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The first press of his lips against hers came as a question, tentative and full of restrained desire. Elara answered with a soft sigh, her hands rising to rest against his chest, her fingers splayed as if to absorb the heat radiating from his skin. His low growl of approval vibrated through her, asound that sent a thrill rushing through herbody.

Their kiss deepened, the earlier hesitation vanishing as passion surged to the surface. Zar’Ryn’s other hand found her waist, his fingers tightening possessively, anchoring her against him. She melted into his embrace, her body molding to his as if they had been crafted for one another. Her hands slid upward, exploring the hard planes of his chest, her nails grazing his skin lightly. His growl deepened, reverberating through his broad frame, aprimal sound that sent her heart racing.

“Elara,” he murmured against her lips, her name a reverent caress that made her tremble.

She could feel the restraint in his touch, the battle between his desire and his fierce need to protect her, to give her the choice to withdraw—even if it shatteredhim.

She pulled back just enough to meet his gaze, her chest rising and falling with the force of her breaths. “I’m not walking away,” she whispered, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her. “Not from you. Not now.”

A flicker of relief crossed his face, quickly replaced by the unrelenting intensity of his gaze. His hand slid into her hair, tangling in the soft strands, while his thumb brushed along her jawline. “Then I will never let you go,” he vowed, his voice rough and edged with an almost desperate sincerity.

Their mouths met again, their kiss an explosion of pent-up emotion and need. Elara clung to him, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she surrendered to the storm he unleashed within her. His lips trailed from her mouth to her neck, his breath warm against her skin as he explored the delicate curve of her throat. She tilted her head back, granting him access, her soft gasp urging himon.

The firelight danced around them, casting shifting shadows that seemed to echo their fiery passion. Time ground to a halt, the world narrowing to the shared rhythm of their hearts and the growing intensity of their bond. Every touch, every kiss, spoke of promises and desires too vast for words, aconnection that went beyond anything either of them had ever known.

In that moment, as the flames burned low and the night stretched on, nothing else mattered. They were two souls drawn together by fate, their barriers shattered, their hearts laidbare.

But just as the moment edged toward becoming something deeper, the light in the room shifted. The fire dimmed, and a faint whine filled the air. Zar’Ryn froze, his instincts on high alert as he pulled Elara closer.

“What’s happening?” she whispered, her voice trembling again.

Before he could answer, aholographic screen materialized above the table. Their bond surged, not with warmth but with cold, sinking dread. Zar’Ryn’s eyes narrowed as an image appeared—Elara’s face, younger but unmistakable.

Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, her glasses dangling toward the end of her nose. She stared intently through a microscope when a young human male came up and plucked them off her face and grinned at her. Another scene flashed where the two were walking hand-in-hand. Then another, eating a meal together and sharingfood.

“No,” Elara whispered. “No, no, no!”

A dozen different scenes flashed by of the two of them in various stages of their relationship until finally they were in bed together. Elara’s face glowed softly, happily. And then the bedroom door flew open and a half dozen males pushed their way into the room, laughing and jeering.

“You won, Benson. You won the bet,” one of them proclaimed. “You’re the first to fuck her.”

“That’s right.” He threw back the covers, exposing Elara. With a cry, she scrambled to pull them back over her nudity. “Now pay up.”

For a long moment, the image of her anguish hovered in the air. Pain. Humiliation. Shock. And utter devastation.

The hologram faded, leaving only silence and the echo of Elara’s sharp, ragged breaths. Zar’Ryn turned to her, his chest tightening as he saw her wide eyes filled with tears, her face pale as though she might shatter.

Chapter 20

“ELARA,”he said softly, reaching forher.

She flinched, her hands trembling as she hugged herself tightly. “That was... that was not supposed to...”

“It does not matter,” Zar’Ryn interrupted, his voice firm but not harsh. He knelt in front of her, his hands gently prying hers away from her body. “That moment does not define you. Whatever they said, whoever they were, they were wrong.”

Her tears spilled over, and she shook her head, unable to speak. Zar’Ryn’s grip tightened, his amethyst eyes blazing with quiet intensity. “Look at me,” he said. When she finally met his gaze, he continued, his voice a steady anchor. “You are stronger than this. You have proven that a hundred times over. Isee who you are, Elara, and you are extraordinary.”

The bond pulsed between them, not with warmth but with fierce, protective strength. For a moment, he stayed silent, as though debating how much further to go, before his voicedropped into a deadly calm. “Tell me where to find this monster.”

She stiffened, her breathing quickening. “What?”

“The one who hurt you. The one who deserves to pay.” His tone was icy, lethal in its promise. “Tell me where to find him. And I will end him.”

Her breath caught, and she stared at him, wide-eyed. The sheer conviction in his words left no doubt in her mind that he meant every syllable. “Zar’Ryn, no—”

“Yes,” he growled, cutting her off. His hands cupped her face, his thumbs brushing away her tears. “I am not human. My justice is not tempered by mercy for cowards who prey on those who cannot defend themselves. You are mine to protect, Elara. If you name him, he will not draw another breath.”

She trembled, not with fear, but with something far deeper, atangled knot of awe, love, and the sharp edges of grief. “You can’t,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Even if he deserves it... you can’t. It’s not who I am. And it’s not who I want you to be.”

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