Seraphine closed her eyes at his touch. Her body didn't shy away. It leaned into him, subtle but sure. The warmth of his palm against her skin made her ache in places she never knew existed.
Then, barely above a whisper, she asked, "What do you see when you look at me now? "
Valen's lips grazed her temple.
"You, "he murmured, "are the only thing I still believe in. "
Seraphine's breath trembled at his words. Something cracked inside her, a slow, quiet surrender. Not of her pride. Not of her strength, but of the walls she'd built carefully around her heart.
Because how could she guard herself against someone who had never demanded, only waited? Watched. Worshipped.
And maybe... maybe she was tired guarding herself.
Her hand slid to the nape of his neck, fingers brushing the soft strands of his hair. She opened her eyes - just in time to see the storm in his. Obsession. Longing. Fear. Love.
"I'm right here, "she whispered.
And that was all he needed.
Valen moved - fast, not rushed. Desperate, but not rough. His lips found hers like he'd been starving for centuries, and she - she met him with a hunger of her own. Not just for him, but for the way he made her feel. Seen. Wanted. Chosen.
His hand gripped her waist, pulling her closer until there was no space left between their bodies. Her fingers threaded into his hair, holding him there, refusing to let go. The kiss wasn't soft. It wasn't tender.
It was everything else.
It was pain and obsession. It was aching need and years of silent watching. It was her fire and his shadow colliding into something reckless and holy.
Valen kissed her like she was his salvation. Like she was air and he'd spent a lifetime drowning. Like he'd carve himself open just to make room for more of her.
And Seraphine - kissed him back like he was the only thing in this cursed world that had ever truly been hers.
When he pulled back, it was only to trail his lips to her cheek, then her jaw, then - hovering just above the shell of her ear, he whispered, voice rough and dark :
"You belong to me, Serenyth. "
Her breath hitched. A shiver rolled through her as his fingers brushed the curve of her waist. Possessive. Anchoring.
Valen didn't stop, "Every breath you take. Every scar you hide. Every fire you've ever lit inisde you - I've seen them all. Felt them all. They're mine. "
His words tangled with the heat of breath against her neck. Her heart thundered against her ribs like it was reaching for him, aching for more. Her hands, trembling, slid up his chest, her voice no more than a whisper, "Valen... "
His lips brushed just beneath her ear.
"You feel it too, don't you? "he murmured against her neck, "Tell me you don't want to be mine, and I'll stop. "
But she couldn't.
Because in that moment - his body against hers, his voice dripping into her like ink into paper - Seraphine felt more than weak.
She felt owned.
And for the first time, she didn't want to fight it.
But Valen didn't move.
His hand stayed at her waist, fingers splayed like he was memorizing the shape of her. His other hand came up slowly - achingly slow - cupping her jaw with possession. His thumb traced her bottom lip, and then gently, deliberately, he slipped it past her lips.
Her breath caught. Not out of surprise, but something far more dangerous. Her lips closed instinctively around him, her gaze locking with his as the air between them ignited.
His pupils dilated. His jaw clenched like he was restraining something primal.
"You don't understand what you do to me, princess, "he whispered, voice ragged, trembling with the storm he is holding back. " Every time you breathe, I ache. Every time you smile, I burn. You're in my veins, Serenyth. I don't think I know how to want anything else anymore. "
Valen's lips grazed her cheek again, "Say the word, I'll stop. Say the word, I'll walk away. "
His hand slid to the small of her back , pressing her flush against him, and he growled at the feel of her curves molded to his frame.
"But if you say nothing, "he leaned to her ear, voice a whisper wrapped in velvet, "I'll take this silence as a surrender. "
Seraphine trembled. But her lips didn't let go.
Valen's breath hitched - sharp, strained - his eyes darkening further. Slowly, he moved his thumb, caressing her tongue with maddening patience. He traced the soft heat of her inner mouth, memorizing her like a man starved.
