Bound by Fire and Chains

The room was dark, the dim glow of the city lights casting long shadows against the walls. The scent of expensive cologne, leather, and something uniquely him—Kim Taehyung—lingered in the air, suffocating and intoxicating.

She was trapped, not in the traditional sense, but in a way that went beyond steel bars or locked doors. No, this prison was far more dangerous—because it was built from desire, from the way Taehyung's gaze pinned her down, from the way his presence suffused every inch of her world until escape was no longer an option.

Her wrists were bound in silk, a contradiction of softness against the brutal force he embodied. His fingers traced her pulse point, slow, deliberate, possessive.

"You still think you can run from me?" His voice was a low, dangerous whisper, threading through the silence like the blade of a dagger.

Her breath hitched. "I never belonged to you in the first place."

A smirk curved at his lips—dangerous, knowing. "That's where you're wrong, sweetheart." His fingers slid under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "From the moment you walked into my world, you were mine."

She fought against the shiver that threatened to betray her. The power he held over her wasn't just physical—it was something deeper, something primal. And it terrified her.

"You don't own me."

Taehyung chuckled, dark and amused, as he leaned in, his lips ghosting over her ear. "No?" His free hand slid down her arm, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. "Then why is your heart racing?"

She hated him for that—hated how he could read her so easily, how her body reacted to his presence despite the warnings screaming in her head.

He was dangerous.

Ruthless.

A man with no limits.

And yet, he was also the only one who had ever made her feel like this—like she was on the edge of something she couldn't escape, couldn't control.

"I should hate you," she whispered.

He smiled, his thumb brushing against her lower lip. "Then hate me, sweetheart."

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to resist, trying to push back against the fire threatening to consume her. But Taehyung was relentless. He didn't just break down walls—he obliterated them, leaving nothing but ruins in his wake.

His lips were inches from hers, his breath warm, teasing. "Tell me you don't want this," he murmured. "Tell me to let you go."

She wanted to. God, she wanted to.

But the words wouldn't come.

And Taehyung knew it.

A dark chuckle rumbled from his chest as his fingers trailed down her spine, sending a shiver through her entire body. "That's what I thought."

His lips crashed against hers, demanding, consuming. It wasn't a kiss—it was a claim, a promise, a warning. And she felt it in her bones, in the way her body melted into his despite the war raging inside her.

He pulled back just enough to whisper against her lips. "You were never meant to escape me."

Her heart slammed against her ribs. Because deep down, she already knew—

She never would.

But she had to try.

Her breathing was ragged as she pulled away, ignoring the ache that settled deep in her chest. "This isn't right," she said, forcing steel into her voice. "You're suffocating me."

Taehyung's eyes darkened, his fingers tightening on her chin. "Suffocating you?" He laughed, low and mocking. "Sweetheart, if I were suffocating you, you wouldn't be able to breathe without me."

She swallowed hard. He wasn't wrong.

She felt him everywhere, in every thought, in every restless night where his phantom touch haunted her skin.

But she refused to let him win.

"I need space," she tried again, her voice barely above a whisper.

Taehyung's grip loosened slightly, but the intensity in his gaze remained. "And what would you do with that space?" He traced the line of her jaw with his knuckles, the touch both cruel and tender. "Would you forget about me? Move on? Find someone else?"

The words sent a sharp pang through her chest. "That's not—"

He cut her off with a slow shake of his head. "I don't share, princess."

His possessiveness was maddening, suffocating. But worse than that?

She liked it.

Damn her for liking it.

"You can't keep me like this," she said, her voice shaking. "I'm not something you can own, Taehyung."

His jaw tightened, his fingers curling around her wrist, dragging her against him. "Aren't you?" His breath was warm against her skin as he whispered, "Then why do you come back to me every single time?"

Her pulse stuttered.

Because he was her ruin.

Because, despite the danger, despite the warning signs, she craved him.

His lips traced the column of her throat, slow, deliberate, claiming her in a way that had nothing to do with words. "I know what you think, sweetheart. You tell yourself this is wrong, that I'm a mistake. That you should run."

She clenched her fists, fighting the tremble in her limbs.

"But tell me," he continued, his lips brushing against her ear, "if I let you go right now, would you leave?"

Silence.

A dangerous smirk played on his lips as he pulled back, watching the war in her eyes.

"You can't answer, can you?"

She exhaled sharply, stepping back, needing distance. "You're impossible."

Taehyung shrugged, his expression unreadable. "I warned you, princess. From the beginning."

The weight of his words settled over her.

She had known. She had always known.

He was never going to let her go.

And worse?

She wasn't sure she wanted him to.

Taehyung watched her as she paced across the room, her hands clenched into fists. He let her have her moment of defiance, knowing full well how this would end.

She could fight, argue, pretend she had a choice.

But they both knew the truth.

There was no escape from him.

He closed the distance between them in two strides, his hand wrapping around her waist, pulling her flush against him. "You don't have to say it," he murmured, his lips ghosting over her jaw. "I already know."

She shuddered, her body betraying her.

Taehyung's hold tightened. "No one else will ever touch you, understand?"

A mix of anger and desire flared in her eyes. "You can't control me."

His lips quirked up in a slow, knowing smirk. "Can't I?"

Before she could answer, his mouth claimed hers again, sealing his promise with fire and sin.

And just like that, she was lost to him all over again.