Two nights had passed since Lilia's surrender in the old training yard.
The academy buzzed with whispers about the mysterious first-year who had dominated the tournament, but Kai kept to the shadows, gathering power quietly.
Tonight found him deep in the restricted section of the grand library. Towering shelves stretched into darkness, lit only by faint floating orbs that cast golden pools on ancient tomes.
The air was thick with the scent of aged leather, dust, and lingering preservation spells that hummed like distant bees.
Kai sat cross-legged on the floor between two shelves, a forbidden volume on advanced binding enchantments open in his lap.
He traced runes with one finger, committing them to memory. Future tools for future conquests.
A soft rustle broke the silence.
He didn't look up, but he felt her presence: warm, spicy, like cinnamon carried on heated air.
"Studying forbidden magic already?" a sultry voice purred from the shadows. "Careful, commoner. Some books bite."
Aria Voss stepped into the light.
Red hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders, catching the orb glow like living flame.
Her uniform was deliberately provocative: top three buttons undone, revealing the generous swell of her breasts and a hint of black lace beneath; skirt shortened just enough to show smooth, toned thighs.
Amber eyes gleamed with predatory amusement.
She leaned against the shelf opposite him, arms crossed under her chest, pushing her curves higher.
Kai closed the book slowly and stood. "Looking for your brother's revenge, Voss?"
Aria laughed, low and throaty. "Edwin can lick his own wounds. I'm here because you're… interesting." She stepped closer, hips swaying.
The air around her warmed, carrying that distinctive scent: cinnamon and smoked honey, sweet with an edge of heat. Her succubus blood awakening.
Most men would already be stammering.
Kai met her gaze steadily, feeling the subtle pull of her charm aura brush against his mind like silk.
It slid off harmlessly, deflected by iron will and the steady thrum of his ring.
Aria's smile faltered for a fraction of a second. Then it sharpened.
"You're resisting me," she murmured, circling him slowly. One finger trailed along his shoulder as she passed. "No one resists me."
"I'm not most people."
She stopped in front of him again, closer now. Close enough that her scent filled his lungs, her body heat radiating through the thin space between them.
"Let's test that," she whispered.
Before he could respond, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him deeper between the shelves, toward a row of private study carrels. One door stood slightly ajar.
She pushed him inside and slammed it shut behind them.
The small room was warded: soundproof, dimly lit by soft floating orbs the color of candle flame. A desk, two chairs, walls lined with books.
Intimate.
Private.
Perfect.
Aria flicked her fingers. Additional privacy wards flared to life, sealing them in.
She turned to him, eyes glowing faintly pink with activated charm magic.
"Now," she said, voice dripping honey and smoke, "let's see. "
She pushed him against the wall, rising on her toes to kiss him.
Her lips were hot, soft, demanding. She tasted like spiced wine and sin. Her tongue swept into his mouth aggressively, hands already sliding under his shirt, nails scraping lightly down his chest.
Kai let her.
For now.
Aria ground her hips against his, moaning softly into the kiss when she felt him harden.
Her charm aura flared brighter, wrapping around him like warm velvet.
Still nothing. He remained in complete control.
She broke the kiss, breathing harder, eyes narrowed.
"You really are immune," she breathed, half irritated, half thrilled. "Fine. I'll do it the old-fashioned way."
She reached for his belt.
Kai moved.
One hand caught both her wrists, twisting them smoothly above her head and pinning them to the wall with effortless strength.
A whisper of wind mana formed soft, unbreakable bindings around her wrists, stretching her arms high and keeping them there.
Aria gasped, tugging once. The bindings held firm.
"Hey—"
Kai's other hand tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"My turn."
He started slow.
His lips brushed the corner of her mouth, then trailed along her jaw to the sensitive spot just below her ear. She shivered. Warm breath ghosted over her skin.
Then he reached her earlobe.
The tip of his tongue traced the delicate outer curve, slow and wet. Aria jolted like she'd been shocked, a sharp inhale hissing through her teeth.
Succubus blood made her ears exquisitely sensitive.
Kai smiled against her skin and did it again, slower this time, licking from the base up to the tip before closing his lips around the soft lobe and sucking gently.
Aria's entire body arched, a low, throaty moan escaping despite her efforts to stay composed.
"Fuck," she whispered, head falling back against the wall.
He didn't stop.
Teeth grazed the lobe lightly, then harder.
Tongue flicked, swirled, traced every ridge and curve. Warm breath followed, then cool air blown softly to make her tremble.
Her scent exploded: cinnamon and honey so thick it filled the small room. Skin flushed deep rose from chest to cheeks. Hips rolled forward, seeking friction that wasn't there.
Kai moved to the other ear, repeating the torment. Licking. Sucking. Nibbling.
Whispering filthy things directly against the damp skin.
"Imagine how good it would feel if I actually touched you lower… but I won't. Not tonight."
Aria whimpered, actual whimper, thighs clenching together.
He released her ear only to trail open-mouthed kisses down her neck, biting gently at the junction of neck and shoulder while his free hand worked her shirt open button by button.
Black lace bra. Full breasts heaving with each desperate breath.
He peeled the cups down slowly, exposing dusky nipples already tight and begging.
But he didn't touch them yet.
Instead, he returned to her ear, sucking the lobe hard while one thumb barely grazed a nipple, feather-light.
Aria cried out, body jerking against the bindings.
"Please," she gasped, voice cracking. "Touch me. Anywhere. Just—"
Kai pulled back slightly, eyes dark.
"Not yet."
He teased her breasts with the same maddening restraint: lips hovering, breath warming, tongue tracing just beneath without making contact. Fingers circled, never quite brushing the peaks.
Her moans grew louder, more desperate. Hips grinding air. Scent intoxicating.
Only when she was trembling violently, eyes glazed, lips parted on broken pleas, did he finally slide one hand between her thighs over her skirt.
She was soaked through the fabric.
He pressed lightly, once, over her clit.
Aria came undone.
Her body seized, a sharp cry tearing from her throat as she climaxed hard from barely any touch at all, thighs clamping around nothing, back bowing against the wall.
But it wasn't enough.
Succubus blood demanded more. Always more.
She sagged in the bindings, chest heaving, eyes wild with unspent need.
Kai stepped back, releasing the wind bindings. Her arms dropped limply.
He straightened her bra and buttoned her shirt slowly, fingers brushing sensitive skin and making her twitch with aftershocks.
Then he leaned in one last time, lips brushing her ear as he whispered:
"When you're ready to beg properly, come find me."
He left the carrel without looking back.
Aria slid down the wall to the floor, legs shaking too hard to hold her. Red hair fanned across the wood, chest still heaving, fingers clutching at nothing.
Her scent lingered thick in the air: cinnamon, smoke, and desperate, aching want.
Outside, Kai walked through the silent stacks, the taste of her still on his tongue, her broken pleas echoing in his mind.
And the fire was burning hotter than ever, completely under his control.