I remain lying on top of him, breathing heavily, my head nestled against his slender neck. His skin is cold beneath mine, but I can already feel his warmth rising slowly, each rapid beat of his heart vibrating against my chest. His frail body still trembles, his white wings folded beneath him, crumpled by our movements. I lift my head slightly to look at him.

His eyes are closed, tears still streaming down his pale cheeks. His pink lips are slightly parted, his rapid breathing making his thin chest rise and fall. I see the red marks my fingers left on his hips, his thighs, his delicate neck. He is beautiful. So pure. So fragile. And yet… he resisted for so long. He screamed, he begged, he cried… but never did he stop defying me with those clear eyes.

I feel my heart clench violently in my chest.
My heart…
It had been centuries since I last felt it beat like this. Since the day I fell into Hell. Since the day I gave up any hope of light.

I rise slightly, letting my rough fingers slide down his damp cheek. His eyelids flutter weakly, revealing pale blue eyes misted with tears and pain… but also with a terrifying gentleness. Our gazes lock and my entire body freezes.

I see it.
I feel it.
I finally understand.

It’s not just his body I desire. It’s not just his purity I want to defile.
I want him… all of him. Body. Heart. Soul.
I want to hear his laughter echo through my dark halls. I want to feel his small cold hands against my burning skin. I want to see his eyes light up when he looks at me, no longer with fear, but with love. I want him to choose me. To want me. To beg for me… not out of submission, but out of love.

A low growl rumbles in my chest. My cock still pulses faintly inside him, but I ignore it. I lean down and press a gentle kiss to his damp forehead. His skin tastes of the salt of his tears and the sweat of our union.

“Caël…” my voice is hoarse, almost broken.

His eyes open slowly, and I see fear, shame, pain… but also that tiny spark. That spark I want to make grow. I gently brush away his tears with my thumb before pressing my forehead to his. My voice trembles as I whisper:

“Listen to me…”

I take a deep breath. My heart beats so hard it hurts. It feels like it will explode, burning me from the inside stronger than the flames of Hell.

“I thought… I thought I only wanted you for your body. For your light. For your purity.”

I close my eyes, inhaling his sweet scent, feeling my retracted fangs vibrate slightly against my lip.

“But I was wrong. Terribly wrong…”

I open my eyes again, locking his gaze in mine, holding him firmly against me, my warm hand gripping his cold neck.

“It’s not just your body I desire, Caël… it’s you. Your heart. Your smile. Your light. Your tears. Your laughter. Your cries of pleasure. Your silences too. I want all of you… absolutely all of you…”

I pause, breathing in his broken breaths against my mouth. My voice deepens, vibrating with raw, savage tenderness.

“And I will do everything… absolutely everything… to make you fall in love with me. Because I will never let you go, Caël. Even if you ask me to one day. Even if you beg me. You are mine, and I am yours. That’s all. That’s the only truth that matters.”

His eyes widen, trembling, before a silent sob shakes his frail body. I hold him tighter against me, pressing my burning chest to his cold one, his still-sensitive nipples rubbing against my skin. He whimpers softly at the friction, but I don’t move. I simply hold him against me, one hand gently stroking his silvery hair with infinite tenderness.

“Sleep, my angel…” I murmur against his ear, my deep voice trembling with emotion. “Sleep and dream… because tomorrow, I will begin to show you what love truly is. The real kind. The one that burns everything in its path… but warms stronger than Heaven’s light.”

And as his eyes slowly close under the weight of fatigue and pain, I watch him, my heart heavy with a love so violent, so pure, it makes me want to scream.

I know now that I can never let him go.
Because without him… even Hell’s flames wouldn’t be enough to keep me warm.