Page 43 of Her Fallen Angel

Light streamsthrough the kitchen windows as I prepare Kai's meal while he's away at training. The sharp blade moves in practiced strokes through the zynthra, its crisp flesh yielding beneath my touch. My thoughts drift to violet eyes and ash-gray wings, to the contradictions that draw me deeper into his darkness.

The quillnash sizzles in the pan, its tangy aroma filling the air. Like him - sharp and bold on the surface, but complex underneath. I add dreelk leaves as I think about Kai and all the ways he's letting me in. Both physically and emotionally - and I want it all.

My hands tremble as I arrange the roasted meat. I shouldn't crave the possessive gleam in his eyes when others approach me, shouldn't feel my pulse quicken when rage transforms his angular features into something deadly and beautiful. But I do. His cruelty should repel me - instead, I see the wounds beneath his armor, the need for control born from having none.

The brimbark stems snap satisfyingly as I prepare them, much like his patience when someone threatens what he considers his. My fingers brush the bruise on my wrist from where he grabbed me yesterday, pulling me behind him when a visiting warrior looked too long in my direction. The mark should frighten me. Instead, it sends heat coursing through my veins.

I arrange everything perfectly, knowing how he notices details. Each time his walls crack, revealing vulnerability beneath the hardened exterior, it feels like a victory. Like last night in the courtyard, when genuine curiosity replaced his usual mockery. Those moments make the challenge of loving someone so broken worth every struggle.

His darkness calls to something in me - not to change him, but to give him an outlet for his darkness. To be the flame he can't extinguish, no matter how hard he tries.

The sound of his steps announces his arrival. My heart races as I turn, meeting violet eyes that soften imperceptibly at the sight of his favorite meal. These small moments of connection, when his mask slips just slightly, remind me why I've chosen this path into his shadows.

Holding his guess, I sink to my knees, the stone floor cool against my skin. The plate rests steady in my upturned palms as I lower my head, dark hair falling in waves around my face. My pulse quickens as his boots stop before me.

"Little flame." His voice carries that edge of possession that makes my breath catch.

The plate lifts from my hands. His fingers thread through my hair, nails grazing my scalp. I lean into his touch, seeking more of the electric connection that sparks between us.

His hand stills. The silence stretches, weighted with unspoken questions. I dare to peek up through my lashes. Kai's violet eyes have darkened, wings half-spread in an unconscious display of dominance. His jaw tightens as he studies my willing surrender.

"You..." He trails off, fingers resuming their path through my hair. Each stroke sends tingles across my skin. "This is a nice surprise."

I press closer to his hand, drawn to his darkness in a way I'm tired of denying. The gesture makes his wings snap fully open, casting shadows across us both. His other hand grips my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze.

His fingers tighten in my hair, not enough to hurt. Testing. Always testing. I stay pliant in his grasp, watching emotion war across his angular features. The predator in him wants to crush this submission, prove it false. But something else makes him hesitate, studying me with an intensity that steals my breath.

He ultimately takes a seat, and I settle next to him, loving the proximity, the way he keeps touching me throughout it. Whenhe finishes, he drags me into his lap and feeds me. I curl up into him, enjoying the comfort.

After the meal, Kai leads me down the winding corridor to his private sanctuary. The library doors swing open, revealing floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with leather-bound tomes. Ancient scrolls and delicate manuscripts fill ornate cases, their spines embossed with script I can't decipher.

"You seem... interested in learning." His wings twitch as he crosses to a shelf, scanning titles. "Perhaps it's time you expanded your knowledge beyond prayers."

I trail my fingers along the polished wood, breathing in the scent of parchment and ink. "I'd like that."

Kai selects several volumes, the muscles in his back rippling as he stretches to reach higher shelves. Each movement holds calculated grace, like a predator stalking prey. But his expression, when he turns, lacks its usual sharp edges.

"Here." He settles onto the plush couch, wings spreading across its back. A gesture beckons me closer. "Tales of Aerasak's history. Before humans arrived."

I sink down beside him, careful to maintain space between us. The first book's pages crackle as they open, revealing intricate illustrations of battles and ancient cities. Kai's arm brushes mine as he leans in to point out details.

"The founding of New Solas." His voice drops lower, intimate. "When xaphan first claimed this territory."

The warmth of his body and the soothing cadence of his words draw me deeper into the story. My eyes grow heavy as he describes epic conflicts and fallen empires. Without meaning to, I lean closer, head drooping against his shoulder.

Instead of pushing me away, his wing curls around me like a blanket of shadow. The last thing I register is his fingers combing through my hair, gentle in a way that contradicts everything I know about him.

"Rest, little flame." The words float through my consciousness as sleep claims me.

I wake to silk sheets and plush pillows, confusion clouding my mind. The mattress dips as I shift, so different from my usual pallet. Moonlight streams through tall windows, casting silver patterns across unfamiliar bedding.

My heart stutters as reality crashes in. This is Kai's bed. The same one I've watched him sleep in countless nights from my position on the floor.

"Finally awake?" His deep voice rumbles beside me.

I jolt upright, clutching sheets to my chest. Kai lounges against the headboard, wings spread across dark wood. His violet eyes gleam in the darkness as he watches me process my surroundings.

"I..." Words fail as I try to make sense of this change. "Why am I?—"

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