Kael couldn't sleep.
His skin itched. His blood hummed. He could feel them—Reya, Liora—like invisible threads tugging at his body. Need, heat, hunger. Not his. Theirs.
The Ether inside him was growing, swelling, craving touch.
A knock.
He opened the door.
Reya stood there, hair down, robe undone just enough to make his throat dry.
"I shouldn't be here," she said.
He didn't move. Didn't speak.
She stepped in, closed the door, and kissed him hard.
Their bodies collided like fire and oil. She pinned him against the wall, kissed down his neck, bit his shoulder. His hands found her hips, her thighs, the soft curve of her ass.
"Tell me to stop," she whispered.
He didn't.
The Ether exploded between them when they came together—powerful, raw, addictive.
Afterward, she lay on his chest, eyes wide.
"You've bonded me," she breathed. "You really are cursed."