CHAPTER 316: KISS ME... KISS ME LOWER... PLEASE...

Kael narrowed his eyes, as if searching for a hidden truth in the shadows dancing across her face. The sound of falling water filled the silence, slow and steady, as if it were the rhythm of a heartbeat between them.

He took a step forward, and the moon, a curious witness, let its red light shine in his eyes.

"So tell me, Exelia..." his voice was deep but soft, like a whisper made just for her, "what is this? If it’s not provocation... what is it?"

Exelia tilted her head slightly, her lips curved in a smile that seemed to be born somewhere between mystery and desire. The water ran down her collarbone to the delicate curve of her breasts, turning her skin silver in the moonlight. She knew what she was revealing, and she knew even more the effect it had.

"Perhaps..." he said softly, almost like a spell blown in the wind, "it’s just an invitation."

Kael felt the air grow heavy, as if the whole world had stopped to hear that word. Invitation. It wasn’t a provocation, it wasn’t a game: it was something that drew his soul and body closer to hers.

A husky laugh escaped his throat, filled with restrained warmth.

"Invitations from witches... always come with a price." His eyes traveled over her silhouette slowly, unhurriedly, as if every detail were a work too rare to be seen in a hurry. When he looked back at her, his voice was a deep whisper. "What’s yours, Exelia?"

She rose slightly from the rock, the waterfall falling over her shoulders like a crystalline veil. Her eyes, deep as night, shone with intensity.

"Perhaps the price is simply... courage."

Kael arched an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curving into a smile full of restrained charm.

"I’ve never lacked courage." He stepped closer, their reflections joining together in the water’s mirror. "But what you don’t know... is that I also have something more dangerous than that: self-control."

Exelia laughed softly, a sweet, intimate sound that seemed to envelop the forest itself.

"Self-control?" she repeated, with a velvety tease. Her eyes slowly descended his body, examining him as if she could touch him with just a glance, before rising again to lock onto his red ones. "It doesn’t seem like it, Kael. On the contrary... it seems there’s something stronger than control inside you now."

The silence that followed wasn’t empty. It was alive, pulsating. The night wind caressed the trees, but nothing could extinguish the invisible heat that vibrated between them.

Kael took a deep breath, his imposing posture softened by the desire that seeped into every fiber of his being. He neither advanced nor retreated, just stood there, like a predator on the verge of a leap—but a leap not of violence, but of surrender.

"You like to play with fire, Exelia..." he finally said, his voice thick with desire. "One day you might lose yourself in it."

She lifted her chin, letting the moonlight caress her face. Her smile softened, revealing not just provocation, but a dangerous tenderness.

"And you, prince... you speak as if you don’t wish to throw yourself into that fire."

Their eyes locked, and in that instant, there was no sword, no kingdoms, no war. Only the beating of hearts, the sound of water, and the invisible force drawing them together.

Exelia leaned back against the rock, relaxed, her body covered by the veil of the waterfall, as if she had already conquered simply by waiting.

"So, Kael..." her voice flowed like silk, soft and intimate. "Will you accept the invitation? Or will you spend your life only watching what you desire?"

Kael chuckled softly, but there was no mockery, just a weight laden with emotion. His hand clenched, as if fighting the invisible chains of his own discipline. He leaned forward slightly, the moonlight outlining the strong features of his face, now softened by the moment.

"You have no idea how much you tempt me..." he confessed in a whisper, honest, almost broken, without any mask.

Exelia maintained her smile, but her eyes revealed something else: sweetness, surrender, vulnerability hidden beneath all the seduction.

"Then don’t fight so hard," she whispered back, her voice soft as a kiss. "Sometimes... surrender is true courage."

The world stopped. Only the two of them remained, suspended between desire and silence, about to cross the line between provocation and touch.

Kael took a deep breath, the cool dawn air filling his lungs, but none of it calmed him. Exelia’s every word still vibrated in his mind like a taut string about to snap. He could no longer bear the weight of the distance, could no longer bear to just look.

His steps broke the space between them. At first, slow, measured, as if he still wanted to give himself a chance to retreat. But when he got close, there was no turning back.

Exelia lifted her face gently, as if she had been waiting for this moment since their first glance. Her eyes shone under the moon, deep and inviting, and her breathing was calm, almost labored.

Kael stood before her. For a moment, he just watched her, his fingers almost trembling with restraint. Then, like a warrior finally choosing to advance, he leaned in and captured her lips.

