Kael's grip on her wrist tightened as Celestia's pulse quickened, but the fire that burned in her chest was no longer rage. It was something else. Something deeper. The beast that had stirred inside her wasn't just magic—it was something primal, something real. And Kael had awakened it.
Her breath hitched, heart hammering against her ribs as his gaze pierced through her defenses, unraveling the walls she'd spent years building. This was dangerous. She knew it. But for the first time in as long as she could remember, she wasn't afraid.
His fingers gently traced the curve of her wrist, sending shockwaves through her body that had nothing to do with magic. She wanted to pull away, to flee back into the safe distance of her icy walls, but there was no escape.
His voice was a whisper in her ear, and though the words were soft, they held the weight of the universe.
"I've seen you before, Celestia."
Her eyes widened, heart dropping into her stomach. "What?" The words felt like a punch, unexpected and sharp. "What do you mean?"
Kael leaned in closer, his lips almost brushing against her ear. "In my dreams. In the visions that brought me here. You were there. In every one of them. I've been bound to you long before you even knew I existed."
She shook her head, pulling back slightly to look at him, but his grip remained firm, unyielding. "You're insane," she hissed. "You have no idea who I am."
Kael's expression softened, and for a moment, he didn't look like the mage who had crashed into her world, causing chaos. He looked like someone who understood. Someone who had seen the same darkness she carried and didn't turn away from it.
"I do know," he whispered. "I see it in your eyes. In the way you hide behind the mask of the Mafia Queen. The strength. The rage. But under all of it…"
He let the words linger, his breath warm against her skin. The tension between them was palpable, thick as the magic swirling in the air, but it wasn't the storm outside that held them captive. It was them. The connection they could no longer deny.
Her pulse raced, but not out of anger. Not out of fear. There was a longing buried deep inside her, something she didn't want to admit, something she couldn't control.
She stepped back, breaking his hold, but Kael was faster. In a flash, he was in front of her again, his hand reaching for her, his eyes burning with a fire that mirrored the storm brewing in her chest.
"Don't run from this," he pleaded. "We're tied together. Whether you like it or not, we belong to each other."
Her chest tightened. "I don't belong to anyone," she spat, but her voice cracked. The words felt wrong, like she was trying to convince herself more than him.
Kael's eyes flickered with something almost… sad. "You do. You belong to me."
The words struck her like a physical blow. They reverberated in her mind, drowning out all her thoughts. "No," she whispered. "No, I won't let you do this to me."
But even as she said it, she knew the truth. She couldn't fight him—not anymore. Not when the connection between them burned so brightly.
Kael stepped closer, his body almost touching hers. The air between them hummed with unspoken tension, electric, crackling, dangerous. He could feel her heart racing under her skin, hear her breath quickening as his proximity stoked the fire inside her.
"You want this, Celestia," he said softly, his voice low, dangerous. "You want me. Even if you won't admit it."
Celestia's breath caught in her throat as she felt the force of his words settle into her chest like a dark, heavy weight. "I don't need you." But the words came out weaker than she'd intended. She was lying. She did need him.
Kael's gaze darkened, the intensity between them shifting, deepening. "Then why is your heart racing, Celestia? Why do you feel this pull between us?"
She looked away, her chest tightening as the pull grew stronger, more insistent. She didn't want this. She couldn't afford to want him.
Her hands trembled as she reached out, pushing him away—but only slightly. She needed distance. She needed control.
"You can't fix me." Her voice was a rasp now, rough, vulnerable in a way she hated.
Kael reached out again, cupping her chin with a tenderness that felt like a paradox to everything she was. "I'm not trying to fix you."
His words were soft, almost too soft for someone who had the power to tear her world apart. "I'm just trying to love you."
The admission hit her like a wave crashing into the shore, unexpected, overwhelming. For a moment, she didn't know whether to pull him closer or push him away. The world around them seemed to vanish, the only thing remaining was the magnetism between them.
"You're insane," she whispered, though even she knew it was a lie. She was the insane one. She was the one letting him in, letting him see her cracks, the fragile parts of herself she'd hidden for years.
Kael's thumb stroked over her lower lip, the gesture gentle, soothing, and then he leaned in, brushing his lips lightly against hers.
