[Music recommendation: AZEE - HOLD ME]

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"Then let’s seal the promise, shall we?" he whispered in a voice so sinful it nearly stole the remaining strength from her legs.

The instant those words reached her ears, Aliana’s gaze unconsciously drifted from his eyes down to his lips.

Neither of them knew who leaned in first.

One moment, they were trapped in each other’s gaze, drowning in the unbearable tension wrapping around them like a living thing, and the next, their lips finally met.

The second their warmth met, every ounce of restraint snapped like glass.

An electric current tore through both of their bodies so unexpectedly that their lips pulled back abruptly the very next second.

Shock spread across both of their faces as they continued staring at one another in stunned silence.

And this time, it was not only Aliana who was left breathless.... even Gavriel was breathing heavily.

But all too quickly, the tension between them came back with terrifying force, consuming them whole.

Gavriel was the first to snap.

One of his hands tangled deep into the softness of her hair while the other gripped the curve of her waist possessively, yanking her flush against the hard planes of his body.

With enough force to steal the breath from her lungs as he captured her lips again in a kiss filled with raw hunger.

The intensity of it completely overwhelmed Aliana.

It felt as though every inch of her body had been thrown into flames, burning hotter and hotter with every passing second until she could no longer tell whether it was fear, desire, or madness consuming her from within.

A broken breath escaped her as her hands instinctively slid around his corded neck, clinging onto him while she parted her lips against his, no longer merely responding but kissing him back with the same reckless intensity.

She felt every single sensation he ignited within her.

His hot mouth captured her upper lip first, sucking on it hard enough to make her knees weaken before releasing it, only to immediately capture her lower lip and torment it with the same unbearable intensity.

A soft, shaky gasp escaped her lips, yet Gavriel showed no mercy as he continued to devour her like a man starved.

His tongue slowly brushed against the seam of her lips, teasing and demanding all at once, and Aliana willingly granted him access. The moment he slipped inside, he tasted her deeply, thoroughly, as though he wanted to memorise every inch of her mouth, pulling a deep, helpless moan straight from her throat.

Meanwhile Aliana’s hands seemed to move on their own as they slid upwards and buried themselves into the softness of his hair. Her fingers weaving through the dark strands almost desperately.

Just as she felt him bite down sharply on her lower lip before tugging on it, her fingers instinctively tightened in his hair, pulling it hard.

Her action elicited a deep, sexy rumble vibrating from Gavriel’s chest, sounding almost like a growl of approval, like he was far too pleased by her reaction.

Her chest heaved as she was dangerously short of breath, yet she seemed to love being caught in a rhythm that matched the gorgeous devil in her arms.

She felt him suddenly push her against the hard wall, the impact drawing a soft gasp from her lips.

The hand tangled in her hair tightened around the strands before tugging at them hard enough to force her head back just enough to make her part her lips wider for him. And Gavriel took full advantage of it, kissing her deeper, harder, and faster, like a man completely consumed by his hunger for her.

A series of soft moans continued to spill from Aliana’s lips as the hand wrapped around her waist slowly slid lower, travelling along the curve of her ass before gripping it tightly enough to make her shudder in delight.

But Gavriel did not stop there.

His hand drifted lower before digging into her thigh, pulling one of her legs up until it wrapped around his tapered waist as he pressed himself into her, leaving no space between them.

Aliana’s own hands, which had been tangled in Gavriel’s hair all this while, slowly drifted lower and lower, her fingertips brushing over the hard muscles beneath his robe.

The moment her touch travelled across him, she felt the muscles beneath her palm tighten sharply, sending goosebumps rising across Gavriel’s skin from the sheer thrill and excitement of discovering this wild, uninhibited side of the woman before him.

But he also realised that she needed to breathe, so he reluctantly tore his lips away from hers, even though every part of him clearly wanted to continue.

The moment he pulled back, Aliana’s head immediately dropped forward onto his shoulder as she struggled to pull air back into her lungs, her entire body trembling faintly from everything he had just made her feel.

Her hands remained pressed against the bare skin of his chest that peeked out from beneath his loosely tied robe. The rapid pounding of his heartbeat beneath her palms only made her own pulse spiral further out of control.

Watching her slump weakly against him, Gavriel slowly released her thigh before wrapping his arm tightly around her back, holding her against him as though he had no intention of letting her go anytime soon. His other hand reluctantly released the softness of her hair but it continued to rest on her back.

Neither of them spoke for what felt like an eternity.

The sound of their harsh, uneven breathing filled the heavy silence between them, yet neither seemed bothered by it.

Because whatever had just happened between them had been far from a normal kiss. It had been so wild, consuming, and dangerously intoxicating that both of them silently realised the same terrifying thing at once.

Neither of them had ever experienced anything like it before.

But as they continued to remain tangled in each other’s arms like that, Gavriel realised one thing.

He had been right all along.

He had known from the very beginning that this woman was dangerous in every possible sense. Dangerously addictive to the point where he knew, with terrifying certainty, that the moment he got even the slightest taste of her, he would never be able to let her go again.

That single possessive thought darkened his gaze as his hand slowly rose to cup her jaw. Gently, he lifted her face towards him, only to be greeted by the completely unravelled sight of her.

Her eyelids were heavy and glossy, tiny teardrops still clinging delicately to the corners of her eyes. Her glistening lips remained parted and swollen from his relentless ministrations, while a deep, beautiful flush continued burning across her cheeks.

The sight alone nearly drove him mad. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

His thumb slowly dragged across her swollen lower lip, making her breathing hitch softly before his deep, velvety voice finally shattered the silence between them.

"You are mine now, Aliana.... Mine alone." His gaze darkened further as he leaned closer. "And no one is ever allowed to touch what belongs to me... do you understand?"