Kael stood in the empty corridor, his hand still pressed against his bleeding lip. He didn't even feel the sting. All he could feel was the ghost of Rhys's mouth, the bruising pressure, the shocking, violent intimacy of it. He had asked to be hurt, a stupid, defiant gesture, and Rhys had delivered. But it wasn't a punishment. It was a claim.
You're right.
Rhys's voice echoed in his mind, low and dangerous. He had wanted to hurt Kael, not as a superior, but as a man. And in that kiss, in that raw, brutal moment, he had revealed a vulnerability that Kael had never imagined. A vulnerability he was terrified to see, because it meant everything was a thousand times more complicated than he had ever thought.
Kael's trembling hand dropped from his face. He looked at the elevator doors, frustration and confusion wrapping their arms around him.
'What have I done?'
