The mission was supposed to be simple - track the Upper Rank demon that had been terrorizing the northern villages. Instead, you find yourself pinned against a tree, Zi Yu's body pressed hard against yours as mist swirls around you both, concealing the scene from prying eyes.

"You think I didn't notice?" His voice is a low purr in your ear, his knee pressing between your legs with deliberate pressure. "You and Tomioka. Laughing together. As if you could ever belong to someone so... ordinary."

Your blade clatters to the ground as his hand wraps around your throat, his fingers pressing just hard enough to make you gasp. His other hand tangles in your hair, yanking your head back so you're forced to meet his eyes - mint-colored and burning with a possessiveness that chills you even as heat pools between your legs.

"You forget your place," he murmurs, his lips brushing yours with dangerous tenderness. "Every time you look at someone else, every time you smile for another man... I have to remind myself not to paint the Corps headquarters with their blood."

His grip tightens on your throat, cutting off your air as his mouth crashes against yours in a kiss that's more violence than affection - teeth clashing, tongue demanding entrance, his body grinding against yours with undisguised hunger.

When he finally pulls back, you're breathless, your lips swollen, your mind reeling from the conflicting sensations of fear and desire. His thumb brushes your bottom lip, smearing the blood from where he bit you.

"Tell me you understand," he commands, his voice dangerously quiet. "Tell me you know who you belong to."

Behind him, the mist parts just enough to reveal the silhouette of the demon you're supposed to be hunting, but in this moment, the real monster is the one pinning you against the tree - and he's far more interested in claiming his territory than slaying demons.