He wanted to say more. Wanted to tell her that she was healed now. That she didn't have to worry about dying anymore.
But something stopped him.
Not yet.
She needed to process things at her own pace.
Viktor started to lift himself up—his arms flexing as he pushed his weight off her soft, naked body.
But then—
Her arms wrapped around him.
Her legs locked around his waist.
Viktor froze.
"What?" he asked, blinking down at her.
Kaida's red eyes met his, and there was something raw in them. Something desperate.
"Don't leave me after scratching my wounds," she said quietly.
Viktor's breath hitched.
Scratching my wounds.
The metaphor wasn't lost on him.
He'd opened her up. Made her vulnerable. Forced her to confront emotions she'd probably buried deep beneath layers of mercenary pragmatism and survival instincts.
And now she was asking him not to abandon her.
Viktor's lips curved into a small smile.
He leaned down, capturing her lips with his.
