Chapter 10 Between Fire and Flesh

The safehouse was quiet again. The scent of blood had faded, and the bodies of the rogues were ash beneath the trees. The danger, for now, was over.

But the heat wasn't.

Kael stood shirtless at the hearth, drying his chest with a cloth still damp from the shower. Ember sat on the edge of the bed, legs curled beneath her, watching him.

Or rather, watching the way his muscles moved under his skin, the way his dark hair curled slightly at the ends, still wet.

She wasn't afraid anymore.

Her wolf wasn't hiding. It was watching with interest, pacing just beneath her skin.

Kael turned.

Her gaze didn't drop.

Something flickered in his eyes-desire, yes, but restraint. That careful control that had defined every touch so far.

"I can feel you," he said quietly.

She tilted her head. "Good."

He took a slow step toward her. "You're not hiding."

"I don't want to."

Another step.

The bond between them hummed like a live wire. Her body responded on instinct-heat pooling low, breath catching.

Kael stopped just in front of her, his hand brushing back a damp strand of hair from her face. "You're sure?"

She rose to her knees on the bed, now almost level with him. Her fingers slid along his bare stomach. He tensed under her touch, like even that was enough to threaten control.

"I'm not ready for everything," she whispered. "But I want something. I want this."

He growled low-not angry, not possessive-just hungry.

Then he kissed her.

No hesitation this time. No holding back.

It wasn't soft.

It was deep, devouring, built from too many nights of imagining and too much restraint. His hands framed her face, slid down her arms, her waist. Her body pressed against his, flushed and eager, her wolf purring through the bond.

Kael kissed like he fought-focused, raw, utterly consuming.

When they finally broke apart, she gasped his name.

"Lie down," he said, voice rough.

She obeyed.

He followed her, crawling over her slowly, reverently, his mouth trailing fire down her throat. Her sweater rode up. His lips paused at the curve of her waist, then at the marks along her ribs.

Scars.

He kissed each one.

"You're beautiful," he said. "Don't ever hide from me."

Her breath shook.

"I won't," she whispered. "Not with you."

They didn't go further that night.

But her legs tangled with his. Her hands stayed on his skin. And when sleep came, it found her safe and warm, pressed against the Alpha who would never take more than she offered.

And Kael, wrapped around her, counted every heartbeat of her peace like a vow.

Tomorrow could bring war.

Tonight, they had this.