My knees were jelly. My throat dry. My heartbeat? Somewhere between "running a marathon" and "about to explode like a grenade."
And all because Selira—Selira was standing in my living room like some goddess the devil personally dressed up.
She didn't rush me. Oh no. That would've been merciful. Instead, she leaned back a little, her eyes glowing with that wicked glint that made my chest cave in.
Then her hands… oh God, her hands.
She lifted them slow, so slow it was like the world moved in frames, until both palms cupped her breasts.
Doomed. I'm doomed. I am officially a dead man.
"Kael…" she purred, giving them the faintest squeeze, her fingers pressing the curves together. "Can you control what you see?"
My jaw dropped. My soul evaporated. My brain screamed a dozen warnings at once.
Control what I see? CONTROL WHAT I SEE?! How am I supposed to control anything when two glorious, heavy, perfect
"Ahhh!! Stop thinking!!" I clutched my hair, muttering like a madman. "Think of math. Think of homework. Think of—OH DEAR GOD SHE'S SQUEEZING THEM HARDER."
Selira smirked, watching my meltdown like a cat toying with a mouse. She pressed them closer, tighter, until the deep valley between them looked like some kind of portal to another world a sinful world.
I stumbled backward a step, hitting the wall. "S-selira, this isn't fair! This isn't training, this is torture!"
Her voice slithered through the air like smoke. "Torture?" she whispered, swaying closer. "Then beg me to stop."
My lungs collapsed. "B-BEG?!"
"Yes…" Her tongue flicked across her bottom lip. "Say you can't handle me. Admit it. Then maybe I'll stop."
"I—I can handle it!" I croaked. Then immediately regretted it.
Because her grin widened like a predator's.
"Oh?" Selira murmured. Her hands slid lower, dragging across her curves before she pressed her breasts together again this time bending forward, bringing them eye-level. Inches from my face. So close I could feel the heat of her body radiating.
My pupils dilated. My thoughts shattered. God save me. Jesus. Buddha. ANYONE. I'm going to combust.
I pressed my palms to the wall, trembling. "This is… this is illegal. This is a war crime. You—you can't just "
Selira tilted her head, mocking sympathy. "Aww. Poor Kael. Still resisting?" She leaned in closer, her breath hot on my cheek. "But your eyes tell me everything. You want this. You're hungry for it."
I swallowed so hard I nearly choked. "I n-no I'm not hungry well, yes I'm hungry but not like that oh my god what am I saying?!"
She laughed. A dark, sultry laugh that made my knees wobble again. Then, slowly, she leaned back just enough to keep me gasping for her warmth. Her fingers slipped under her blouse and she tugged it downward, exposing more cleavage, more than I thought was even possible.
My vision blurred. My sanity snapped.
Is this the bonus she was talking about? Am I… am I dying? Is this what death feels like?!
Selira traced a single finger down her chest, through the valley of her breasts, and stopped right at the edge of her blouse. "Look at you panting like a boy lost in a desert."
Her eyes locked onto mine, burning with challenge. "Tell me, Kael. Will you keep resisting? Or will you finally beg for what you want?"
I was shaking so badly my teeth clattered. My lips parted but no sound came out.
Don't beg. Don't give in. You can win this. Stay strong.
Then she squeezed them again harder this time and leaned close enough that her nipple brushed the edge of my shirt.
My breath tore out of me in a strangled gasp.
"Oh my GOD !!!"
I thought the torment couldn't get worse then Selira kissed me.
Not a soft kiss. Not some fleeting brush.
No. She devoured me.
Her lips crushed against mine, hot and commanding, her tongue slipping past before I could even breathe. She rolled her tongue against mine, slow at first, then harder, faster, biting my bottom lip until sparks exploded in my head.
My whole body trembled. My hands hung stiff at my sides until she grabbed them and forced them against her body.
My palms landed first on her breasts, firm and hot through the fabric. Then she dragged one hand lower, lower—pressing it against the curve of her ass. My fingers sunk into her softness and I nearly fainted.
