"You missed another spot I had pointed out earlier."

Her eyes narrowed sharply at him as a thought crossed her mind. ’This does not look like someone who has just been punished.’

Displeasure coursed through her at the sight of his enjoyment. Refusing to grant him that satisfaction, she simply replied, "I think I’ve made my point."

She tried to push herself off him, but his other hand was quick to trail down her back. His fingers slid lower until they suddenly curved around her hip, squeezing firmly enough to make her gasp out a soft yelp.

Her eyes immediately glared at him. "You!"

Gavriel merely stared back at her with an infuriating amount of amusement dancing in his eyes. "I’m afraid I can’t let you go if you don’t mark this other place as well."

He pulled her a little closer, "Otherwise... I’ll kiss you so hard that I promise you will still be feeling it for days to come."

His voice fell into a dark whisper. "And I can’t guarantee that I’ll stop there." With that, his hand splayed over her bottom, sending a shiver coursing straight down her spine.

"Are you really threatening me just to get me to punish you?" Aliana asked incredulously.

"I am," he replied flatly, but she could see that annoying cockiness radiating off him.

That was enough to tick her off, so she grabbed his collar and lowered her face once again before biting him harder on his shoulder out of sheer frustration.

When another hiss escaped him, a small wave of satisfaction instantly washed over her.

When she felt his hands loosen around her, she quickly seized the opportunity and slipped away at lightning speed before he could drag her into some other ridiculous demand of his.

Gavriel, on the other hand, did not pull her back this time, knowing it would be wise not to push the little tigress too far.

Having had his fill for now, he lazily watched her as she settled back into her seat and bit back a smile threatening to spread across his lips when he noticed her subtly pushing her chair farther away from him. As if creating a few extra inches of distance would somehow save her from him.

Once settled, Aliana looked up at him and glared lightly, even though her cheeks were still flushed a bright red. "Now, if you would let me have my breakfast... I have somewhere to be."

Gavriel merely leaned forward in his seat, only to notice her instantly grow wary. This time, he could not help but let a quiet chuckle escape his lips.

"Relax, little rose, I was only reaching out for my tea." Aliana released a sigh, only for him to tease, "Although I cannot deny the prospect of having you back on my lap is far more desirable."

Aliana felt the corner of her eye twitch when she saw him smirking at her before he picked up his cup and leisurely brought it to his lips.

"Shameless," she murmured under her breath before lowering her gaze to reach for her cutlery, only to pause when she noticed that her knife was missing.

Just then, a hand silently reached over and placed a clean one in front of her.

She lifted her eyes, surprise flickering across her face as they landed on Gavriel.

He had given her his knife.

"What about you?" she asked, her brows knitting slightly.

"Don’t worry about it. I don’t generally eat much in the morning," he replied nonchalantly.

Her lips pressed into a thin line as her gaze lingered on him for a brief moment.

"Thank you," she murmured softly.

With that, she finally began her breakfast, though the warmth spread quietly through her chest.

As silence settled over the room, Gavriel observed her carefully and realised she hadn’t said much since the little biting stunt she had pulled moments ago. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Trying to dig deeper into her mind, he attempted to read her emotions, only to realise that, for some reason, he could feel absolutely nothing.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a sharp thought crossing his mind.

’That’s odd. Just some time back, I was able to feel her emotions so intensely. Why can I not read her now? It is almost as if a thick, impenetrable wall has risen to block me out...’

While he was trying to decipher the barrier in her head, Aliana suddenly looked up at him, her expression turning serious.

"Gavriel?"

"Hm?" He snapped out of his thoughts.

Aliana drew a deep breath, "As much as I am glad that you told me the truth, and that nothing happened... I am going to ask you to tell me exactly what went down with that woman and who she is. I believe I deserve to know... if you want to avoid any future misunderstandings, that is."

The moment the words left her lips, the barrier cracked just enough for him to taste a hint of the conflicting emotions simmering deep within her.

When he stayed silent, she added, "I am sure you would want to know the same, wouldn’t you? Had I gone seeking out a man at night just because I was dealing with some conflicting thoughts regarding you?"

The moment those words left her lips, she felt his aura darken almost immediately. His eyes sharpened to a lethal edge as they bore into hers, but she didn’t flinch or back away.

’Look at that. He really does not like the thought, does he? Yet he expects me to be perfectly fine with it.’

"Seems like you are understanding what it feels like to be on the receiving end, don’t you?" she commented, watching the subtle way his grip tightened around his cup. She wondered if just a little more strength would be enough to shatter the porcelain completely.

Gavriel’s jaw clenched at her words, his eyes turning frighteningly cold.

He took a slow, sharp breath, forcing down the violent bloodlust that threatened to rise within him before finally composing himself enough to speak.

"The woman I went to goes by the name Diana. She is someone with whom I have only ever had a physical relationship, nothing more and nothing less."

He saw frost settle into her eyes as she held his gaze, but he went on. "I had barely stepped into her house for five minutes when she placed her hands on me, assuming I was inviting her to repeat the past. I stopped her before anything more and left the place."

He felt her anger flare once more, only this time, she averted her gaze to her plate. She did not resume eating, choosing instead to absentmindedly play with her food.

He released a quiet sigh before speaking, "I did not go there with the intention of doing anything."

His words made her pause her movements as an awkward, heavy silence settled between them.

When she still did not speak, he ran his hand through his hair before speaking in a much softer tone, "I won’t do it again, Aliana."

Raising her eyes, she finally met his gaze.

"I hope you remember this," she replied quietly. "Because next time, there will be nothing stopping me from walking away from all of this."

Her voice softened, but there was not the slightest trace of hesitation in her eyes.

"Gavriel, I know there is a lot we still need to learn about each other, considering we did not have a normal start to begin with. Even so, as much as I need your presence to protect myself from the bizarre supernatural influences in my life, mark my words..."

Her fingers tightened around the cutlery. "I will never turn into a woman who puts up with being insulted by her man. I will not tolerate you running to another woman every time you have doubts regarding me or face a disagreement."

"I will never be that woman..." Her voice lowered into a near whisper, yet somehow sounded firmer than before. "Even if it kills me."