The world around me seemed to be rising to another height.

Maybe it was the effect of falling down from a remarkable height, but the world just wouldn't stop spinning around me. I saw trees whipping past me, birds flying over me, and the blurry visages of Leonah and Aurora and a third person.

Panic and bemusion clouded my senses as a foreign figure whipped through the air and past my flying body. I wondered what or who that was, but before my mind could conjure up anything, I met the ground with great pressure.

The much awaited second finally came, and I closed my eyes, accepting my fate when something completely opposite happened. Instead of crashing down into the hard gravel beneath me, I crashed into something much less hard than the ground and rolled off it. Since I was not prepared for this intervention, I lost my balance and ended up landing on my feet, with my left ankle twisted in a strange angle.

My back hurt, albeit landing on a much softer surface, and I didn't even wish to concentrate on the searing pain in my left ankle. It felt thousand times more painful than the cut on my right thigh. I cursed the intervention and turned around to see what had actually occurred, when I saw that it wasn't something, rather someone.

And that someone was Kaian, to be precise.

"Y-you! How the hell did you manage to brisk your way down before me?"

The words just sputtered out of my mouth in an incoherent manner, percase the result of being shocked by the epic fall. Still, I couldn't comprehend how he had so rapidly traveled all the way down and saved me at the last moment. It was all extremely queer and beyond my comprehension.

But all he did was crack his back and dust his hands off. Offering me a killer smile, he said, "You seem to forget already that I'm a demon. I possess questionable powers, Miss Trouble."

My heart lurched at his nickname for me, while I stared at him like an absolute fool. Just what was this man doing to me? I felt myself gradually grow hotter and redder under his intense, unrelenting gaze, and the revelation didn't really surprise me.

I had known from the first time I had seen him, that I had fallen for him. Hard. It was just that my heart refused to accept this fact.

He smiled at me once more, and offered his hand for me to take. After a moment's hesitation, I put my hand in his. Even though I wasn't surprised by my attraction for him, the sparks I felt when my hand touched his completely threw me off. Incredible warmth seeped through me and spread through my veins like wildfire.

It was such an innocent, naive touch, but it threatened to set my body on fire.

Quelling my burning fire for him, I allowed myself to be pulled by him. But as soon as I stood up, the unbearable pain in my ankle worsened. I let out a soft whimper, and Kaian's hold on me tightened in response. I wondered whether it was a result of my wobbling figure or my whimper of pain.

"Looks like you have suffered, after all," he remarked, looking at my ankle.

I nodded. "Yes, I think so too."

"Don't stew much. Notwithstanding, you have me by your side," he responded.

Perchance he was in the habit to speak to everyone in a similar fashion, without realizing how deeply he was affecting me. Perchance, he too, wasn't aware of the effect his deep voice had on me, when he said things like these.

I remained silent, afeared my trembling voice would give away my immoral intentions. But it didn't matter much to him, as he simply picked me up just like he had that night, and walked inside the tavern.

Since everyone in the tavern knew him to be part of the nobility, not a single soul batted so much as an eyelid at the confidence with which Kaian walked inside the property. They were, however, stunned to see me in his arms. The stares and whispers returned, louder and clearer this time, as if they had wished for me to know how despicable they believed I was.

Apparently, only ladies with perfect physical features were beautiful, and girls like me with battle scars and blemishes were witches reincarnated. I wondered if Kaian too, thought of me similarly. I wondered if his actions and words were solely acts of kindness, not actual attraction or infatuation.

But I didn't notice him paying even an iota of attention to the onlookers, he seemed to be more concentrated on carrying me to safety. Upon reaching the third floor, he marched towards the first door he could find empty and barged in. He did not even have to open the door from its handle, he literally barged inside using his huge frame.

He settled me down on one of the couches, and laid my legs on the other side, forcing me to lie down comfortably. But comfortable was the last emotion I could feel in the moment. Although he emanated a foul odor of a demon, his proximity invariably gave away his identity. The underlying floral scent was a soothing and welcome change for me, but it made me go insane with desire.

Feeling hot and bothered, I decided to distract myself from such filthy thoughts and asked him, "Why did you bring me to the third floor? We could have stopped by at the first one."

He paused in front of a cupboard with expensive tortoise shell veneer. Turning around, he said, "I am a noble, Miss Trouble, and you shouldn't expect me to live in the humble chamber of a commoner."

There it was again. The nickname that rolled so smoothly out of his tongue. Was he even aware how intoxicating and dangerous he sounded? But it didn't matter, because it was time for him to stop using words that would make me misinterpret our relationship.

"Please refrain from using a nickname with me. It makes me uncomfortable," I spoke after mustering up as much courage as I could. I had to sound confident and strong for him to realize he had made a mistake.

Hearing that, Kaian stopped in his tracks. He seemed to be extracting a blanket from the cupboard, but my words had his full attention. He walked toward me slowly, keeping his gaze on me. As soon as our eyes met, I felt paralyzed. Only this man possessed the ability to render me speechless and make me so vulnerable, but I refused to accept it.

"Do I make you feel... uncomfortable?" He asked me, whispering the last word.

Unable to speak from the heaviness in the air, I simply nodded, praying that he would realize my discomfort and put some space between us.

But he was relentless. If anything, he inched closer, his large hand now resting on my left ankle. "Tell me, Miss Trouble, does my touch scare you?"

As soon as his hand came in contact with my ankle, the pain began to subside. His healing powers must be working again, but his words were challenging me. He wanted me to admit I was in need of his healing powers. He wanted me to apologize and tell him that I wasn't afraid of him. But I was no fool. I simply nodded and let him know that he did not have any control over me, even though I was blatantly lying, both to him and myself.

