A Kiss Before the End

The city burned in the distance, a reflection of the chaos that had erupted around them. Smoke curled into the night sky, a reminder that power came with a price, and in the world of bloodstained vows, there were no fairytales—only sinners clinging to their final desires.

She stood at the edge of the rooftop, her heart pounding against her ribs. The cool wind bit at her skin, but it was nothing compared to the heat of his presence behind her. Kim Taehyung. The man who had claimed her with fire and fury bound her with lust and obsession. And now, in the ashes of their kingdom, he would have her one last time.

"You're not leaving me," his voice was rough, edged with something primal, something lethal.

She turned to face him, the weight of their sins pressing between them. His suit was wrinkled, and stained with blood—some his, some belonging to the men who had dared to come for what was his. His dark eyes burned, filled with possession so consuming it threatened to swallow her whole.

"I never belonged to you," she whispered, though even she didn't believe the lie anymore.

Taehyung smirked, a cruel, knowing thing. "Then why does it feel like you're running from yourself, not from me?"

She hated him for that. Hated that he knew her better than she knew herself.

His fingers brushed against her cheek, a stark contrast to the violence that had brought them here. "You swore an oath to me," he murmured, his voice dropping to something dangerously soft. "And I don't take oaths lightly."

Her throat tightened. "You think love is built on threats and control?"

His thumb traced her lower lip, his gaze darkening. "No," he said. "Love is built on surrender."

She exhaled sharply as his lips descended upon hers, stealing her breath, her resistance. It was a kiss meant to claim, to brand. His fingers tangled in her hair, holding her still as he deepened the kiss as if this alone could bind them together, even as the world crumbled around them.

She should have fought. Should have run. But she had already lost.

Because the truth was, she didn't want to escape him. She never had.

A gunshot rang in the distance. The remainder of reality snapped her back, but Taehyung didn't let go.

"They'll keep coming," she whispered against his lips.

"Let them," he growled. "I'll kill every last one of them if they dare to touch what's mine."

Her heart twisted. "And then what? We spend the rest of our lives drowning in blood?"

His fingers slid down to her throat, pressing lightly—not a threat, but a reminder of who he was. Who they were. "You already knew how this story would end."

Tears burned behind her eyes. "Tell me, then. How does it end, Taehyung?"

He leaned in, his mouth grazing her ear as he whispered, "With you as my queen, covered in my sins, bound by my love. Or with you dead in my arms. But either way, you stay mine."

A shiver ran down her spine, and she hated that it wasn't just from fear.

"You're insane," she choked out.

He smiled, pressing a kiss to her jaw, then her neck until his lips hovered just above her racing pulse. "You made me this way."

A scream echoed from below. The fight wasn't over. The men Taehyung had crushed weren't the only ones who wanted him dead. And if he fell, she would fall with him.

She pushed against his chest. "We have to go. Now."

He didn't move, just stared at her, something unreadable flickering in his gaze. "Say it."

She swallowed. "Say what?"

"That you're mine."

Her hands trembled. He was asking for more than just words. He was asking for surrender. And she hated that she was already his, no matter what she said.

A choice that wasn't a choice at all.

She met his gaze, and at that moment, she gave in. "I'm yours."

A slow, satisfied smirk curled on his lips. "That's my girl."

His grip on her waist tightened as he pulled her against him, kissing her like it was the last thing he would ever do. Maybe it was.

With a final glance at the burning city, they turned and disappeared into the darkness together—bound by blood, bound by sin, and bound by a love that had been doomed from the start.