He didn't want to stop.
That was the truth he hated most.
Kael's fingers still held her jaw—firm, unmoving—like if he let go, something worse would happen.
And maybe it would.
Because the moment he touched her…
Everything inside him shifted.
His control.
His restraint.
Gone.
Aarya didn't move.
That was the first mistake.
Her eyes stayed locked on his—Not afraid.
Not pulling away.
Watching him… like she was waiting for something.
His grip tightened slightly.
"You shouldn't look at me like that," he said quietly.
Aarya's breath hitched—just slightly.
But he noticed.
Of course he did.
His gaze dropped—
Not fully.
Just enough to catch the rise and fall of her breathing.Too fast.
Uneven.
Like her body was reacting before her mind could stop it.
Something dark flickered in his eyes.
"You feel it too," he murmured.
It wasn't a question.
Aarya swallowed slowly.
She should deny it.
She should push him away.
She should—
"Then stop," she whispered.
But her voice betrayed her.
It wasn't strong.It wasn't firm.
It sounded like something else entirely.
Something dangerously close to want.
Kael went still.
Completely still.
His thumb brushed lightly against her jaw—
Not rough.
But not gentle either.
Like he was testing how far he could go.
"You don't understand," he said—voice lower now.
Aarya's fingers curled into his sleeve again.
Holding him there.Not letting him step back this time.
"Then make me understand," she said softly.
And that—
That was the second mistake.
Because something in him snapped again.
Not loudly.
Not violently.
Quietly.
Like control slipping through his fingers one piece at a time.
His hand moved—
Sliding from her jaw to the back of her neck.Pulling her just slightly closer.
Close enough that her breath brushed against his skin.
Close enough that he could feel the way her body tensed—
And didn't pull away.
His gaze darkened.
"You should be afraid of me," he said.
Aarya shook her head slightly.
"I'm not."
The words were quiet.
But they hit harder than anything else.
Kael exhaled slowly—
Like that answer cost him something You should be," he repeated.
His grip tightened slightly at the back of her neck—
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to remind her she couldn't move if he didn't allow it.
And yet—
She didn't try.
That was the problem.
That was always the problem.
His head lowered slowly—
Not rushing this time.
Not losing control completely.
Just enough to let the tension stretch.His lips stopped just short of her skin—
Hovering near her throat again.
The same place.
The mark.
His mark.
Aarya's breath broke softly.
And that sound—
That small, unguarded reaction—
It almost ruined him.
His grip tightened instantly.
His control slipped again.
"This is exactly why I stay away," he murmured.
But he didn't move back.Didn't create distance.
Didn't stop.
Because neither of them wanted him to.
And that was the most dangerous part.
"Then don't," she whispered.
The words were barely there—
But he heard them.
Every single one.
And for a moment—
Just a moment—
Kael stopped fighting it.