The night after the gala had left a mark on Kael's thoughts.
He stood in his penthouse apartment, floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the glittering city, but his mind wasn't on the skyline. It was on her.
Aelina.
There was something about her fire — that fearless honesty, that unyielding stare. She didn't try to charm or manipulate him. She didn't flatter his power. She challenged it.
And strangely, that made him want her more.
He turned as the soft chime of the private elevator echoed behind him.
She stepped in without invitation. Black jeans, leather jacket, eyes steady.
"You left without saying anything," she said.
"You seemed like you needed the silence," he replied.
She walked toward him slowly, eyes scanning his face.
"I didn't come here for answers."
"Why did you come, then?"
She stopped an arm's length away.
"Because I couldn't stop thinking about the way you looked at me when you said we'd face it together."
Kael took a slow breath.
"Aelina... I've done things—things that changed me. This world I built? It's made of glass and blades."
"Then it's a good thing I don't bleed easily."
His expression cracked. A slow, rare smile.
She stepped closer, now only inches away. She touched his shirt near the collar, lightly.
"You pretend you don't want to feel. But you do. I see it. In every silence. In every time you don't look away."
Kael reached up and closed his fingers over hers.
"You're dangerous."
"So are you."
Their mouths met like fire and frost — soft, slow, but with a heat waiting to devour.
Kael pulled her against him, one arm around her waist, the other sliding into her hair. Aelina didn't resist. She opened to him, completely, kissing him like she'd been holding back for too long.
He guided her to the glass wall, pressing her gently but firmly, never breaking the kiss. The world outside disappeared. It was only them now.
Her jacket hit the floor. His breath was rough against her skin.
"Still think I'm just made of ice?" he murmured near her neck.
She laughed softly, breathless. "No. You burn just as much as I do."
That night, they didn't speak much. But their bodies told every truth they'd both been hiding. Every fear. Every longing. Every quiet plea neither dared to say aloud.
And when dawn came, Aelina lay beside him with her hand over his chest, eyes open, listening to his heartbeat.
For the first time, it didn't sound like war.
It sounded like home.