The moment we stepped out of the sterile air of the hospital, the night hit me like a goddamn freight train. Not the cold. Not the quiet.
Her.
Sera.
Her scent wrapped around me like smoke, sweet and dark and ancient. Her heartbeat was thunder in my ears. And the bond—whatever tether now connected us—had grown sharp. It didn't pull gently. It yanked. Sank its claws deep into my spine, clawed up my throat, curled low and heavy in my gut.
Every step she took made my muscles coil. Every breath she took echoed through me.
And lower, where I had no control—ache. A pounding, maddening ache that made me clench my jaw and force myself to breathe. My cock throbbed so hard I could barely walk straight, every beat of my heart sending a wave of unbearable tension down my spine. I couldn't think. I couldn't see past her.
She moved like temptation and walked like a curse I'd gladly die under. And I wanted her. Not in the way I'd wanted her before—this was different. Fiercer. Wilder. Wrong, maybe. But I didn't care. I couldn't.
I walked half a step behind her, watching the sway of her hips in that long black coat, the way her hair brushed over her spine like it knew what it was doing to me. My fingers twitched with the urge to grab her, spin her into me, take her right here and now, I might be a crazed man.
"Cass," she said softly, not looking back.
I didn't answer.
Couldn't trust my voice. Couldn't trust myself not to grab her right there in the street and tear the night apart.
She unlocked the car.
I reached past her and slammed the door shut before she could open it. The sound was final, sharp. She froze, a flicker of something—surprise, heat, challenge—dancing in her eyes.
Slowly, she turned to face me. "What's wrong?"
She knew. Her voice was low. Steady. But I could feel her heartbeat—racing.
I stepped closer. Into her space. She didn't back away.
"You know exactly what's wrong." My voice came out rough, cracked around the edges. "You feel it too."
Her eyes darkened. Her throat moved in a silent swallow. The bond sparked. I felt it pulse between us—like we'd been plugged into the same circuit and someone had flipped the switch.
I could smell her skin. Could feel her power barely leashed. But all I could think about was how good she'd look under me. How good she'd sound. What she'd taste like, raw and open and mine.
The ache in my body grew unbearable. It crawled through me like fire in my veins. My cock throbbed with every heartbeat—hard, aching, almost painful. And I didn't care. I wanted it to hurt. Wanted the burn. If I couldn't have her, then I wanted this craving to carve me open from the inside out. Maybe then it would leave me alone.
But it wouldn't.
My hand rose without permission and cupped her jaw. Her skin was warm. Softer than I realized. Fragile, almost. Like she could break—if I wasn't careful, the bond is crazy.
"Tell me to stop," I whispered.
She didn't.
Didn't even blink.
She just looked at me like she was standing on the edge of the same cliff. Like part of her wanted to jump.
Her thoughts brushed against mine—warm, tense, trembling. She was tempted.
And yet, she didn't move.
But just as I leaned in—hands gripping her hips, lips inches from hers—
"Not here," she said, her voice low, velvet and iron. "You're not thinking straight."
"I'm thinking about you," I growled. "You, Sera. Only you."
Her fingers slid into my hair—gentle, grounding. Not pulling me closer, not pushing me away. Just... holding me there.
"Exactly," she murmured. "And that's the problem."
Then she leaned in and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
It wrecked me more than if she'd kissed my mouth.
"Get in the car, Cass." She stepped back, her breathing uneven. "We're not animals."
I got into the passenger seat in silence.
Every muscle in my body was tight. My fists clenched on my thighs. My chest was a mess of fire and restraint. My thoughts didn't even feel like my own anymore.
The bond was stronger now. Alive. Hungry.
And I was one heartbeat away from letting it devour me whole.