"A-Aurelius," she called softly.
He glanced down at her, concern flickering across his face. "What is it? Are you ok?"
Rhea smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She leaned up quickly, closing the distance between them, and before Aurelius could react, her lips pressed against his.
The kiss caught him off guard, his eyes widening in shock. But in the same instant, he felt something strange—something warm and foreign sliding past his lips.
It was a liquid.
Aurelius, still stunned, couldn't move. The shock of the kiss, the unexpectedness of it, held him frozen. By the time he realized what had happened, it was too late.
Meanwhile, the vial was empty. And the liquid she had passed into him was already sinking into his system.
