### **Chapter 15: Passion in the Chaos**  

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The fire burned low, crackling softly in the silence. The night was still, save for the distant rustling of the wind through the trees. 

Eliana sat with her knees drawn up, her body still aching from the long ride. Across from her, Kieran leaned against a fallen log, his arms resting on his knees, gaze locked onto the fire. 

Neither of them spoke for a while. 

Then— 

"You keep staring at me." 

Eliana blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. "What?" 

Kieran's lips quirked into a smirk. "You're staring." 

She scoffed, looking away. "I was thinking." 

"About?" 

She hesitated. "You." 

The smirk faded, just a little. His eyes darkened, the firelight casting sharp shadows over his face. 

"You should stop." His voice was lower now, rougher. 

Eliana tilted her head. "Why?" 

Kieran exhaled through his nose, like he was annoyed, but there was something else there—something tense, restrained. 

"You don't want to know me, Healer." 

She held his gaze. "I think I already do." 

Silence. 

Then Kieran shifted, rising to his feet. He stepped around the fire, closing the space between them in slow, deliberate strides. 

Eliana's pulse quickened. 

He crouched in front of her, so close she could feel the heat radiating from him, smell the faint scent of leather and smoke clinging to his skin. 

His gaze flickered to her lips. "You should be afraid of me." 

"I'm not." 

His jaw clenched. "Then you're a fool." 

Eliana swallowed hard, but she didn't look away. "And you're running." 

Kieran exhaled sharply, like she had struck something deep. His hands clenched into fists, his control slipping, cracking at the edges. 

Then— 

He reached out. 

Fingers brushed her cheek, slow, testing. His touch was warm, rough, and when she didn't pull away, his thumb traced the curve of her jaw. 

Eliana shivered. "Kieran…" 

A curse fell from his lips—soft, barely audible—before he closed the distance. 

His mouth crashed against hers, urgent, consuming. 

Eliana gasped, her hands gripping his shirt as he pulled her against him, their bodies colliding in a heat that swallowed everything else. 

Kieran growled against her lips, deep and guttural, like he had been holding this back for too long. His hands found her waist, fingers digging in, pulling her closer, until there was no space left between them. 

The world outside the fire didn't exist anymore. 

Only him. 

Only this. 

Eliana's back hit the ground as Kieran hovered over her, his breath ragged, his eyes **hungry.** 

"I should stop," he murmured. 

She dragged him back down. "Then don't." 

And just like that, **the last of his restraint shattered.** 

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