Verveville's Curse

Untitled Episode

Willow’s pov

I stood there, my chest heaving, sweat dripping down my spine, my entire body vibrating with frustration. He turned his back, already unwinding his wraps like I was nothing but another pupil, another duty.

But I knew the truth.

I’d seen it in his eyes.

The hunger, The heat. The way he wanted me as much as I wanted him.

And though he thought his control was strength, I knew one thing with a clarity that made me smile despite the ache between my thighs,

Kael wouldn’t be able to hold back forever.

Kael’s Pov

Her scent still clung to me.

I cursed myself as I circled, my blade loose in my grip, forcing my body into movement. Forcing my focus away from the memory of how soft her skin had felt beneath my fingers, the way her pulse had raced beneath my touch.

I should never have held her that long.

But gods, the way she looked at me.

The same hunger that burned through me reflected in her eyes. It had undone me for those few stolen seconds…just her lips, parted, her body soft against mine. She wanted me.

And the terrifying truth? Knowing that she felt the same did not weaken me. It made me feel alive. Happier, even.

But happiness was dangerous. Desire was dangerous.

Because I could not have her.

She was my enemy. She was the curse that bound me, the reminder of everything I could lose if I let myself fall. And yet when she raised her fist again, the sparking in her eyes, the sharp tug in my chest nearly drove me to my knees.

I smirked to mask it. “Better this time, Lylah.”

Her glare could have sliced steel. She lunged, and our fists locked once more.

I let her push me, let her anger fuel her movements, though I kept her at bay with measured strikes. I wanted her to fight me. I wanted to feel her strength crash against mine until there was nothing but this… heat, the sweat, the delicious tension that drawed the line between violence and something far darker.

And sweeter.

Her fist whistled past my cheek, close enough to sting. I caught her wrist again, spun her, and this time she ended up on the ground beneath me. My knees braced the dirt, my body caging hers.

Her chest heaved, rising to meet mine. Our noses were inches apart. Her lips…damn her lips parted again, trembling, inviting.

Her eyes searched mine. Daring me.

I wanted to taste her. To crush my mouth against hers until neither of us could breathe.

Instead, I pushed myself off her and stood.

“Get up.” My voice came out harsher than intended, a blade against stone.

She blinked up at me, fury and something else flickering in her gaze. Something that set fire to my blood.

This restraint would kill me.

But I had to keep it.

Because the more she wanted me, the deeper she would fall.

And that was exactly what terrified me.