AYLA'S POV
The silence stretched between us, thick as smoke, the air so heavy it hurt to breathe. Kael's hand still hovered inches from my cheek, trembling faintly, his restraint more painful than touch.
Every instinct screamed at me to run—to lock the fire down, to spare him. But the pull between us had grown unbearable, a chain forged of heat and shadow that dragged me toward him no matter how hard I fought.
I shook my head, but my voice came out cracked and weak. "You don't understand… if I let it in—if I let you in—it won't stop."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Good. Then it'll know I'm not leaving."
The fire inside me howled at that. The golden embers flickered black, the hunger sharpening like claws. It surged toward him, not with violence but with a terrible yearning.
And for the first time, I didn't push it down.
The tendrils of flame licked past my skin, curling toward him, and Kael didn't flinch. He stepped closer, eyes locked on mine, daring it to touch him.
