The moment should have ended.
It didn't.
Kael's grip tightened as the kiss deepened—
Not slower.
Not softer.
Worse.
Like something inside him had finally snapped.
Aarya felt it instantly.
The shift.
The control he had been holding onto—
Breaking.
Her fingers dug into him—Not pushing away.
Holding on.
That was his undoing.
His hand slid up—gripping her jaw, forcing her to stay exactly where he wanted her.
The kiss turned harsher.
More consuming.
Not a question anymore.
A claim.
Aarya's breath broke—
Her mind screaming at her to stop this—
But her body didn't listen.
Instead—
She pulled him closer.And that…
That was the mistake.
Kael froze.
Not fully—
Just enough to look at her.
His eyes weren't calm anymore.
They were darker.
Unstable.
"You shouldn't do that," he said—voice low, strained.
Aarya's lips parted slightly.
"Then stop me."
The words came out before she could think.
A challenge.A mistake.
Something dark flickered in his gaze.
That was all it took.
He pulled her in again—harder this time.
The restraint he had left—gone.
His hands tightened around her—
Holding her like she wasn't allowed to move.
Like she wasn't allowed to leave.
Aarya gasped softly—
Not in fear.
Something worse.
His head lowered—His lips brushing down to her throat again.The same place.
The mark he left.
His breath slowed.
Dangerous.
"You don't understand what you're doing," he murmured against her skin.
Aarya's fingers tightened against him.
"Then tell me to stop."
Silence.
Heavy.
He didn't.
Instead—
His grip tightened slightly.
Like the answer had already been decided.And that was when it hit her.
This wasn't just him losing control anymore.
She was part of it.
Choosing it.
Feeding it.
And somehow—
That didn't scare her enough to stop.
Kael pulled back suddenly.
Not gently.
Like he was forcing himself to.
His breathing uneven now.
His eyes locked onto hers again.
"This ends now."The words were sharp.
Controlled.
But his hands didn't let go immediately.
Aarya looked at him—
And for the first time—
She didn't feel powerless.
She felt… dangerous.
"Then leave," she said quietly.
A challenge again.
His jaw tightened.
Silence stretched between them.
Then—
He did.
He disappeared.
And this time—
It didn't feel like control.
It felt like something breaking.