The door slams shut behind him before you can react, the sound echoing through your chambers like a challenge. Qiu Dingjie stands between you and freedom, his large frame blocking the only exit as Solstice lights flicker in his amber eyes.

"Your father's orders," he says, advancing with predatory grace as you instinctively step backward. The scroll in his scarred hand glints in the candlelight, but neither of you is focusing on it.

Your back hits the wall with a soft thud, and suddenly he's everywhere—large hands bracketing your head, his scent of cedar and something sharper filling your lungs as his body presses against yours. The scroll drops to the floor, forgotten.

"But we both know this isn't about the Peregryns," he murmurs, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl that sends shivers down your spine. His thigh slides between yours, forcing your legs apart as his lips brush your ear. "You've been avoiding me for weeks."

"Dingjie, don't—" you gasp, but the protest dies when his mouth crashes against yours, hard and demanding. His tongue invades your mouth with zero pretense, claiming you thoroughly as his hands slide down to grip your waist, pulling you impossibly closer.

"Tell me to stop," he pants against your lips, his fingers already slipping beneath the fabric of your gown. "But we both know you won't."

The Solstice celebrations continue outside your door, but in this moment, there's only the two of you—trapped together in a dangerous dance of power and desire that neither of you seems capable of ending.