Kavy's chest heaved, her breathing erratic. The fire inside her was spreading, consuming everything she once knew. There was no part of her that felt normal anymore. No part that didn't ache for something she shouldn't want.
Something she hated.
Something she craved.
Dante.
He stood before her, calm, unshaken. His dark eyes burned into hers, filled with something ancient and unrelenting.
"Fighting me is useless now," he said, his voice low, dangerous. "You can deny it all you want, but we both know what's happening to you."
Kavy clenched her fists. "I won't be yours."
Dante smirked. "You already are."
She lunged at him, a desperate attempt to prove herself wrong. But the moment she touched him, the moment her hands collided with his chest, something inside her snapped.
A jolt of heat rushed through her, violent and all-consuming.
She gasped, staggering back, but Dante caught her, his grip unyielding.
"What… what is this?" she choked out.
"Your instincts waking up." His fingers tightened around her wrist, holding her in place. "You can't fight it, Kavy. It's in your blood now."
She shook her head violently. "No. No, I won't—"
Dante yanked her closer, his breath warm against her cheek. "Say it, Kavy."
She swallowed hard, every inch of her body burning.
"Say you feel it."
Her lips trembled. The truth was suffocating, pressing down on her, breaking her apart.
"I hate you," she whispered instead.
Dante's grip didn't loosen. If anything, his hold on her became even stronger.
"That's not what I asked." His voice was softer now, almost coaxing.
Her pulse pounded. Every part of her screamed to resist.
But there was no escaping the truth.
She felt it.
She wanted it.
And she was terrified