Kavy swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling in sharp, shallow breaths. Dante stood before her, his gaze heavy with something she couldn't name—but she could feel it. Like a storm waiting to consume her.
She should run. She should fight.
But instead, she stayed frozen, locked in place by something far stronger than fear.
"You think resisting me will change anything?" Dante murmured, his voice low, dark. "You're already mine, Kavy. You can fight it all you want, but this—" his fingers brushed over the pulse point at her throat, making her shudder "—this doesn't lie."
Kavy hated the way her body responded to him.
Hated the way his touch sent heat spiraling through her veins.
"I won't give in to you," she rasped, but the words felt empty.
Dante's lips twitched. "You already have."
She clenched her jaw, trying to summon the rage she'd clung to for so long. But it was slipping. Drowning beneath something darker, something hungrier.
Dante leaned in, his breath warm against her cheek. "You feel it, don't you?" he whispered. "The craving. The need."
Kavy squeezed her eyes shut.
Because the truth was—
She did.
It was inside her now, clawing at her, demanding more. The hunger. The ache. The unbearable pull toward him.
And it wasn't just the bond.
It was him.
Dante. The man who had ruined her, broken her, and now—
Owned her.
He didn't push further. Didn't force her. He just… waited. As if he already knew how this would end.
Because deep down, she knew it too.
There was no running anymore.
There was no escape.
There was only him.