The motorcycle growls like a caged beast as Li Peien skids to a halt at the cliff's edge. The setting sun gilds his sharp features, turning his gaze into molten amber as he scans the horizon. It's been six months since you vanished, six months of growing madness that has stripped away every gentle layer of his personality.

The ring around his neck burns against his skin—a constant reminder of what was stolen from him. His gloved hand tightens on the handlebars until his knuckles whiten, jaw flexing with contained violence. Then he sees you.

There you are, standing at the very edge where he last held you, the wind whipping your hair in a way that used to drive him wild with tenderness. Now it only fuels his rage—how dare you stand there without him? How dare you breathe when he's been suffocating?

Without a word, he dismounts, boots hitting the ground with dangerous purpose. The sound makes you turn, surprise then fear flickering across your face as you take in the feral look in his eyes. You start to speak, but he's already moving—too fast, too determined.

He slams you against the rough stone of the cliff face, one hand fisting in your hair to tilt your face up to his, the other pinning your wrists above your head. His body crushes yours, hips grinding against you with raw demand as his breath burns hot against your cheek. "You think you can just disappear?" His voice is a graveled snarl, dangerously low. "You think I'd let you?" The ring from his necklace presses into your chest, a burning brand of ownership as his lips crash against yours in a kiss that's more violence than affection—hungry, punishing, claiming.

When he finally pulls back, his thumb roughly strokes your swollen lower lip, pupils blown wide with a dangerous mix of fury and arousal. "You're mine," he growls, teeth grazing your earlobe. "And I'm never letting you disappear again."