Morning light filtered through the velvet curtains, but Lyra didn't stir.
She lay wrapped in Kael's arms, her back pressed to his chest, one of his hands still splayed low on her belly. Possessive. Unmoving.
She should've slipped away before dawn.
She didn't.
Because his warmth was addictive.
He smelled like a second soul, clinging to her skin with spices, danger, and wild forest.
And maybe, just maybe, she didn't want to leave.
"You're still here," his voice rasped against her neck.
Goosebumps. Everywhere.
"You sound surprised."
Kael's lips curved against her shoulder. "I thought you'd vanish like smoke."
Lyra turned in his arms, meeting his gaze. "I am not so easy to escape."
"I know."
They just looked at each other.
No lies.
No armor.
Only truth.
Then—
Kael's hand slid up her thigh, slow and teasing.
Lyra sucked in a sharp breath. "Already?"
"You were grinding on me in your sleep, little wolf."
She flushed.
His fingers slipped between her legs, and her breath caught.
Soft.
Barely there.
But her hips moved, chasing the contact.
"See?" he whispered. "Still hungry."
"I should hate you for this."
"You don't."
He kissed her then, deep, slow, and sinful. Tongue tangling with hers, claiming every inch of her mouth like he had the right. Like last night had changed everything.
Maybe it had.
His fingers worked her slowly, drawing moans from her throat she didn't know she could make. He took his time watching her, reading her, loving the way she squirmed under his touch.
"You're dangerous," she breathed.
He didn't stop.
"Only to you."
Lyra arched as release shuddered through her, sharp and all-consuming. Kael held her, kissed her through it, like he needed to feel every second of her unraveling.
When she finally collapsed against him, panting, he whispered into her hair:
"I'm not letting you go."
"You think I'm yours now?" she challenged, half-drunk on pleasure.
He smiled against her throat. "No. I know you are."
Silence stretched.
Then—
"You're not exactly subtle."
Kael chuckled. "I'm not trying to be."
She rolled her eyes, but her fingers traced patterns over his chest.
"Eventually," she said, softly, "you'll want more than just my body."
He looked at her, serious now.
"I already do."
That silenced her.
Because she felt it, too.
This thing between them wasn't just lust. It was something older. Deeper.
More dangerous than either of them had planned.