The kiss was brief—just a whisper of what could be—but it was enough to unravel her.
Kael pulled back, his eyes never leaving hers. "I'm not going anywhere," he said. "You can try to push me away, but I'll always be here."
Celestia closed her eyes, the weight of his words settling over her like a heavy shroud. "Why?"
He smiled, a slow, dangerous curve of his lips. "Because you're mine. And I'm never letting you go."
The words hung in the air between them like a curse, suffocating her as much as the heat of the moment. "I'm never letting you go."
Celestia's heart twisted painfully in her chest. She had heard those words before, but from someone else. Someone who had claimed her and destroyed her in the process. She wasn't going to fall into that trap again. Not with him.
But Kael's presence was like a storm that refused to abate. The intensity of his gaze, the heat of his touch, and the promise of something far deeper, darker… it was too much to resist.
She stepped back, but he followed, the distance between them shrinking with every heartbeat. "Stop," she commanded, her voice more forceful than she intended. "This is dangerous."
His eyes burned with something that was both gentle and ruthless. "I know," he said, the weight of the truth in his voice making her pause. "But I'm not afraid of you, Celestia. I'm not afraid of what you could do to me."
Celestia's chest tightened. She hated that he wasn't afraid. She hated that he was willing to walk into the fire she had built for herself, the fire that could consume him, just to be with her.
She opened her mouth to protest, to tell him to leave, to run before it was too late. But the words wouldn't come. Instead, she found herself rooted to the spot, staring into his eyes like she was drowning.
Kael reached for her again, his fingers brushing against her cheek, tender and soft. "You're scared," he whispered. "But you don't have to be. I won't let the darkness swallow you."
"You don't understand," she breathed, the truth crashing over her like a tidal wave. "I'm not what you think I am. You have no idea what you're walking into."
Kael's brow furrowed, confusion flickering in his eyes. "Then tell me, Celestia. Tell me what I'm walking into."
Her breath caught in her throat, the weight of the secrets she had buried deep within her chest suddenly unbearable. She had never spoken of the curse that bound her, the twisted fate that had kept her trapped in this life of violence and bloodshed. She had never told anyone how she had died centuries ago, only to be reborn as a creature of ice and fire, forever tethered to a darkness she could never escape.
"I'm cursed," she said softly, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I was cursed long before you came here. And now you've awakened something inside of me that I can't control. If you stay with me, Kael, you'll be dragged into the same hell that I live in. And I don't want that for you. You deserve better than me."
Kael's gaze softened, and for a moment, she saw something in his eyes she hadn't expected—understanding. He had seen the darkness inside of her, but unlike everyone else who had tried to run from it, he hadn't flinched. Instead, he reached for her, his hand brushing against her cheek again, but this time, the touch was different. It was gentle, careful, as if he were afraid to shatter her.
"I don't care about your curse, Celestia," he murmured. "I don't care about the darkness inside of you. All I care about is you."
Her heart raced in her chest, a dizzying mix of emotions swirling inside her. "You don't know what you're saying."
But Kael didn't back away. Instead, he stepped closer, his body so close to hers that she could feel the heat radiating off of him. "I know exactly what I'm saying," he replied, his voice low and steady. "And I know that I'm willing to fight whatever hell you've got inside you, Celestia. I'm not afraid to fight for you."
For a brief moment, she allowed herself to believe him. She allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, there could be something between them. But the memory of the curse, of the ice and the fire, of the power that bound her to this planet, came rushing back with a vengeance.
She pushed him away, harder than she had intended, the force of the motion surprising them both. "No!" she shouted. "You don't understand! I'm a weapon. I'm not meant for love. I'm not meant for anything good."
Kael stumbled back, but his eyes never left hers. "That's where you're wrong."
Celestia shook her head, the pain in her chest growing as she realized how much she wanted to believe him, how much she wanted to trust him. But she couldn't. She wouldn't. Not when the curse was a part of her. Not when her fate was already written in blood.
Kael took another step forward, his resolve unshaken. "You're more than your curse, Celestia. You're more than the shadows that haunt you. And I'm not leaving you alone in the dark."
The storm inside her raged. "You can't save me," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I'm beyond saving."
Kael reached for her once more, his fingers grazing her skin as he spoke softly, "I don't need to save you. I just need to be with you."