Fear sharpened everything.
Including want.
The city felt tighter after the attack—closer, louder, more demanding. Ari couldn’t escape the pull between herself and Dante. Every look lingered too long. Every brush of skin sparked heat that no amount of discipline cooled.
That night, power surged again—unbidden.
Ari gasped as the bond flared, flooding her with sensation. Need. Hunger. Him.
Dante froze across the room. “Ari… don’t.”
She crossed the distance anyway.
“I’m not losing myself,” she whispered. “I’m choosing.”
His restraint cracked.
He kissed her—once, hard and desperate—then pulled away with a growl. “This is how they win.”
“Who?” she demanded.
“The things watching,” he said. “They’ll use desire against us.”
Her heart thundered. “Then stop treating it like a weakness.”
