*POV: Nyla*
The whisper of the forest wind couldn't drown out the storm in my chest. I clutched the torn parchment, my fingers trembling around the message.
*"She was never meant to survive."*
It wasn't just a threat. It felt personal. Ancient.
I didn't want to be alone tonight.
So, I went to the only place that felt like safety—and danger at the same time.
Damon's cabin.
I knocked once. The door opened instantly, like he had been waiting.
"You felt it too, didn't you?" he asked, his voice low, almost a growl.
I didn't answer. I just held up the parchment. His jaw clenched.
Before I could say another word, he stepped forward and cupped my face. "I won't let anyone harm you, Nyla. Not while I breathe."
And then he kissed me.
There was no hesitation this time—just fire. The kiss deepened fast, his hands gripping my waist as he backed me into the room, shutting the door behind us. My body melted into his, every inch of tension turning into heat.
Clothes hit the floor, careless and rushed.
He laid me on his bed like I was something sacred, but the look in his golden eyes told me he wanted to ruin me—in the best way.
"You don't know what you do to me," he murmured against my neck before trailing hot kisses down my collarbone.
"Then show me," I whispered, breathless.
And he did.
The night unraveled into soft gasps and deep moans, skin against skin, touch meeting desperation. Every kiss, every stroke, every growl in his throat reminded me—I was his. And he was mine, even if we hadn't said it yet.
When it was over, I lay in his arms, heart pounding.
"Whatever this is," I whispered, "it's real."
He looked down at me. "It's more than real, Nyla. It's fate."
But outside, in the darkness of the trees, someone else watched. Again.
The figure whispered into the wind:
"Let them fall deeper. The truth will burn them both."
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