Without thinking, I leaned and captured her lips, unable to resist the temptation any longer. Her lips were soft and warm, molding against mine. I kissed her with a fierceness, needing to claim her, to make her understand that she belonged to me. My grip on her waist tightened as I deepened the kiss, losing myself in the intoxicating feel of her mouth-fierce, demanding, needing to feel her submit to me, she didn't respond to my kiss. But she let out a muffled whimper a small, helpless sound that sliced through my haze of desire. I felt her push lightly against my chest, and it hit me-she was scared more than I thought. I'd kissed her too roughly without even asking for her permission, let my possessiveness take over. I pulled back abruptly, my breathing uneven, and saw her lips slightly swollen from the force. I noticed the hint of pain in her expression.

Shit.

Guilt crashed over me, thick and suffocating. I hadn't meant to hurt her. I released her waist and forced myself to back off, jaw clenched so tightly it ached. I hadn't controlled myself-had let that rage and jealousy get the better of me.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

I glanced at her again, noticing the way she was trembling, and I felt like an idiot. I'd promised myself I wouldn't hurt her, and here I was, doing exactly that. I gritted my teeth, trying to swallow down the guilt and frustration before it ate me alive. I never wanted to see her in pain-never wanted to be the reason for it.

I shifted back awkwardly, rubbing a hand over my face as I fought the urge to punch myself for being so damn reckless. I didn't mean to hurt her. Hell, I never wanted to see her cry-especially because of me. She wiped her lips with a trembling hand, and I could see her trying to suppress the sob that clawed its way up her throat.

I took a deep breath, forcing my voice to be calm and steady. "Look... just change out of that heavy lehenga. You'll suffocate in it. Put on something comfortable. We'll sleep. That's it. Nothing's happening tonight, okay?"

She didn't respond, just kept staring at the bedsheet like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. My hands twitched with the urge to reach out and wipe away the tears clinging to her lashes, but I knew better than to touch her right now. The guilt gnawed at me, settling like a bitter taste at the back of my mouth.

I always wanted to tame her, to fear me. That was the plan-to keep her in line, to make sure she knew who was in charge. And now that she was genuinely terrified of me... it didn't feel right. It felt wrong. Twisted. Like I'd crossed some invisible line I didn't even know existed. What the fuck was happening to me? Why did it feel like a knife to the gut seeing her shrink away from me like that?

This isn't me. I don't do soft. I don't comfort or console. But seeing her like this-broken and trembling-I couldn't ignore the uneasy knot forming in my stomach.

Clearing my throat, I pointed to the two closed doors in my side of the room. "That one's the walk-in closet. The other one is the bathroom. Go change."

She hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly, almost as if afraid to move. As she made her way to the closet, I stepped forward and grabbed her luggage, carrying it there for her without a word. She glanced back at me with surprise, but I avoided her gaze, setting the bag inside before stepping back to give her space.

When she finally disappeared into the closet, I clenched my fists, trying to choke down the frustration building like a storm inside me. I couldn't stand the thought of her being scared of me... but I didn't know how to make it right either.

I was sitting on the bed scrolling through my phone when I heard the soft click of the closet door opening. She stepped out, wearing a simple short white and pink kurti and plazo-nothing fancy, just comfortable and loose. Her long hair was unbraided now, falling around her shoulders like a dark waterfall, and her anklet chimed softly as she moved.

My eyes locked onto her lips-still a bit swollen from the kiss earlier. A pang of guilt hit me again, but it didn't drown out the memory of how she tasted-like chocolate and strawberries. I fucking hated that flavor-always found it too sweet, too artificial. But now... it was my favorite flavor in the world.

Damn it. I wanted to kiss her again. Taste her. Make her mine all over. The craving was suffocating, clawing at my sanity, but I forced myself to stay rooted in place, knowing I'd already screwed up once. I couldn't risk it again.

She didn't look at me as she moved to the bed, carefully sitting down without making a sound, her eyes fixed on the floor. I swallowed down the frustration and forced-no matter how much I wanted to close the distance. I'd already hurt her once tonight. I couldn't afford to lose control again. I cleared my throat, forcing myself to break the silence.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," I said, my voice surprisingly gentle. The words felt foreign on my tongue. Since when did I ever care about comforting anyone? And since when did I start feeling sorry? Damn it, what's gotten into me?

