Ren's heart raced as the last echo of Li Wei's voice faded from his head. He pressed his palms over his ears, shaking his head violently.
"No… no, I'm going crazy. This isn't real. It's not…"
But then—
The air in his bedroom shifted. The temperature dropped, cool mist seeping across the floor like a rising tide. Ren froze, his breath catching in his throat as the faint sound of scales sliding against wood reached his ears.
Hissss.
His blood ran cold. He turned slowly—only to see a massive shadow unfurling in the corner of the room, coiling with silent grace. Golden eyes glowed within the darkness, piercing through him, hungry and unyielding.
Ren stumbled back, slamming into the wall. "N-No… this is still a dream. It has to be…"
The mist thickened, and before his terrified gaze, the massive serpent form rippled, shrinking, reshaping—until Li Wei stood there in human form, shirt unbuttoned carelessly, golden eyes burning with the same heat from the dream.
"Still calling it a dream?" Li Wei murmured, stepping closer, every movement predatory. His lips curved into a smirk. "Then why does your body ache like this?"
Ren's breath hitched. He tried to speak, but no words came. His legs trembled, and the phantom soreness in his body flared under Li Wei's gaze, humiliatingly real.
Li Wei stopped just inches away, one hand braced against the wall beside Ren's head, effectively caging him in. His other hand rose, fingers brushing the edge of Ren's collar, tugging it down to expose the glowing snake mark on his shoulder.
Ren shivered violently as Li Wei's thumb caressed the mark, sending a sharp jolt of heat straight through his body.
"Your soul can lie," Li Wei whispered, his breath ghosting against Ren's ear, "but your body never will. You're mine, Ren. Last night was only the beginning."
Ren's eyes widened, his voice finally breaking free in a hoarse whisper. "Stay away from me…"
Li Wei chuckled lowly, the sound reverberating in his chest. "Stay away? After centuries of waiting? After finally having you beneath me again?" His lips brushed dangerously close to Ren's, a deliberate torment. "No, beloved. You'll beg for me before this is over."
Ren's heart thundered wildly, torn between fear and the unbearable heat pooling in his belly at Li Wei's nearness. He pressed harder against the wall, but there was nowhere left to run.
And Li Wei knew it.