Chapter 11: The First Bite

Kai didn't remember exactly how it happened.

One moment, he was standing at the kitchen counter, pretending to need water, trying to put space between them. The next, Adrian was there silent, as always. Like a shadow. Like temptation itself.

"Still pretending?" Adrian's voice was low, dangerous.

Kai's grip tightened on the glass.

"I'm not pretending," he said, though his voice sounded like a goddamn lie.

"Then look at me," Adrian challenged.

Kai did.

And oh, shit.

Adrian's eyes were darker than before, pupils dilated, fangs just slightly visible beneath his parted lips. There was something primal simmering beneath the surface barely restrained, like it wanted to claw its way out.

Kai knew he should step back.

Instead, he leaned forward.

"You're playing with fire," he whispered.

Adrian's smile was a razor. "Good thing I like the burn."

And then he kissed him.

It wasn't soft. It wasn't tentative.

It was desperate.

A clash of mouths, heat and hunger, Kai's back hitting the counter with a dull thud as Adrian pressed in. Their bodies fit together like pieces that had always known they belonged, like centuries of war and instinct couldn't override whatever the hell this was.

Kai's fingers tangled in Adrian's shirt, pulling him closer, anchoring himself to the one person he should've run from.

And Adrian?

Adrian kissed like he was starving.

Like this Kai was his only salvation.

But then adrian's lips trailed down to Kai's throat.

Hot, open-mouthed kisses left a trail of fire, and Kai tilted his head back without thinking, exposing the soft, vulnerable skin there.

He felt the shift.

The inhale.

The pause.

"Kai," Adrian whispered against his neck, voice raw, "tell me to stop."

Kai's breath hitched. "Why would I do that?"

Adrian growled growled, mi amor and it was all teeth and tension and something far too ancient for this modern world.

"You don't know what you're asking for."

Kai reached up, curling his fingers into Adrian's hair, dragging his mouth back to his neck.

"Then show me."

Adrian didn't need more permission.

He bit.

And holy hell Kai saw stars.

It wasn't pain. It was heat. It was lightning. It was intimacy so sharp it left him breathless. The bite was shallow, careful, restrained but it marked him. Claimed him in a way words never could.

Adrian pulled back moments later, fangs retracting, lips slick with the smallest trace of blood.

"I shouldn't have done that," he said, voice trembling.

But Kai just looked at him.

Chest rising.

Eyes wide.

A red mark blooming on his neck like a secret.

"Do it again."

Adrian's expression broke into something feral. Wicked. Possessive.

"Oh, mi lobo... you have no idea what you've started."

The heat between them hadn't diminished. If anything, it was intensified the air so thick that even the storm outside seemed to quiet in deference to the tension building in the room. Kai's breath was shallow, every inhale a struggle as he stared at Adrian, whose lips were still stained with that taste of him.

Adrian's eyes flickered from Kai's neck to his face, studying him with an intensity that made Kai feel raw vulnerable.

"You're still here," Adrian said softly, almost like he was surprised.

Kai ran his tongue over his bottom lip, tasting the remnants of the blood that had been taken from him. "You really did bite me, didn't you?" His voice was hoarse, but the edge of desire couldn't be ignored.

"Can you feel it?" Adrian asked, his voice nearly a whisper, his hand hovering near Kai's throat like he was still tempted to claim him again. "The connection..."

Kai swallowed hard, nodding. "Yeah, I feel it."

Adrian closed his eyes for a moment, the hunger flaring in his expression. The control was slipping, just barely.

"You don't know what you're asking for, Kai," Adrian said, his voice a low growl. "I can't stop now. Not after that."

Adrian took another step forward, his chest brushing against Kai's as he towered over him. The energy crackling between them was like a warning. A reminder that this, whatever this was, was dangerous.

Kai tilted his head back slightly, exposing more of his throat, his pulse thumping loud in his ears, almost daring Adrian to break that last thread of restraint. His heart hammered in his chest as he leaned into Adrian's touch, his hand coming to rest against Adrian's side.

"I don't want you to stop," Kai said, his voice thick with need. "I want to know what this is. What we are."

Adrian's eyes burned with an intensity that was both beautiful and terrifying. "This... us... it's not just about desire anymore. It's more than that. And it's not something you can just walk away from."

"I'm not going anywhere," Kai said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Adrian's lips twitched into a grin, one filled with wicked promises. "Good."

Without another word, Adrian took his hand, pulling him closer again. Their lips met once more fiercer this time, as if the kiss was meant to erase all doubts, to melt away the boundaries they'd carefully built. Kai's body reacted instinctively, pulling Adrian closer, pressing against him, tasting the dark, forbidden thrill of their kiss.

And this time, Adrian didn't hesitate. He pulled Kai into him with a force that made the world around them spin, their bodies tangled together as the weight of everything between them felt like it was crashing down. Adrian's hand slid down Kai's back, tugging at his shirt as if he were trying to mark him, claiming every inch he could reach.

Kai wasn't sure who moved first, but when Adrian's lips left his mouth and trailed down his jaw to his neck again, the bite came quicker this time. The sharp sting of Adrian's fangs sinking into his skin made him gasp, but it was a delicious kind of pain. His fingers dug into Adrian's back, trying to hold on to something, anything.

Adrian groaned into his skin, pulling away just enough to look at Kai, whose breath was coming in ragged bursts, face flushed with the effects of the blood loss and the passion that had ignited between them.

"I warned you," Adrian said, his voice thick with a dark promise.

Kai swallowed, his head spinning. "I'm not... not scared of you."

"You should be." Adrian's voice was rough, each word laden with something far more than just physical desire.

But Kai only smiled a slow, daring smile that sent Adrian's heart racing.

"I'm not," Kai said again, leaning in, brushing his lips against Adrian's ear. "I'm not scared of anything you can do to me."

Adrian's hand shot out to grip his wrist, the hunger in his eyes flaring dangerously. "You're playing with fire now."

"I know," Kai whispered back, a devilish gleam in his eyes. "And I'm enjoying every second of it."