Chapter Nineteen
The morning sun warms my face as Eunho and I exit his family's sprawling estate.
His hand hasn't left the small of my back since we said our goodbyes, his mother extracting multiple promises from me to return soon for another family dinner.
The warmth of acceptance still glows in my chest—I've never experienced anything like the boisterous welcome they gave me.
“You're quiet,” Eunho murmurs as we climb into his car. “Relieved to be away from the noise?”
I laugh, settling into the passenger seat. “No. Just decompressing. It's almost too quiet now.”
“Don't worry. They'll remedy that the next time we see them.” His eyes crinkle at the corners when he grins.
“I look forward to it.” I reach over and squeeze his thigh. The mate marks on his arm show stark black against tan skin as he shifts gears, and my stomach flips with possessive joy every time I see the way he proudly shows them off.
The drive back to Halfblood Hall is quick. I catch Eunho stealing glances at me, his expression soft in a way that makes it hard to breathe. The mate bond pulses between us, still new and raw and overwhelming.
We're barely through the doors of Ember Unit when a voice calls out.
“Eunho! Supervisors want you for briefing. Now.”
Eunho tenses beside me, his hand tightening on my waist. I can feel his reluctance through our bond—the primal need to stay close warring with duty.
“Go,” I tell him, turning to face him. “I need to check on Soot anyway. Poor thing's probably wondering where I've been.”
His brow furrows. “I don't like leaving you alone.”
“I'm not alone. I'm home.” I pat his chest. “We need to figure out the living situation anyway. Maybe talk to the supervisors about it while you're there?”
Understanding dawns in his eyes. The mate bond won't allow long separations—we both know it. Already I can feel an anxious tugging in my chest at the thought of him leaving.
“Later,” I say firmly before he can protest. “Go handle your work first. We'll sort everything else out after.”
Eunho growls low in his throat, then suddenly yanks me against him. His mouth crashes into mine, tongue sweeping inside to trace the roof of my mouth in a way that makes me squeal with surprised laughter.
“Stop that!” I giggle, pushing at his chest.
He grins wickedly and steals one more quick kiss before bounding away toward the administrative offices, leaving me breathless and grinning like an idiot as I head for the elevators.
I step into one, still feeling the ghost of Eunho's kiss on my lips.
The mate bond thrums contentedly, even with the growing distance between us.
My mind whirrs as I consider the logistics ahead. My tiny apartment suddenly seems woefully inadequate—the full bed that takes up most of my bedroom definitely won't comfortably fit Eunho's tall frame alongside mine.
Maybe we can push it against the wall? Or would that just mean one of us ends up wedged uncomfortably in the corner? I make a mental note to look into furniture stores as the elevator doors slide open on my floor.
My thoughts are still tangled up in domestic details—wondering if Eunho even has a side of the bed preference—when I round the corner and stop dead in my tracks.
Dohwan sits slumped against the wall beside my door, his normally pristine appearance completely disheveled.
His uniform shirt is wrinkled, dark hair sticking up in messy spikes like he's been running his hands through it repeatedly.
At the sound of my footsteps, his head snaps up and he scrambles to his feet with none of his usual grace.
The circles under his eyes are so dark they look like bruises against his pale skin. Combined with his rumpled clothes and wild hair, he looks like he hasn't slept all night. Something in my chest twinges at the sight, but before I can process it, he's striding toward me with desperate intensity.
A few feet away, he suddenly halts, nostrils flaring as he catches Eunho's scent all over me. His eyes flash dangerously and a growl builds in his chest, lips pulling back to expose large white fangs.
I cross my arms and plant my feet, refusing to be intimidated by his display of temper. “What do you want, Dohwan?”
He doesn't answer. His dark eyes fix on my mouth, something wild and desperate flickering in their depths. Before I can demand an explanation again, he lunges forward.
His mouth crashes against mine with bruising force. I gasp in shock, my hands lifting automatically to shove him away. Fire sparks at my fingertips as rage floods through me—how dare he?
But then his hands frame my face, fingers tangling in my hair, and something inside me shifts violently. His tongue flicks against mine, and my resistance crumbles like ash. The mate bond I've been desperately trying to ignore roars to life, flooding my senses with need.
