Chapter 6

This kiss was different. It started as a plea but quickly became a desperate, possessive claiming. He was trying to devour her, to absorb her very essence into himself.

Halie's back was pressed against the hard, cold edge of the workbench, his body a wall of muscle caging her in. The clean, sharp scent of cedar from his skin filled her senses.

After a full minute, her lungs burned for oxygen. She placed a hand on his chest, trying to create some space.

Coleman felt her resistance and froze. A flicker of hurt, of raw panic, flashed in his eyes.

He immediately let go, stumbling back two large steps. He looked like a guilty child, his head bowed, unable to meet her gaze.

Halie took a deep, shuddering breath. She looked at the man before her-a ferocious wolf one moment, a submissive dog the next-and sighed internally.

She didn't scold him. Instead, she ran her tongue over her lips, a slow, deliberate motion, and tasted the lingering trace of their kiss. "Your technique is a little rough," she murmured, her voice lazy and teasing.

A deep red blush crept up Coleman's neck and ears. Her casual critique gave his shattered ego a strange, illicit thrill. He risked a glance at her from under his lashes.

Halie walked over to an undamaged sink, turned on the faucet, and washed the dust and blood from her hands with practiced calm.

As she dried them, she checked Coleman's status on the system interface. His favorability rating had shot up from the negatives to a delicate positive number.

She turned back to him, all business. "I need full access to the institute and a private cultivation lab."

Coleman stared at her, stunned. He had expected her to demand a bond, or some other humiliating price. But she wanted a lab?

The light in his eyes dimmed. A bitter taste filled his mouth. "So that's it," he said, his voice hollow. "You're just using me to get a foothold in the Southern District. You don't care about me at all."

Halie rolled her eyes internally. This man's insecurity was a terminal illness. It required shock therapy.

She let out a cold laugh, deliberately aiming for his weak spot. "If it wasn't to cure your sterility, do you really think I'd waste my time in this shithole?"

Coleman flinched as if struck. The word sterility was a fresh stab of pain. He clenched his fists, his voice tight with anguish.

"And what if you can't?" he asked, his voice raw. "What if I'm a waste forever? A male who can never give a female a child? Will you throw me away again, just like you did before?"

As his emotions spiraled, the newly calmed spiritual energy in the lab began to churn. Metal instruments on the shelves started to hum.

Halie knew the time was right. She didn't offer soft words or gentle comfort. She strode toward him and grabbed the front of his open shirt.

She yanked him down, forcing him to look her in the eye. Her voice was fierce, a snarl. "Don't you dare use that pathetic excuse to push me away."

She raised her voice, her declaration echoing in the sterile room. "Even if you are a waste, you're the man I, Halie Avila, have chosen. No one gets to judge you but me."

The words, brutal and possessive, were a hammer blow that shattered the last of his defenses.

His eyes reddened. He stared at her, trying to see into her soul, to find any trace of a lie.

Halie met his gaze without wavering. Her eyes were clear, firm, and held no pity, no disgust.

Suddenly, his arms shot out and pulled her into a crushing embrace. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his body trembling.

"If you're lying to me," he whispered, his voice shaking, "I'll drag you to hell with me when I die."

Halie wrapped her arms around his broad back, patting him gently. She smiled and accepted his insane, pathological vow.

A crisp chime sounded in her mind. Congratulations, Host. A preliminary bond with target Coleman has been successfully established.

As the bond formed, a golden light flashed across her vision. The system had delivered its first reward.

Primary Plant Catalysis Ability Trial Card.

Halie felt a strange, new power surge through her veins. A confident smile played on her lips. She finally had her first real weapon in this world.