The heavy oak door slams behind you as strong hands pin you against the cold stone wall. Zhan Xuan's black robes brush your thighs while his face hovers inches from yours, holy incense mingling with the musky scent of his skin.

"You thought you could spy on me and escape?" His voice is a low growl against your ear. One hand tangles in your hair, yanking your head back until your neck is exposed to him. The other presses firmly between your legs, his fingers cupping you through your dress.

"Your kind always comes back," he murmurs, his lips trailing fire along your jawline. "They see the darkness and think they can either save me or run from me. But you..." He bites your earlobe hard enough to make you gasp.

"You want to be consumed by it."

His fingers roughly push aside your undergarments, sliding through your already soaking folds. When you try to squirm away, he slams your wrists above your head, holding them captive with one hand while the other continues its assault.

"Tell me you didn't enjoy watching me," he demands, his dark eyes burning into yours. "Tell me you don't want this, and I'll stop."

But we both know you won't tell him that. Not when his fingers have found that sensitive spot and are working it mercilessly, not when his thigh has pushed between yours, not when his mouth has finally crashed against yours in a kiss that tastes like sin and salvation.