Instead of pushing him away, my fingers curl into his shirt, yanking him closer.
Our mouths war for dominance, all teeth and tongue and barely contained savagery.
Where kissing Eunho felt like coming home, this feels like stepping into an inferno.
Every brush of Dohwan's fangs against my lips sends fresh waves of hunger coursing through me.
It's not gentle. It's not sweet. Like everything between us, it's a battle—but one that sets my blood on fire and makes my whole body sing with feral awareness. The mate bond pulses between us, raw and demanding, amplifying every sensation until I'm drowning in it.
I shudder as Dohwan's mouth crashes against mine again, our bodies colliding with bruising force. My back hits the wall hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs, but I barely notice the impact. All I can focus on is the scorching heat of his mouth, the demanding press of his body against mine.
A snarl tears from my throat as his fangs scrape down my neck, the sharp points sending electric shivers down my spine.
My fingers tangle in his dark hair, yanking his head back up so I can claim his mouth again.
The taste of copper floods my tongue—I'm not sure if the blood is his or mine, and I don't care.
Movement catches my eye and I glance down to see flames licking along the hallway carpet. A breathless laugh escapes me. “We should take this inside before we burn the building down.” I'm not even sure which of us lost control enough to spark the fire.
Dohwan lifts his head, cursing when he spots the flames. He makes a sharp gesture with one hand, closing his fist, and the fire snuffs out instantly. I use his momentary distraction to slip free, moving toward my door.
As I reach for the keypad cover, Dohwan presses against my back, effectively pinning me in place. His breath fans hot against my ear.
“We're out of time to keep avoiding this,” he growls. “Better hurry with that code, or your neighbors are about to get quite a show.”
I roll my eyes but punch in the numbers, shoving the door open with perhaps more force than necessary.
The door slams shut behind us with enough force to rattle the framed photos on my walls.
Dohwan's hands dig into my hips as he lifts me like I weigh nothing, my back hitting the door with a thud that should hurt but only fuels the fire licking through my veins.
His mouth crashes against mine before I can snarl a protest, fangs scraping my bottom lip hard enough to draw blood.
The coppery tang mixes with the smoke-and-cinnamon scent of him, igniting something feral low in my belly.
Soot's claws click frantically against hardwood as he barrels around the corner. The deep growl building in Dohwan's chest vibrates against my tongue as the fire sprite launches himself at us.
“Bedroom!” I gasp against Dohwan's mouth, breaking the kiss just long enough to snap the command. Soot skids to a halt mid-leap, molten eyes flashing betrayal as he whines high in his throat. “Now!”
The sprite's ears flatten as he retreats, casting one last baleful look over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall.
Dohwan's teeth find the column of my throat before the bedroom door fully closes, his hands already rucking up my shirt.
Blistering palms scorch paths across my ribs as he yanks the fabric over my head, the remains of my bra straps snapping under his impatient fingers.
“Always so fucking difficult,” he growls against my collarbone, though the way his hips grind mine into the door belies the accusation. The hard ridge of his erection presses against me through layers of fabric, drawing a ragged moan I barely recognize as my own.
My nails score down the back of his neck in retaliation.
“Says the bastard who—” The words dissolve into a gasp as his teeth close around the sensitive junction where shoulder meets throat.
Fire blooms beneath my skin where he touches as the mate bond seems to flare, a tether, and an insistent pull.
Dohwan's laugh is all dark promise as he carries me toward the couch, our remaining clothes leaving a trail of singed fabric in our wake.
The world tilts as he drops us onto the cushions, his weight pinning me in place as his mouth finds mine again.
There's no tenderness in the kiss—only hunger and challenge and days of pent-up frustration igniting between clashing teeth and tangled tongues.
His hands map every curve and scar with rough urgency, calloused fingers branding my skin wherever they touch.
I arch against him, biting back a whimper when his thumb brushes a peaked nipple.
The smug bastard grins against my mouth, repeating the motion with deliberate slowness until I'm clawing at his back through his ruined shirt.
“Say it,” he demands between kisses that leave my lips swollen and throbbing. His hips roll against mine in a filthy rhythm that steals the breath from my lungs. “Say you want this.”
I sink my teeth into his lower lip. “Make me.”