The campsite was quiet now. Students had drifted into tents, their laughter and chatter fading into the soft rustle of leaves. The fire had long since died to glowing embers, and the stars stretched endlessly above, casting silver light across the sleeping grounds.
Lila lingered, her hoodie pulled tight, arms wrapped around herself. Her heart still raced from the song. Her voice, her secret, had been out there, touching everyone—but the thought of Ethan's dark, burning gaze kept her from feeling relief.
She shivered—not from cold, but from him.
"You shouldn't be out here alone."
Her body jerked, almost instinctively, as he stepped from the shadows, eyes fixed on her. Even in the dim starlight, he was impossibly tall, impossibly dark, impossibly dangerous.
"I wasn't alone," she muttered, trying to sound braver than she felt.
"Yes, you were," he said softly, stepping closer until she could feel the heat radiating off him. "Everyone else was asleep. Everyone else heard you sing. And now you're standing here… alone. With me."
Her pulse hammered. "Why are you following me?"
He smirked, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Because you belong to me, Lila. Even when you try to run."
Her stomach clenched. She hated him for making her heart race, for stealing her breath, for always finding her.
"I'm not yours," she whispered.
His fingers traced the curve of her jaw, tilting her face up to his. "You think that, but your song betrayed you tonight. Your hands, your lips, your eyes—they all betrayed you. You like me. Admit it."
Her eyes widened. "I—no."
"You do." His lips brushed her temple, dangerous, teasing, claiming. "And I like it too. I like you. Every piece of you that's mine already."
She swallowed, helpless against the pull of him. Heat, fire, possessiveness—it surrounded her, consumed her. Her mind screamed for reason, for distance. Her heart screamed for surrender.
"You're insane," she whispered, though her body betrayed her with every shiver.
"Maybe," he said, voice low, gravelly, and almost tender. "But I'm insane for you. And I'll prove it, Lila."
He stepped closer, closing the tiny gap between them, until she could feel the press of his chest, smell the faint scent of him—his cologne, his heat, his obsession.
"Ethan…" she breathed.
"Don't speak," he murmured. "Just feel."
Her heartbeat thundered as his hands moved with deliberate slowness along her waist, pulling her to him. The night seemed to shrink, the stars dimming in the shadow of his presence. She could do nothing but tremble under him, caught between fear and longing.
"Do you know what it's like," he whispered, "to want someone this much? To see them sing for the world… and wish you were the only one hearing?"
Her lips parted. No words came.
"I can't share you," he continued, thumb brushing along her jaw. "No one else gets you. Not now. Not ever. You're mine."
Her breath hitched. She tried to pull back, but his arms wrapped around her firmly. Possessive, unyielding. She was trapped in the best and worst way possible.
"Ethan…" Her voice shook. "You're… dangerous."
"And you love it," he said, darkly, smirking. "You love that I can't be ignored. You love that I want every part of you. Don't lie, angel."
Her pulse betrayed her. Her cheeks flamed. Deep inside, she wanted to argue, wanted to run, wanted to hide. But a part of her—the part she didn't want to admit—thrived under his intensity, his claim.
She swallowed, heart hammering, and looked up at him. "Stop saying I'm yours."
He leaned closer, lips brushing hers, just enough to make her gasp. "Not until you admit it."
She shook her head, eyes wide, torn between resistance and surrender. "I—"
"Shh." He pressed a finger to her lips. "You don't have to say it yet. But your heart… I can feel it. I know it. And soon… soon, you'll stop fighting it."
The night wrapped them in a cocoon of stars and shadows. He didn't touch her lips again, didn't force her—yet the promise in his eyes was as intimate, as possessive, as suffocating as any kiss could be.
She stood frozen, trembling, knowing in the pit of her stomach that the next time he wanted her… she might not resist.
And somewhere deep, beneath the fear and the thrill… she realized she was already falling.