Victor's smile tilted further, slow and amused, the faint shimmer of his ether catching the light as he leaned one forearm against the table.
"I don't need it," he said, voice low, unhurried. "I told you, it's only an aftereffect. I'll be fine."
His gaze caught Elias's, steady, sharp, and far too knowing.
"But," Victor added, the faintest gleam of mischief sliding into his tone, "if you're offering just because you want to kiss me again… then I won't stop you."
Elias froze, caught between disbelief and something far more dangerous. His jaw tightened, and for a moment, words failed him.
Then he blinked once, slow, exhaling through his nose as his ears went warm.
"You're unbelievable," Elias said flatly, and then, with a sharper edge, "Forget I offered."
Victor's laugh came quiet and low, the kind that curled around the edges of the moment like smoke, rich and infuriating. He leaned back slightly in his chair, crimson eyes still fixed on Elias with that maddening calm.
