“You have to go.” Not a question.
“Yes.” The word scraped out of him like a confession. Like admitting a wound he couldn’t heal.
“Council business?”
“Something like that.” He reached for her wrist, finding the bracer he’d given her after claiming her as his pet. The one that granted access to certain doors, certain freedoms within his territory. Not that she knew that yet. He was waiting for the day when his brave and daring female would test her limits.
His thumb traced the intricate metalwork, feeling the pulse of Moon Tear energy beneath the surface. “Your bracer won’t work on this door. You’ll remain here until I return.”
Her eyes flashed—that defiance he’d learned to anticipate. To crave. The fire in her that had drawn him from the first moment she’d dared to meet his gaze instead of cowering like prey.
But then she surprised him.
Her lips curved into something almost playful. A smile he’d never seen before, soft at the edges, carrying warmth he hadn’t earned.
“I’ll be a good pet.” The words came out quiet, not quite mocking. “I’ll rest.”
The promise hit him like a physical blow.
His body moved before conscious thought could intervene, crowding her backward until she pressed against the furs. His bulk blocked out the firelight, casting her in shadow, surrounding her with his presence until she couldn’t see anything else.
His muzzle found her throat.
He breathed deep, filling his lungs with her essence. Frosted Tears flooded his senses, sweet and rare andhis.The beast purred with satisfaction so intense it bordered on pain.
“See that you do.” The command came out rougher than intended, scraping through a throat gone tight with wanting. “I don’t want to come back and find you’ve caused trouble.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
She was lying. They both knew it. Her pulse hammered against his lips where they pressed to her throat, betraying the truth beneath her careful words.
But the game of it—the push and pull, the defiance that yielded just enough to let him believe he’d won—settled his beast into something like contentment.
This was what he’d needed. Not just her submission, but her resistance. Not just her acceptance, but her fire. She wasn’t broken by her circumstances. Wasn’t cowed by his power or his position or the impossible gap between their species.
She was adapting. Surviving. Learning to thrive in a cage of his making.
And somehow, that made him want her more than surrender ever could.
He forced himself to pull back. To release her throat, her wrist, the gravitational pull of her presence that threatened to keep him rooted to this spot forever.
“I’ll return as soon as I can.”
“I know.”
Two words. Simple. True. Carrying trust she probably didn’t even realize she was offering.
Sylas rose. Turned toward the door. Every step felt like walking through deep water, resistance dragging at his limbs, his beast howling protest with every inch of distance he put between himself and her warmth.
The door’s security mechanism recognized his presence, ancient locks disengaging with a sound that had been familiar for fifteen years and now felt like betrayal.
He stepped through. The corridor stretched before him, lit by Moon Tear crystals that pulsed in their familiar rhythm.
The door sealed behind him with a heavy finality that resonated through his bones.
A few hours,he told himself.The council could have him for a few hours. Then she was his again.
He stalked toward the council chamber, his beast prowling beneath his skin, claws clicking against stone floors with each stride. Guards pressed themselves to the walls as he passed, recognizing the tension in his shoulders, the barely leashed violence in his gait.