Chapter One Hundred & Fifteen

Chapter One Hundred & Fifteen
Nora's P.O.V

I lifted my hand, brushing it gently over his cheek, my thumb tracing just beneath his eye where the red still lingered.

“Are you hungry?” I asked softly.

His eyes didn’t leave mine.

“Not for food,” he replied.

I huffed a quiet laugh, shaking my head slightly. “Of course you’re not.”

I leaned back against his chest, shifting just enough to get comfortable, my hair sliding over one shoulder as I tilted my head slightly to the side, exposing my neck without thinking.

His breath hitched—just barely—but I felt it.

Felt everything through the bond.

“Nora…” he warned, low, rough, like my name had weight to it now.

I smiled faintly, not looking back at him, just letting myself settle there, grounded against him, aware of every shift in his body without needing to see it.

My hand drifted back, resting lightly along his arm, not pushing, not pulling—just there.

His hand moved.

Slow.

It traced upward, pausing just enough to make me aware of every inch of it before it settled higher, his touch sliding along my collarbone and then to my throat, fingers resting there—not tightening, just holding.

My breath caught—barely—but I felt it echo through the bond instantly.

Leo’s breath brushed my ear, low and warm, his voice edged with something teasing now instead of sharp.

“I can see his mark,” he murmured.

His hand tightened slightly at my throat, I let out a soft breath, turning my head just enough to meet his eyes, the corner of my mouth lifting.

“And?” I asked.

His gaze held mine, red still faintly glowing, but there was no edge of anger in it—just heat, curiosity… and something a little darker that only ever showed with me.

His lips were at my neck, he knew exactly what he was doing and wanted me to feel every second of it.

Then his fangs sank into my skin.

My eyes closed instantly.
A sharp breath left me—half shock, half something deeper—as the bond exploded between us, not just pulsing this time, but surging. It hit all at once, flooding through my chest, my veins, my thoughts—his hunger, his control, his restraint all wrapped together and fed straight into me.

“Leo—” I breathed, but it wasn’t a protest.

It was surrender.

His grip tightened just enough to ground me, to keep me exactly where he wanted me as the sensation deepened, turning from sharp to something heavier, something that pulled instead of pushed.

God—

I would never get used to this.

It never felt the same twice.

It was always more.

Don’t stop, I sent to him, the thought slipping through the bond without effort.

A low sound answered me, vibrating against my skin, sending another wave through me that made my fingers tighten against him, holding on like I needed something solid to stay anchored.

The thin fabric of my tank top did nothing to hide the way my body reacted, the way my breathing shifted, the way everything sharpened under his touch.

And they both knew it.

My head leaned back slightly against Leo’s shoulder, giving him more space without thinking, my fingers curling tighter as the bond pulsed again—strong, steady, unbreakable.

I let my flame come forward—not wild, not uncontrolled—just enough to brush against him.

It slipped between us like breath, a quiet green glow that wrapped lightly along his arm, his chest, testing instead of striking.

His body reacted instantly.

Not pulling away.

Leaning into it.

A low sound left him, deeper this time, almost surprised—but not resisting.

My power… liked his.

I felt it.

The way it didn’t lash out or recoil like it had with others. The way it settled against him, almost curious, almost drawn. It curled along him like it recognized something—like it wanted to stay there.

“Careful…” he murmured against my skin, but there was no real warning in it.

I smiled faintly, my head still tilted back against him, my breath uneven as the bond pulsed again—this time tangled with something else.

Something stronger.

Across the room, I felt Killian before I saw him.

His attention sharpened.

My power reached outward for a split second—just enough to brush the space between us, catching the edge of him too.

And my flame reacted differently there—less curious, more measured—but it didn’t pull back.

It acknowledged him.

Then settled again around Leo.

The bond surged with it, deeper now, heavier, pulling everything together—his control, my fire, the connection threading through both.

Leo’s breath shifted, his grip tightening just enough to remind me he was still holding me there, still anchored.

“You feel that?” he asked quietly.

I swallowed, my voice softer now.

“Yeah.”

More than feel it.

I was it.

And for the first time—

It didn’t feel like something I needed to control.

It felt like something that belonged.

Leo slowly pulled back, his fangs retracting as his control slid back into place. I felt it the second it happened—the shift in him, the edge softening, the intensity settling without disappearing completely.

His eyes faded from red to blue, steady again.

Mine followed.

The green glow beneath my skin dimmed, my flame retreating just as naturally as it had come forward, curling back into something quieter, contained.

The bond didn’t disappear.

It steadied.

Leveled out between us.

I shifted slightly in Leo’s lap, turning just enough to glance at him, my expression softer now.

“You’re getting better at that,” I murmured.

His lips curved faintly.

“So are you.”

That earned the smallest smile from me.

I leaned back against him again, quieter now, the moment settling into something calmer but still charged beneath the surface.

For a second—

Everything felt balanced.

And that almost felt more dangerous than the chaos.

I let out a slow breath, the last of the tension easing from my shoulders as reality started to press back in.

Tomorrow.

Nick.

Amelia.

Jenna.

Everything we’d been pushing off for the sake of survival was waiting for us in the morning.

“We need sleep,” I said quietly.

Leo didn’t argue.

That alone said enough.

“My brother’s coming tomorrow,” I added, shifting slightly so I could glance between both of them. “With Amelia.”

“They can’t walk into this blind,” I continued. “Not after tonight.”

“They won’t,” Killian said. “Security will be doubled before they arrive.”

“That’s not what I mean,” I replied.

He knew it.

“They need to know enough,” I said. “Not everything. But enough to understand what they’re stepping into.”

Leo’s hand tightened slightly at my waist.

“Nick’s not going to like it,” he said.

I let out a quiet breath.

“No,” I agreed. “He’s not.”

That was going to be a problem.

One I didn’t have the luxury of avoiding anymore.

I pushed it aside—for now—and shifted my focus.

“And Jenna,” I said, looking directly at Killian. “We talk to her in the morning.”

Killian held my gaze for a long second.

Then nodded.

“She leaves tomorrow afternoon,” he said.

That was one thing we could control.