The air in the darkened corridor still smelled of blood and dust, heavy with the echo of Saki's laughter fading into the night. My pulse thundered in my ears, but it wasn't fear anymore. It was hunger. A hunger that matched the trembling woman pressed against me.
Rika's nails dug into my shirt as if I were the only thing tethering her to reality. Her body quivered, her breath ragged, her wide eyes flickering between panic and something rawer, something that had been buried deep under years of restraint.
"Renji…" Her voice cracked, breaking apart like glass. "I… I thought she would— I thought I'd lose you."
Her lips trembled as if the words themselves were knives. I saw the wet glisten of tears on her lashes, and yet her body betrayed her. She pressed closer, thighs squeezing together, the scent of her arousal cutting through the metallic tang of blood in the air.
