Bound by Midnight blood

"Beneath the Surface"

The forest is alive with the sounds of distant birds and the faint hum of the wind through the leaves. But to me, it feels like everything has fallen silent—except for the sound of my own heartbeat, pounding hard in my chest. Kael’s hands are still on me, pressing his shirt against the shallow gash on my arm, and I can feel the heat of his skin through the fabric.

The bloodstain spreads, dark and sticky, and I can’t help but notice how close we are. My back is pressed against the rough bark of a tree, and his body is so near I can feel the heat radiating off him like a live wire. He hasn’t let go of me, even for a second, and neither have I.

I look up at him, breath shallow. His eyes are stormy, and there's an intensity in his gaze that I can’t quite read. His thumb brushes lightly over my pulse point—just below my ear—and I shiver, involuntarily.

“You’re still bleeding,” he murmurs, his voice low, like the sound of thunder just before a storm.

“I’m fine,” I say, my voice breathless. “It’s not bad.”

He doesn’t look convinced. His hand moves from my arm to my waist, fingers grazing my ribs, and my breath hitches. There’s no mistaking the way his touch lingers, slow, deliberate. Like he’s tracing a path that leads to something darker.

Something deeper.

His thumb brushes over my hipbone, sending a jolt of heat through me. I don’t stop him, but I don’t move either. I’m paralyzed in the moment, caught between the undeniable pull of desire and the chaos of the world that feels like it’s closing in around us.

“You’re not fine,” Kael says again, but this time his words are almost a growl. “And neither am I.”

I don’t know what he means at first—until his lips crash against mine, hard and hungry. His hand slides down the side of my body, fingers gripping the curve of my waist, pulling me tighter against him.

His body is rock solid, every inch of him pressed against me. I can feel the muscle in his chest flex under my palms, the heat of his skin seeping into mine. My fingers grip the back of his neck, pulling him closer, needing him closer.

I can taste the salt on his lips, feel the roughness of his stubble against my cheek, the deep rasp of his breathing matching mine. My skin flushes with the intensity of it, my body betraying me, aching for more.

He breaks the kiss, his forehead resting against mine, both of us gasping for air. He’s breathing hard, his chest rising and falling in a rhythm that matches mine.

“You don’t know what you’re doing to me, Ivy,” he mutters, voice strained, raw. His fingers dig into my hips, almost painfully, but I can’t find it in me to care. Not now.

“You think I’m the only one feeling this?” I whisper, my voice barely audible against his skin. “You think I don’t know the way you look at me?”

His hand moves again, sliding up my spine, his thumb grazing the sensitive spot on the back of my neck. Every nerve in my body lights up under his touch.

“You’re not the only one who’s been dying to feel this,” he breathes.

Then his lips are on mine again, but this time it’s different. There’s a desperation there, an urgency. His hands roam over my body—touching, feeling, exploring. Every inch of me trembles under his hands, and I can’t stop it. My body betrays me again.

Kael pulls back slightly, his hands finding the hem of my shirt. He lifts it slowly, like he’s savoring the moment, the way he looks at me—the way his gaze flickers over my bare skin as the fabric moves over my head.

I let him.

There’s a fire building between us, and it’s consuming. My breath is ragged, and I can feel the heat of him searing into me, every part of my body drawn to his.

His eyes drop to my chest, and I feel exposed, vulnerable. His gaze is almost predatory, but there’s something softer there too, something that makes my heart race even faster.

“You’re perfect,” he whispers, his fingers grazing the curve of my breast, brushing so lightly against my n****e that I gasp. “But I need to know you want this, Ivy.”

I swallow hard, my body on fire with need. “I want this.”

The words come out before I can stop them, and it’s the truth. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. But as soon as I say it, a shadow passes over his face.

“You sure?” he asks, voice husky with something dangerous. “Because once we cross that line, there’s no going back.”

I don’t hesitate. I press my body closer to his, my chest brushing against his. “I’m sure.”

For a moment, everything stops. The air between us thickens, charged with tension. And then—

CRACK.

The same sound from earlier—the shot. The hunter.

Kael curses under his breath, his body tensing. He pulls back abruptly, his eyes flicking to the trees. Every muscle in his body is coiled, ready to spring.

“Ivy, get down,” he growls, his hand pushing me toward the ground.

I’m about to protest, but the urgency in his eyes stops me. I drop to my knees just as another shot rings out, closer this time.

Kael’s eyes snap back to me, his lips pressed into a tight line. “Stay down. Don’t move.”

But even as he says it, I can feel the pulse of desire still running between us, smoldering beneath the danger. I’m not sure if I want him to protect me… or if I want to take him up on his promise.

But all of that—everything—has to wait.