitated.
The past few days had been torture—avoiding him on campus, pretending the connection between us didn't exist, acting like that night hadn't stripped me bare.
But now?
Now, there was no escape.
I stepped forward, feeling like I was walking into the mouth of a lion.
Raiden leaned forward, elbows on his knees, studying me like I was a puzzle he was determined to solve.
"You look tired," he said, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear with a gentleness that contradicted the coldness in his gaze. "Have you been sleeping, little dove?"
The nickname sent a shiver down my spine.
"I'm fine," I lied.
He chuckled darkly. "You're a terrible liar."
I should have left. I should have said something sharp, cut him with words the way he sliced me open with his presence.
But I stayed.
Rooted to the spot, intoxicated by him even as I hated myself for it.
Raiden stood slowly, closing the distance between us with predatory grace.
"You think you can run from me?" he murmured, tilting my chin up with two fingers. "After everything, Aria... you still don't understand, do you?"
I trembled under his touch.
"Understand what?" I whispered, the words barely audible.
His smile was bitter, almost cruel.
"That you're mine."
The declaration knocked the air from my lungs.
"You can't own me," I snapped, finding a shred of defiance.
Raiden's eyes darkened. "You already gave yourself to me the night you let me inside you."
I slapped him.
Without thinking, without permission from my brain—my hand cracked against his cheek.
The room froze.
Even the air seemed to hold its breath.
For a heartbeat, Raiden said nothing.
Then he laughed—low and feral, sending a chill racing down my spine.
"There she is," he said. "My fierce little dove."
He caught my wrist before I could pull away, dragging me flush against his chest.
I struggled, but it was useless. His body was a wall of iron and heat.
"You want to hate me?" he growled into my ear. "Fine. Hate me. But don't you dare pretend you don't feel this too."
Before I could respond, his mouth crashed onto mine.
Hard. Bruising. Desperate.
I gasped, and he took advantage, deepening the kiss, his tongue sweeping into my mouth with brutal dominance.
Every protest, every rational thought disintegrated under the force of him.
God help me, I kissed him back.
My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer even as tears burned my eyes.
I hated him. I needed him. I wanted to destroy him and drown in him all at once.
When he finally pulled back, we were both panting.
His forehead pressed against mine.
"I'm not letting you go, Aria," he rasped. "Not now. Not ever."
Tears slid down my cheeks silently.
"Why me?" I choked out. "You could have anyone..."
Raiden cupped my face, thumbs wiping away my tears with a gentleness that broke me more than any cruelty could have.
"Because you're the only one who makes me feel alive."
The words struck deep.
Real. Raw. Terrifying.
I shoved him away, needing space, needing sanity.
But Raiden didn't follow.
He let me stumble back, watching with an unreadable expression.
"You think Giovanni would love you better?" he asked quietly, his voice like a knife wrapped in velvet.
I froze.
"He doesn't love you," Raiden said. "He wants to break you. To own you the way he owns everything else."
I shook my head. "You don't know him—"
"I know men like him. I was raised to be one."
His confession was a dark, ugly truth he didn't bother to sugarcoat.
I stared at him, heart hammering.
Raiden's voice softened.
"I'm the lesser of two devils, Aria. Make no mistake about that. But at least with me, you'll never have to pretend to be something you're not."
Tears blurred my vision.
I hated him for being right.
I hated myself for wanting the safety he promised... even if it came wrapped in chains.
Without another word, I turned and fled.
I didn't look back.
If I did, I knew I wouldn't have the strength to leave.
Behind me, Raiden's low, broken whisper followed:
"Run all you want, little dove. You'll come back. You always do."
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(End of Chapter 17)
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