She glanced at me cautiously, her eyes wide and wary. She looked-like a frightened kitten trying to act brave. I huffed and looked away, feeling awkward as hell.

Just when I thought the tension couldn't get thicker, she started piling pillows between us on the bed, creating some kind of ridiculous barrier. I raised a brow, fighting back the urge to laugh.

"What are you doing?" I asked, unable to hide my smirk.

She didn't answer, just continued stacking the pillows like she was building a fort. My lips twitched with amusement. I couldn't help but notice how adorable she looked like this.

"Is this supposed to keep me out, printsessa?" I teased, watching her shoot me a glare.

"It's called boundary," she muttered, still focused on her makeshift wall.

I couldn't help the chuckle that slipped out. She was really something else. When she was done, she huffed and lay down-at the very edge of the bed, far away from the barrier, like I was a plague.

I leaned over the pillows let the weight of my both hands rest on the wall she created adoringly, I smirked. "You know, if I really wanted to get to you, a few cushions wouldn't stop me."

She scooted even closer to the edge, almost falling off. I had to bite back a laugh, shaking my head.

"Relax, printsessa," I murmured, letting the endearment roll off my tongue. "I'm not going to eat you alive. Yet."

She shot me another glare before turning her back to me, and I couldn't help but feel... entertained. I never thought seeing her like this would make me feel this way-light, almost amused. The corner of my mouth twitched up as I settled back against the headboard, glancing at the ridiculous pillow wall again.

Maybe having her here wasn't going to be so bad after all.

A loud thud jolted me awake. My eyes snapped open, and I immediately looked to the side-only to find the bed empty. What the-?

I leaned over the ridiculous wall of pillows and looked down. There she was-on the floor, sprawled out like a fallen angel, rubbing her forehead with a wince. It took me a second to process what had happened, but when it did, I couldn't help but I burst out laughing.

"I warned you, printsessa" still laughing, enjoying the view as I looked down at her. "You didn't have to sleep at the very edge, ."

She shot me a murderous glare from the floor, still cradling her forehead. My laughter faded when I noticed a hint of red on her fingers. Blood. From her. And all because I couldn't even make her feel safe enough to sleep properly next to me.

My amusement evaporated in an instant, and I was on my feet before I even realized it, kneeling beside her.

"Shit," I muttered, cupping her face and tilting her head to get a better look. A thin line of blood was trickling down from a small cut on her temple. Fuck. She must have hit the bedside table on her way down.

Her eyes widened, probably shocked by the sudden closeness, but I ignored that. I carefully brushed her hair back, inspecting the cut. It wasn't too deep, but it still pissed me off.

"Why the hell were you sleeping at the edge like that?" I growled, more out of frustration with myself than her for letting her sleep at edge.

She tried to push me away, still stubborn as ever, but I didn't budge. Instead, I wiped the small trail of blood with my thumb.

"I'm fine," she grumbled, trying to scoot away, but I didn't let her.

"Yeah? Then why are you bleeding, genius?" I snapped back, shooting her a glare.

She pouted-actually pouted-and looked away and I'm sure she doesn't know how adorable she looked with that pout that made my heart skipped a beat, muttering something under her breath that I couldn't catch. I shook my head and stood up, pulling her to her feet gently.

"Stay here," I ordered, keeping my voice low but firm. "I'll get the first aid kit."

Before she could protest, I was already moving, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling gnawing at my chest. Guilt. That's what it was. I never gave a damn when people got hurt around me-why was this time different?

When I came back with the kit, she was already trying to wipe the blood with the cup of her cloth, I grabbed her chin surprisingly gentle, and forced her to look at me.

"Hold still," I muttered, gently dabbing at the cut with a cotton swab. She flinched slightly, and I gritted my teeth, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"You really are a menace to yourself," I grumbled, almost under my breath. She scoffed at that, giving me an annoyed look.

"You're the one who scared me with that yet comment," she shot back, crossing her arms.