Moments later, I felt the pain in my ankle vanished. But that just gave him courage to move forward. He inched even closer and rested his hand on my right thigh. Maybe it was because he was touching an intimate part of my body, or maybe it was because I was hurt, but him touching my thigh was beyond my control.

A whimper left my lips, unbridled and arrantly indecorous. My back threatened to break from the way it arched, and my eyes fluttered shut. I had never realized a man could have such power over me, but then, I had never been touched by a man in such places.

Uncomfortable? Scared? I was feeling none of those emotions. All I was feeling was the rampant desire to let this man touche me in every place possible.

Kaian moved nearer than it was feasible and whispered into my ear, "Tell me, Miss, how exactly do I make you feel?"

His warm breath trickled down my neck and my skin burned brighter than the sun. The pressure increased, and everything in the room began to spin. Even the room itself began to spiral in my vision, and I felt like I would lose consciousness any second.

Just what was this man doing to me?

His hand on my thigh began to move, but he didn't remove it. He stroked my covered skin gently, making a thousand butterflies erupt in my gut. When I didn't answer, he climbed on top of me. Flabbergasted, I sat up, alarmed and alerted.

With his legs on either side of my body, he leaned down and held my neck in his large hand. His visage came closer to mine, much closer than we had ever been. My startled gaze followed the storms erupting in his grey eyes to the clenching in his jaw and the tightening on my throat.

But I couldn't believe how, despite his actions, my body had not moved to defend itself. Not even once had I made a move to disentangle myself from his hold and put some distance between us. For anything, he could have changed his mind after healing me.

"Wha... what the hell are you doing?" I finally asked him.

"I had asked you a question, but you didn't answer me. So now, answer this one, because I'm just that curious about you," he replied, his voice laced with mighty conviction and something else I couldn't quite comprehend.

"Are you still not afraid of me? Even when I have your neck in my hand like this?" He asked me in a harsh tone, and the hold on my neck tightened in an attempt to inflict pain on me and instill terror in my heart.

But in that moment, as I felt air being cut off from my lungs, I felt alive as I had never before. And thus, my vision got corrected in the blurriness and I got the answer I was so desperately seeking.

"No. Because you are not terrifying anymore. And even if you try to harm me, I will fight you with every bone in my body," I replied in a whisper, even though my body was on fire and thrumming because of an amalgamation of alertness and wanton desire.

I had shown him that even though I enjoyed his touch, I could and would fight him when the need arose. Because it was a part of me he couldn't remove as long as I lived.

And just like that, something shifted. The air which was already heavy with tension, became unbearably hot and searing. It even put my magic room to shame, and I was positively convinced flames would arise from his grey eyes any moment now.

"Then, I would like to see you try," he said before slamming his mouth on mine.

Our lips entangled and intermingled and danced and battled, all to an unknown rhythm known only by our bodies. I was reminded of our first fight in the ballroom as his soft lips pressed firmly to mine, eliciting a whimper from me. They way our bodies just knew how to dodge each other, how our blades intercepted each other, and how we flew around in a symphony rarely found among even the greatest musicians.

Kaian's hold on my neck threatened to actually kill my air, but I didn't complain. In that moment, what I direly needed wasn't air, but the feel of his luscious lips on mine. Sucking and licking, he devoured my lips as if my lips were the only source of water in a desert.

Time became distant and the world became a stranger to me as I got lost in the silky smooth lips and the sweet nectar of his. I dragged my hands through his broad chest and carried all the way to his neck. Looping one arm around his neck, I entangled the other in his long hair that had been haunting me ever since I had seen him.

Pulling on the silky black locks, I pulled him closer to me and pressed my chest on his. Stroking his neck, I took control and sucked on his upper lip, followed by the lower lip. This action of mine had him growling and he pushed back, shoving his tongue into my mouth with great force.

I had invariably known it was dangerous to play with fire, so why did I find it so pleasurable?

Kaian's hand finally moved from my throat down to my waist, but I couldn't breathe still. Our tongues matched each other in frustration, in annoyance, in worry and in fury. We poured our emotions freely into the kiss, as it seemed like the only way I would want to converse my vulnerabilities with this man.

Soon, his sneaky hands got a hold my upper garment and went under it to touch my bare skin. A shiver ran through me at the warm touch and I moaned loudly, surprising both him and myself.

Kaian broke the kiss and looked right in my eye, making my cheeks burn inexorably. Warmth coursed through my veins and my entire body was thrumming with excitement like a string from a musical instrument. He returned one of his hands to my visage, and carefully ran his thumb over my right eyebrow. He then traced my long scar with his thumb, and I had to close my eyes at his tender movement.

I couldn't comprehend what he was feeling then, but I could only wish it wasn't something worse like disgust or aversion.

After a moment of silence, he spoke, "So beautiful. So arrantly bewitching."

His soft whisper as he now stroked my lips did not sit well with me. I was already losing my sanity to this man, and I didn't wish to give him more of my heart than it was logical. Although, all logic had flown out the window as soon as he kissed me.

Still, I understood now why I found playing with fire pleasurable – because a blaze was the most beguiling thing on this earth. The more one singed and burned, the more one would enjoy it.

♠︎♠︎♠︎

(Word count - 2465 words)

A lengthy chapter, for sure, but what we had been waiting for finally happened!!

Zelda and Kaian kissed? What?!?!

Let me know what you think about this chapter in the comments!

Until next time,
Ansha ❤️