Kael should have stopped.
He should have pulled away the moment their lips met, should have wrestled back the control that had always been his greatest strength.
But Seraphina had made a ruin of him.
Her body molded against his, soft and unyielding, her fingers tracing fire along his skin. She tasted like something forbidden—sweet, dangerous, utterly intoxicating.
And he wanted.
His hands skimmed her waist, gripping her hips with a desperation he could barely comprehend. Seraphina exhaled softly against his lips, and the sound sent a dark thrill through him.
She wanted this too.
That realization shattered whatever was left of his restraint.
Kael lifted her effortlessly, pressing her back against the cold stone as he deepened the kiss. Seraphina gasped into his mouth, her fingers threading through his hair, tugging, demanding.
His control snapped entirely.
His lips trailed lower, tracing the delicate line of her jaw, the pulse at her throat. He bit down gently, and her sharp intake of breath nearly undid him.
"Kael…"
His name, a whisper—his undoing.
His fingers slid beneath the fabric of her robe, mapping the soft skin beneath. She arched into him, her body warm and eager, her breath coming in shallow, uneven bursts.
He wanted more. Needed more.
But then—
A distant sound.
Footsteps.
Kael froze.
Reality crashed into him like a blade to the chest.
What the hell was he doing?
Seraphina sensed the shift in him, her breath still heavy, her lips swollen from his kiss. "Kael?"
He stepped back abruptly, every muscle in his body screaming at the loss of her warmth. "This…" He exhaled sharply. "This was a mistake."
Her expression flickered—hurt, but quickly masked. "A mistake?"
His hands clenched at his sides. "It cannot happen again."
Silence.
Then, she straightened, her gaze turning cold. "If that is what you wish, Your Highness."
Kael said nothing.
He turned and walked away, leaving her in the darkness.
But as he disappeared into the night, his body still burning from her touch, he knew one thing with absolute certainty.
He was lying.
And they both knew it.