### First Flames
That afternoon, Kael walked back into the penthouse, weariness etched into his sharp features. Yet, there was an intense hunger in his eyes as they locked onto Ezra Kane, cutting through the chaos of the scandal surrounding them. The room still buzzed with chatter about "Voss's Forbidden Love Scandal," holo-screens flashing the headlines, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of burnt coffee and palpable tension. Kael's tie hung loosely around his neck, his shirt undone enough to reveal a toned chest as he approached Ezra with a predator's grace. He pressed Ezra against the wall, his hands gripping his hips firmly. "I won't let them take you," he growled, his voice laced with possessiveness, before crashing his lips against Ezra's in a heated kiss that left them both breathless. The kiss was wild and passionate, their tongues dancing as a soft moan escaped from Ezra's lips, his fingers clutching at Kael's damp shirt. Kael slipped his hand beneath Ezra's shirt, digging his fingers into the small of his back, pulling their bodies together, electricity sparking between them. He bit down on Ezra's lip, tasting a hint of blood, and the sound of his growl thickened the tense air with desire.
Ezra's thoughts spun in turmoil—"I love him, but what if he hates me when he finds out?" Fear intertwined with the weight of his handler's threat, "Extract or die," loomed in his chest like a dark shadow. The data pad that held his mission lay forgotten as his world was consumed by Kael's fiery presence. Suddenly, a loud crash shattered the moment, as Veyra's drone came crashing through the window, sparking out on the floor, its red eye flickering before going dark. Kael's rage exploded, a guttural roar escaping him as he kicked the wreckage with shaking hands. "What the hell!" he snarled, his eyes wild with panic. Ezra grabbed his arm, heart racing. "We need to move—now."
Kael's expression softened, a protective glint returning to his eyes as he cupped Ezra's face. "You're mine to protect, remember that, kitten?" They quickly gathered their essentials—data and weapons—while Kael barked orders to his team through a spare comms unit, his voice hoarse with urgency. They slipped out through a hidden exit, exchanging a heated glance—Ezra heading to regroup and Kael back to the office—knowing Talia's trap loomed ahead.
Meanwhile, Talia paced in her apartment, consumed with anger and plotting Ezra's downfall, her obsession a twisted reflection of Kael's feelings. The gray dawn settled over the abandoned lot on the city's edge, the air filled with the scent of damp asphalt and rusting metal. Ezra stood among the skeletal remains of old machinery, his breath misting in the chill, still reeling from the kiss with Kael. With Kael buried in office pandemonium, Ezra confronted his own tumultuous feelings—the truth of his love tightening his chest alongside the haunting threat from his handler: "Final warning, extract or die." The uncracked data pad weighed heavily in his pocket, and a fresh wave of dread washed over him—what if Kael found out he had been sent to betray him? Recalled Kael gave "All of Himself"a reminder of Kael's soul laid bare, and Ezra couldn't shake the fear of destroying it.
From the shadows, Talia emerged, her blade glinting in the weak light and her eyes burning with obsessive fury. From her perspective, the years spent standing by Kael—his strength, his madness, her anchor—now felt eclipsed by this intruder. Jealousy clawed at her insides, and she vowed to reclaim him by eliminating Ezra. "You've poisoned him," she hissed, lunging at him, her blade aimed for his chest. Ezra narrowly dodged her attack, heart racing and adrenaline pumping as he grabbed a rusty pipe, ready to parry her next move. The distant hum of a drone—was it Veyra's?—added to the tension, as Ezra grappled with the clash of his love for Kael and the fear of being exposed.