Seraphine's body tensed, her throat tight with a gasp she couldn't release. She should pull away. She should say something. But she didn't. She couldn't.
His thumb curled deeper, slow, and she felt it in places far from her mouth - down her spine, between her thigs, curling around the edges of her control.
He leaned in, his voice deep, "You've no idea how long I've dreamed of touching you like this, princess. "
Seraphine's eyes fluttered shut. Her fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt.
"I would set kingdoms on fire, "he whispered pulling his thumb back with excruciating care, leaving a trail of damp heat against her lips, " Just to taste your breath again. "
As his thumb slipped free, glistening from her heat, Valen didn't pull away. He stayed close. Too close.His lips hovering just above hers,not kissing, just breathing the same air. Seraphine's heart pounded against her ribs like a warning. But her body? Her body leaned in.
He slid his hand from her jaw down to her throat - not tight, not rough. Possessive. Claiming. His fingers curled at the base of her neck, where her pulse fluttered.
"You were made to be touched like this, "he murmured, voice husky, "not as a princess. Not as a warrior. But as mine. "
His lips brushed her jaw, then her throat. She gasped when his mouth lingered at her pulse point, teeth grazing her skin - but not biting.
"Tell me to stop, "he said, breath shaking against her, " Please... tell me before I ruin both of us, princess. "
But Seraphine didn't speak. She couldn't. Her silence screamed louder than any plea.
Her fingers reached up -tentative, trembling- and tangled in his hair. And that was all it took.
He groaned like she'd shattered something in him. And his lips crashed against hers again, harder this time, desperate. His lips devoured hers.
The kiss was carnage.
It was teeth and tongue, tangled breaths and helpless moans. Her back hit the wall before she realized he'd even moved. His hands gripped her hips, drawing her flush against him, like the space between them had offended him for too long.
Seraphine whimpered into his mouth - she whimpered- and Valen's entire body trembled from the sound.
"I need you, "he growled against her lips, forehead pressed to hers. " Not just like this. I need your mind. Your fire. Your war cry. Your silence. Every damn breath you take. I need all of it to be mine. "
His words were fire. His touch was worship.
One hand slipped beneath her shirt, fingers skimming the edge of her spine, exploring her skin like a sacred scripture. The other hand held her jaw, firm yet gentle, tilting her face back so he could devour her again.
And Seraphine... She let him. No - she kissed him back like she had waited her entire life to be undone.
Her lips, slick, swollen, parted in a gasp when his thigh pushed between hers. Heat bloomed where they touched - liquid, molten, maddening.
"I hate you, " She whispered, breathless.
Valen chuckled darkly, lips brushing hers. "Liar."
"I'm serious, "her voice shook. " You make me forget who I am. "
He stared at her. Eyes gleaming red,pupils blown wide. Then, softly -
"Good. Let me remind you who you belong to... With me. "
Seraphine's breath trembled when Valen pressed his forehead to hers again, his lips brushing her cheek, her jaw, her throat - everywhere but where she wanted most.
"You drive me mad, "he groaned, voice wrecked, trembling. "Do you know that? You ruin me, Serenyth. "
Her fingers curled around his shirt, needing something to anchor herself to - because her knees were no longer hers.
"I should stop, "he murmured, lips ghosting over her pulse. " I should stop before I lose what little control I have left. Before I ruin you. "
"Then stop, " She breathed, but her voice betrayed her. It was soft. Wanting.
"I can't. "
His teeth grazed her skin - just once. Not enough to hurt. Just enough to leave a mark. A promise.
And then -
A sound.
A knock.
They froze.
"Your majesty, "a maid's voice filtered through the door, hesitant. "A letter arrived from the kingdom of the light. It's from.... her mother. "
Seraphine's eyes snapped open. The heat between them shattered like glass. Valen stepped back slowly, his hand lingering just a second too long before slipping away.
She stood in silence, breathless, and flushed, her lips swollen, her heart a thunderstorm in her chest.
The letter sat beyond the door. Waiting. Heavy.