KAIA'S POV
Ronan stares at me for a long moment, his face pale with shock. Then he moves toward me quickly, his hands reaching out to steady me.
"Sit down," he says gently, guiding me to the edge of his bed. "Please, sit down."
I let him help me, my legs suddenly feeling weak. Saying those words out loud, telling him about Kelly... it's brought everything rushing back.
"Tell me what happened," he says, kneeling in front of me so we're at eye level. "Please, Kaia. Tell me everything. I didn't realize the Kelly you mentioned the other day was your sister!"
I take a shaky breath. "It was five years ago. Kelly was only fourteen. She was supposed to come to the river with me, but she forgot something at home. Her lucky bracelet."
"Go on," he says softly.
"I was angry with her for delaying us," I continue, the guilt still heavy in my chest. "I told her to just come without it, but she refused. She ran back home to get it."
Ronan's hands rest on my knees, offering silent comfort.
"I went to the river alone," I whisper. "I waited for her, but she never came. When I went back to find her..."
My voice breaks, and I have to stop to compose myself.
"What did you find?" Ronan asks gently.
"A crowd," I say. "A crowd of people standing around something on the ground. And when I pushed through them..."
The tears start to fall now, five years of grief and guilt pouring out.
"She was lying in a pool of blood," I sob. "Her clothes were torn. She was so pale, so still. I thought she was already dead."
"But she wasn't?" Ronan asks.
"Not yet," I whisper. "She opened her eyes when I held her. She tried to tell me what happened."
"What did she say?"
"She said 'rape,'" I tell him, meeting his eyes, intentionally excluding the name Kelly had given me.
That name is his too. I want to know if he is aware and if he is not, then I need to use him to get evidence and find whoever did that.
Ronan's face crumples with pain and horror. "Oh God, Kaia. I'm so sorry."
"My mother came running when she heard me screaming," I continue. "When she saw Kelly... the shock was too much for her heart. She collapsed right there beside us and died."
"Jesus," Ronan breathes. "You lost them both."
"On the same day," I confirm. "My sister and my mother, gone in minutes."
Ronan is quiet for a long moment, processing what I've told him. When he finally speaks, his voice is fierce with determination.
"I'll help you find him," he says.
"What?"
"Whoever did this to your sister," he says firmly. "I'll help you find him and make him pay."
I stare at him in shock. "You will?"
"Of course," he says. "Kaia, what happened to Kelly is monstrous. No one deserves that, especially not a child. If someone in my family is responsible, I want to know."
"You believe me?" I ask.
"I believe you," he says without hesitation. "And I'm going to help you get justice for her."
The sincerity in his voice, the genuine anger on my sister's behalf... it does something to the wall of hatred I've built around my heart.
"I've hated you," I admit.
"I know," he says sadly. "And I can't blame you for that."
"But you're not what I expected," I continue. "You're not the monster I imagined."
Something flickers in his eyes. "What am I then?"
I look at him kneeling in front of me, offering comfort and support when he could have gotten angry or defensive. Promising to help me find justice for my sister even though it might implicate his own family.
"You're good," I whisper. "You're actually good."
"Kaia," he breathes, and the way he says my name makes my heart skip.
The air between us shifts, becoming charged with something electric. The mark on my neck starts to throb, responding to his proximity, to the emotions swirling between us.
"I feel it too," he says softly. "This pull between us. This need."
"It's the mark," I say weakly. "It's making me feel things I shouldn't."
"Is it?" he asks. "Or is it just amplifying what was already there?"
He's right, and I know it. Even before he marked me, I felt drawn to him. Even when I thought I hated him, my body responded to his presence.
"Ronan," I whisper.
"I want to kiss you," he says. "I want to kiss you so badly it's driving me insane."
"We shouldn't," I breathe, even as I lean closer to him.
"I know," he agrees, but he's leaning closer too.
"This complicates everything," I warn.
"I don't care," he says, his voice rough with want.
The space between us disappears. Our lips meet in a kiss that starts gentle but quickly becomes desperate, hungry.
His hands tangle in my hair, pulling me closer. I grip his shoulders, losing myself in the feel of his mouth on mine.
The kiss is everything I never knew I wanted. Passionate and tender, claiming and giving at the same time. It tastes like promises and possibilities and hope for something I never thought I could have.
When we finally break apart, we're both breathing hard.
"Kaia," he growls against my lips.
"Yes," I breathe.
His hands slide down to my waist, pulling me closer. I can feel the heat of his body through our clothes, can smell his intoxicating scent surrounding me.
"I want you," he whispers. "I want you so much."
"I want you too," I admit, the words torn from somewhere deep inside me.
His mouth finds mine again, and this time the kiss is even more intense. His hands roam over my body, setting every nerve ending on fire.
I arch into his touch, my body responding with a hunger I've never felt before. The mark on my neck is singing with pleasure, making every sensation more intense.
"Please," he murmurs against my throat. "Let me show you how good this can be."
His words penetrate the haze of desire, and suddenly reality crashes back in.
What am I doing?
This is Ronan Duskmore. The son of the man whose family killed my sister. The man who marked me without permission. The enemy I'm supposed to be using for revenge.
I feel the bond pulling at me, urging me closer, whispering things I don’t want to hear. But I remember the promise I made—to wait. To protect what was mine to give. To never let instinct or desire steal my choice.
And here I am, on the edge of breaking it.
"No," I gasp, pushing him away. "No, I can't do this."