Auren's POV:
The morning after getting absolutely obliterated was… a lot.
First of all, my legs were traitors.
Second of all, my back was waging war against my spine.
Third and most devastating of all. Kael was still in bed with me, shirtless. That smug look on his face and an arm currently draped over my body like a possessive panther who'd just claimed his territory in the most feral way possible.
I groaned. Not because I wanted to wake him.
No.
I groaned because Kael's hand was already moving. Slowly. Up my thigh!
And it wasn't even breakfast time yet.
"Good morning," he purred, voice thick with sleep and leftover debauchery.
"Kael," I said, voice rasping. "My soul is leaving my body."
He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest as he shifted, one leg hooking over both of mine. I squeaked as he pinned me in place beneath him.
"You're warm when you're wrecked," he said, nuzzling my neck. "I like it."
"Kael, please–"
"Still sore?" he asked innocently, even as his hand boldly slid over the curve of my ass.
I slapped his chest with the strength of a dying kitten.
"Yes! I'm very sore, you goddamn sex hydra!"
He just smiled.
"Good."
That was not the reaction I was looking for.
I glared at the ceiling and whispered, "System, I hate you."
[ System is currently rebooting from mental breakdown. Please hold. ]
[ Emotional trauma recovery at 43%. ]
[ Estimated wait time: eternity. ]
Great. Just. Great.
I was on my own.
Kael kissed my temple, then rolled onto his side to face me, propping his head on his hand.
"I want answers, Auren."
I stiffened. "About?"
"About… the words you said last night."
Shit.
I tried to play dumb. "...I said a lot of things. Like how you shouldn't bite there–"
"'My system gave me this mission,'" he quoted.
I froze.
Kael's gaze didn't waver. "You talk in your sleep too, little one."
FUUUUUUU—
My heart skipped, stumbled, and collapsed into a ditch.
I laughed nervously. "Oh! That? That's… That's just a thing I say. Totally normal. You know, like 'my stars!' or 'thank the gods!' but more, uh…systemy?"
"Auren."
Damn him for saying my name like that.
He leaned closer, his fingers brushing over my jaw. "I know you're not from here."
My breath hitched. "...You do?"
"You're too strange. Too clever. Too soft in some places, too sharp in others. You look at everything like it's new, but you're never surprised by the cruelty."
My throat tightened.
Kael's hand slid over my waist, his thumb resting just above my hip. "You don't belong here. Not really."
I swallowed. "Then why keep me?"
He smirked. "Because you're mine."
Of course.
That sounded about right.
Wait what?
"Will you tell me?" he asked, tone gentler now. "What you mean by that? What this… 'system' is?"
I hesitated.
Tell him?
Tell him everything?
...Could I?
His fingers drew lazy circles on my skin, and I felt myself sinking into the warmth, into the danger of his gaze.
"I…" I took a shaky breath. "I don't come from this world. I woke up in that prison with a voice in my head. That's the system. It gives me… missions. Objectives. Like I'm in some kind of game."
Kael was silent, watching me like I was the center of a puzzle he was dying to solve.
"And you don't know why you're here?" he asked.
"No idea," I whispered. "All I know is, I died. And then I woke up here. With… a system in my head."
He nodded slowly. His thumb brushed the hollow of my hip.
"That night I found you in the cell," he murmured. "You looked like you'd already lost everything."
I didn't reply.
"You haven't told anyone else?" he asked.
"No one."
He leaned in again, nose brushing mine. "Then I'm honored to be your first."
"That is not what I meant, Kael."
He grinned. "Too late. I'm claiming that too."
"You're insufferable."
"And you're mine."
We laid there, the air quiet save for the birds outside and my rapidly beating heart. His body was pressed close, heat radiating, hands never idle.
"So," I muttered, "you're not freaked out?"
"I should be," he replied. "But I'm not. If anything… I'm curious."
"That's dangerous."
Kael's voice dropped to a near-growl. "So is loving someone from another world."
I stared.
He stared back.
My stomach flipped.
Then he rolled me beneath him again with that damn smug look.
"I've made up my mind, Auren," he whispered, lips brushing mine. "Wherever you go… I'll follow."
And just like that, the weight of his promise settled deep in my chest. So dangerous, obsessive, terrifyingly comforting.
[ System Notification – Mission Update: ]
"Loyalty Confirmed."
New Mission: Escape this World Together.
Bonus: Keep your thighs intact. Optional. :)