I smirked. "I didn't know my words had that much power over you, printsessa."

She glared at me, but the blush on her cheeks gave her away. Damn it. Why did that look so... cute? I mentally cursed myself and forced my attention back to cleaning her wound.

When I was done, I pulled back and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Her eyes were still fixed on me, hesitant and unsure. I hated seeing her like this-scared of me, unsure of my next move. I don't want this, I want defiance Avira back who never get scared of me. I haven't realised till now how much I liked that side of her.

"There," I said gruffly, setting the kit aside. "Next time, don't try to roll off the bed. I don't want to spend our first night treating your wounds."

But deep down, I knew I wasn't just talking about bandages. I wanted to stop wounding her in all the ways she didn't bleed.

She huffed, giving me one last glare before carefully climbing back onto the bed, this time staying away from the edge. I couldn't help the small, satisfied smile tugging at my lips.

"Smart choice," I muttered, earning another glare from her.

This girl... she was going to be the death of me.

"Smart choice," he muttered, and I glared at him.

That was unexpected, I covering myself from blanket, the way he treated my cut with such gentleness I was surprised, this the same Viktor schwarz who strangled me on the park, who's ruthless side I have seen when I was being kidnapped, he can be soft too, butterflies started flying on my stomach when I thought about how closed he was to me when he was tending my cut and shamelessly my gaze fell on his lips just for a fraction seconds. I hated this feeling, what is happening to me.

The way he laughed Deep, rich, and surprisingly genuine. It wasn't mocking or cruel almost carefree-had me too stunned to react for a moment. I couldn't belief he can laugh too....and I felt good when he genuinely laughed. I heard him for the first time.

And then my thoughts betrayed me, flashing back to the way he had kissed me earlier-rough, demanding, leaving no space for resistance. He tasted like dark chocolate, bittersweet and addictive, and I hated myself for liking it. For liking the way his lips felt on mine even though it was forced.

My body had betrayed me, responding to his touch despite the fear twisting in my stomach. It was maddening-how he made me feel things I wasn't supposed to feel. I wanted to hate him for making me so confused and vulnerable, but when he touched me like that, it was like my brain shut down.

I bit my lip, trying to shake off the lingering sensation of his lips on mine, and forced myself to focus on something else. Anything else. I couldn't ignore how my heartbeat thumped wildly against my ribcage.

I puffed out my cheeks and grabbed one of the pillows, resisting the urge to throw it at his head. "You didn't have to laugh at me, you know."

He raised a brow, almost like he was confused. "It was funny," he said simply, and I wanted to throttle him.

"Yeah, well, next time you fall off the bed, I'll make sure to laugh even louder," I grumbled, snatching a few extra pillows and fortifying my little side of the bed again so I could not fall again.

He just watched me with an amused look, probably thinking I was being ridiculous, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to risk another embarrassing fall.

Just as I was done with my masterpiece of a pillow fortress, I felt his gaze still lingering on me. I dared a glance his way and found him smirking again.

"Planning on starting a pillow war, printsessa?" he teased, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

I shot him a look. "Planning on losing your head tonight, Viktor?"

He chuckled, that stupid deep sound that made my stomach do weird things. "Careful. I don't lose."

I turned my back on him, determined to ignore whatever twisted game he was playing. But despite my best efforts, I couldn't help the tiny smile tugging at my lips. Maybe it was just the adrenaline from falling off the bed, or maybe it was his unexpectedly gentle touch when he treated my cut.

Whatever it was, I hated how my heart felt lighter like I wasn't completely drowning in fear anymore. I hated that he could make me feel like that without even trying. Stupid Mafia king.

As I lay down and buried myself under the covers, I couldn't help but whisper to myself, "Idiot."

From behind me, I heard him chuckle again, and I pulled the blanket tighter around me, determined to ignore him.

Maybe... just maybe, sharing this bed with him wouldn't be as terrifying as I thought.

****

Viktor: "I'm scary but also own a first aid kit-balance."

Avira: "Built a pillow fort. Still got injured. Tragic."

Me: Sips chai while chaos unfolds 💅
Stay tuned, Schwarzlings. Pillow walls were harmed in the making of this chapter.

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