"He never touched me before. And now he won't stop."
---
NYRA VORA
We train at dawn.
Kai never misses it.
Black shirt, tied hair, knuckles wrapped in tension.
He doesn't talk. He watches.
And he never, ever touches.
Until today.
---
We were sparring in the courtyard.
Bare feet. Sweaty skin. Frustration buried beneath silence.
I was already pissed.
Ravian had texted me again—some cryptic line about remembering my perfume.
Kray was spiraling.
And Aaric hadn't messaged since that rooftop.
But Kai?
Kai had been distant.
Too distant.
I struck harder.
He blocked.
I twisted—he dodged.
> "You're pulling back," I said.
He didn't answer.
> "Are you scared of hurting me?"
> "You've already been hurt enough," he replied, calm.
I froze.
> "So you think I'm weak now?"
He looked up sharply.
> "No. I think I'm the only one trying not to fall for your fire."
The words hung between us. Hot. Cracked.
Then he stepped forward—close. Too close.
> "You're not Meher anymore," he whispered.
> "You sure?"
I moved. Fast. Swung at his jaw—testing him.
He caught my wrist.
And this time…
he didn't let go.
---
His grip burned through me.
> "Let go," I said.
> "No."
He twisted my arm, forced me back into the wall.
Not violently—dominantly.
> "Do you know how long I've wanted to break the rules for you?" he said, voice shaking.
His breath hit my lips.
His fingers pressed into my skin.
His silence shattered.
> "I watched you die, Nyra.
I held you in my arms when your heart stopped."
"And now you walk around like you never needed saving."
> "Because I didn't," I whispered.
> "Then why am I still here?"
---
And then he kissed me.
Hard.
Brutal.
Like he was trying to erase the memory of death from my mouth.
I bit him.
He growled.
His hand slipped behind my neck, anchoring me in place.
> "You think you control everyone," he said into my mouth.
"Try controlling me."
> "You're already mine," I whispered.
---
We didn't have sex.
But it was worse.
Because when he pulled away, lip bleeding, eyes wild—
> "You're not allowed to die again," he said.
"Not until I've had you."
---
LATER THAT NIGHT – NYRA
I stood at the mirror.
Lip swollen. Wrist sore.
And I couldn't stop shaking.
Not from fear.
From want.
Because Kai—the one man I thought would never touch me—
had just lit a fire under my skin that no one else had.
And now?
I wasn't sure I'd survive it.
---
🖤 End of Chapter 9
---