Warning: This chapter contains R-rated content and potentially triggering material. Reader discretion is advised. If you find such themes distressing, feel free to skip this section.
And then—without hesitation—he rose.
He came to her, slow but certain, the weight of years and hunger and rage bleeding from every step. His presence swallowed the chamber, heat rolling off him like a storm barely held at bay.
She stood still as stone, her breath caught in her throat, heart thundering like a trapped creature. He reached for her, his calloused hands cradling her face with surprising gentleness, thumbs brushing her cheeks as if memorizing every line of her.
For a moment, he simply looked at her.
As though she were the answer to every prayer he'd never dared to speak aloud.
And then his lip
