Their kiss grew fierce, unrestrained, filled with desperation and need. It was a collision of fire and ice, of defiance and surrender, a clash of everything he had fought against and everything she refused to let go of.

  Kael’s hands tangled in her hair, pulling her closer as if she might disappear. She clung to him, her body pressed against his, answering his fire with her own. Every touch, every breath, every aching second deepened the connection, erasing the space he had tried so hard to put between them.

  It was a kiss that spoke of longing, of hope, of a man who had spent years convinced he would never feel again.

  “Nova,” he said, pulling back, “Being bonded to me will only make your life more difficult. You deserve better than me. I’m not the kind of person you should be tied to.” His voice was firm, but pained. “You will never be safe, always on the run, always looking over your shoulder. You’ve only had a small taste of what’s out there, the world is full of dangers.”

  "There are places," he said carefully. "Safe havens. They could take you in, train you, keep you hidden. You’d be protected."

  A slow, searing anger began to build beneath Nova’s ribs."Then what?" Nova snapped, disbelief cutting through her voice. "You just drop me off and disappear? Pretend none of this ever happened?" Nova was completely taken aback by his suggestion. “How could you possibly think that abandoning me is some kind of benevolent act?”

  Kael's eyes narrowed. “Nova. Being with me is a death sentence. The people who are after me won't hesitate to use you to get to me. If they find you with me, they'll kill you just to hurt me." Kael opened his mouth to continue, but she didn't give him the chance.Her palm cracked against his cheek, sharp and sudden, the sound ricocheting off the cliffside like a gunshot. Kael didn’t move. Didn’t even breathe. His eyes widened just slightly, as if the impact had shaken something loose inside him.

  "You're a coward," she said, her voice breaking. "You're so afraid of losing me that you'd rather push me away first. But guess what, Kael? You don't get to make that choice for me. You don't get to decide that I'm not strong enough to stay by your side."

  He stared at her, his hand lifting to touch his cheek where she'd struck him. For a moment, he looked completely unmoored, his usual composure shattered.

  "You're important to me," Nova continued, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "More than anyone has ever been. If you think I'm just going to walk away because you think it's safer, you’re dead wrong. I’d rather fight."

  Kael’s shoulders sagged, the fight draining out of him. He hesitated, then reached for her, fingers brushing against her arm. "Nova…"

  "No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't want to hear your excuses. If you're so determined to leave, you'll have to kill me first. Because I'm not going anywhere!"

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  The weight of her words hung between them, and Kael felt something crack inside him.

  Kael exhaled deeply, his forehead resting against hers. "You have no idea what you're signing up for."

  "I don't care," she whispered. "I'm not afraid of your past. I'm afraid of losing you."

  Kael closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around her. "You're going to be the death of me."

  "And you're going to be the reason I live," she shot back, her voice steady despite the storm of emotions swirling between them.

  Kael let out a breath, a broken, helpless sound, before he crushed his lips to hers.

  Kael had spent years mastering control. He had to, to learn to survive in this world. Everything about him had always been carefully calculated. The discipline of the hunt. The patience of the kill. The restraint to keep his instincts in check when every muscle in his body screamed to act..

  This was different however. This wasn’t a battle he had to fight to win. It wasn’t a game of survival. It was Nova. She was his, and he wasn’t interested in controlling himself when it came to her.

  The thought sent a dark, possessive heat rolling through him as he pulled her deeper into the water, the cool current swirling around their bodies. His grip was firm, keeping her steady as the ground beneath them fell away. He didn’t hesitate or second-guess. He was done fighting this.

  Her breath hitched as he pressed her closer, her bare skin gliding against his beneath the water. His lips trailed lower, claiming the soft line of her throat, feeling the rapid flutter of her pulse beneath his mouth.

  She gasped when he bit down, just enough to remind her exactly who she belonged to. Her fingers tightened against his shoulders, her nails scraping lightly over his skin. The response sent a jolt of heat down his spine, a growl vibrating through his chest. She was intoxicating, the way she trembled under his touch, the way she yielded to him, trusting him, wanting him.

  He lifted her effortlessly, gripping her thighs as she wrapped herself around him, locking them together. The current shifted, pressing against them, but he barely felt it.

  All he felt was her.

  Her body, soft and warm against his. The way she fit against him, perfect.

  Nova arched against him, gasping his name as he claimed her completely.

  Kael wasn’t gentle. He didn’t have to be. His hands held her exactly where he wanted her, guiding her, taking her, pushing her to the edge until all she could do was hold onto him. His breath was rough against her ear, his growl low and sharp as she met him with the same hungry intensity.

  He drove into her, each movement deliberate, a reminder that she was his, that he would never let her go. His name left her lips in a broken gasp, her fingers clutching at him, her body tightening, trembling.

  Kael felt her unraveling around him, felt the way she clung to him like he was the only thing keeping her grounded, and maybe he was.

  Heat coiled low in his spine, tension winding tight in his muscles as his control finally shattered. He crushed his mouth to hers, swallowing her cries as he followed her into the abyss.

  His grip on her never loosened. Even as their breathing slowed. Even as the water lapped gently around them. Kael held her against him, his forehead resting against hers, and for the first time in years, he felt complete.