Her hips shifted, grinding subtly against me as her kiss deepened. Our tongues tangled, clashed, rolled over each other. I gasped into her mouth, but she stole the sound, biting down again, tasting me like she'd never let go.
This isn't a kiss. This is… this is theft. She's stealing my breath, my thoughts, my very soul.
When she finally pulled back, my lips were raw, swollen, my chest heaving like I'd run ten miles. My eyes snapped wide open staring at her in shock, disbelief, horror, and something else I refused to name.
Selira smiled. Not kindly. No, it was the smile of someone who knew they'd just broken through every defense I had.
Then her gaze sharpened. Her fingers curled around my wrist, lifting it slowly between us.
"Something looks different within you right now," she whispered. "The fort I felt before whenever you touched me… your blessing…" Her thumb brushed over my pulse. "…it's flickered. More than before. Like an upgrade."
My chest caved in. My eyes darted to her, wide.
Upgrade...?!
Did she know?
Did she see?
Selira's lips curved, eyes glinting. "Your mana has increased. Tell me, Kael…" She raised my wrist higher, tilting it to catch the light. "…did something happen? Something to make your blessing grow?"
The mark. The damned sirgil mark.
I remembered it flashing crimson last night. The glow, sharp and sudden, like fire under my skin.
I stiffened. My hand twitched, then fell slowly, deliberately away from her grip. My gaze dropped to the floor. "…No. Nothing happened."
The words felt heavy. Lying to her was like choking on smoke.
But Selira… she didn't blink. Her eyes locked onto me, piercing, molten. She said nothing for a long moment, just stared, gaze digging deeper into me than the kiss had.
She knew. I could see it in the way her pupils narrowed, the way her lips curved slightly at the corner. She knew I was hiding something.
But she let the silence burn between us, stretching taut, leaving me drowning in it.
Her hand lingered at my wrist, soft but firm, like a reminder she could snatch the truth from me whenever she pleased. Then, slowly, she released me.
"Hmm," she murmured, turning her head, that sly smirk never leaving her face. "You're hiding it… but I'll find out."
My throat tightened. My lungs forgot how to work.
And the worst part?
Somehow, that promise sounded even more dangerous than the kiss.
...
I thought she was about to leave.
She even shifted like she was heading for the door. My heart unclenched, my body ready to collapse in relief.
But then she turned. Her smirk widened, cruel and sweet all at once.
"I'll stay," Selira said softly. Too softly.
Stay? My ears rang. My chest caved.
"Wh–what!?" I slapped my palm into my head, nearly pulling at my hair. "Selira, how— why you can't !"
She didn't even let me finish.
Not one word.
Instead, she stepped closer, the glow of my dim room wrapping around her like a sinful halo. Her skirt shifted with every step, teasing glimpses of smooth thighs. And then before my mouth could catch up with my panic her hand wrapped around mine.
And dragged it down.
Straight under the hem of her skirt.
Straight against the heat of her panties.
I froze. My whole body snapped tight as my fingertips brushed the silk there thin, damp, dangerous. Her thighs pressed against the back of my hand, locking me in place like a vice.
"Selira…" My voice broke. " what are you doing?"
She leaned in, her breath hot against my ear.
"Testing you," she whispered. "Seeing if you'll run… or if you'll break."
Her hips rolled, slow, subtle, pushing against my hand. My fingers trembled, caught between resistance and surrender. My pulse slammed so hard I thought it would tear through my throat.
It felt less like she was teasing me and more like she was binding me into a contract a life and death oath sealed by touch and temptation.
My breath shattered in my chest.
Every second, her heat grew more unbearable.
She's not going to stop.
Oh God. She's not going to stop until I… until I...
Selira tilted her head, eyes glinting with fire and shadows. "You look terrified, Kael." Her lips brushed the shell of my ear. "And I like it."
I squeezed my eyes shut, desperate to fight the storm in my body. But my hand damn it, my hand was still pressed against her panties, trembling as if chained there.
This wasn't just temptation anymore. This was torture.
And yet… I couldn't tell if I wanted her to let me go or push me further.