The kiss was neither brutal nor urgent. It was slow, charged with an intensity that spoke volumes. His mouth met hers firmly, yet gently, as if discovering a secret that needed to be kept.

Exelia sighed against his lips, her hand instinctively rising to Kael’s chest, feeling the strength of his heartbeat. Her body, still wet from the water, contrasted with the heat the kiss aroused.

Kael deepened the kiss, one of his hands sliding to the nape of her neck, tangling his fingers in her damp hair. Her taste, mixed with the freshness of the waterfall and the heat of desire, was like forbidden wine.

Exelia surrendered to the kiss, her lips responding to his with the same intensity, but with a touch of tenderness that disarmed him more than any blade. There was no spell, no provocation: there was only her, completely surrendered to that moment.

When they finally pulled away a few millimeters, their foreheads still pressed together, Kael was breathing heavily, his red eyes flashing with a gleam that wasn’t of fury, but of something much more human.

"You are... a danger, Exelia," he murmured, his voice low and husky.

She smiled against his lips, a smile sweet yet full of power.

"Perhaps... but today, you don’t seem to want to run from danger."

Exelia didn’t back away. On the contrary, she moved even closer, as if the kiss they’d shared had been just the first step of something inevitable. Her arms slid around Kael’s neck, pulling him to her with unexpected, almost desperate strength.

The collision of their bodies was gentle but overwhelming. Kael’s heat contrasted with her cool, wet skin, and this contrast seemed to set the air around them ablaze. Exelia pressed her lips to his again, but this time without the previous calm. It was an urgent, passionate kiss, charged with the intensity of someone who no longer wanted to hold anything back.

Kael reciprocated instantly, letting all the discipline and control he had prided himself on crumble like ashes in the wind. His arms wrapped around her, firm, possessive, pressing her against him. The cascade cascaded over them both, transforming the moment into something wild and intimate at the same time, as if nature itself were complicit in their surrender.

The kiss deepened. There was no more hesitation, no more barriers. Their lips met in an urgent dance, and each exchanged sigh seemed to further fuel the flame between them.

Exelia pressed her body against his, her fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer, as if she wanted to make him a part of her. She sighed between kisses, and each sound made his heart pound even faster.

Kael, in turn, slid one of his hands around her waist, feeling the curve of her body, the wet, soft skin that burned beneath his touch. The prince who had so often been hard, distant, and relentless now seemed to yield completely to this woman who, in such a short time, had broken down all his defenses.

Exelia broke the kiss for a second just to look into his eyes closely. Her breathing was rapid, her lips red and moist.

"Kael..." she whispered, and the name alone in her voice carried more spell than any known magic.

He didn’t respond with words. He simply kissed her again, once more, with the intensity of someone who knew they were surrendering to an abyss and didn’t care about falling.

The forest around them seemed to disappear. There was only the moon, the water, and the sound of their two hearts beating in a wild, passionate, uncontrollable rhythm.

Exelia’s breathing quickened as Kael’s lips touched hers again. The kiss began intensely, urgently, as if he wanted to imprint every part of himself on her. But it soon softened, transforming into a slow, exploratory brush, filled with a sweetness that surprised her.

When his arms wrapped around her, Exelia felt the entire world disappear. The waterfall water still fell behind her, cold, but the warmth of Kael’s body was all that mattered. He pulled her against him, pressing her against his firm chest, and she gave in, wrapping her arms around his neck as if there were no tomorrow.

The kiss broke only for him to slowly move down to her neck. His lips met the moist, soft skin, and Kael kissed her reverently, as if every inch were sacred. Exelia closed her eyes, letting out a sigh that sounded more like a restrained moan.

"Kael..." The name fell from her lips like a soft plea.

He didn’t answer. He just continued lower, his hot kisses tracing a path along the curve of her collarbone to her shoulder. Each touch seemed to awaken an electric surge in her, spreading through her body like an unquenchable flame.

His hand slid slowly down the side of her waist, firm, possessive, yet delicate. There was no rush, no brutality. Just the controlled rhythm of someone who knew exactly how much power there was in holding back desire a little longer.

Exelia felt her heart race. His touch left her vulnerable, but it was a vulnerability she chose. For the first time in a long time, she let down all her defenses.

Kael’s lips moved lower, kissing her chest, exploring every curve. When he reached the base of her belly, he paused for a moment, raising his red gaze to her eyes. It was only a second, but in that instant, the world seemed to hold its breath.

She stared at him, her mouth parted, her wet hair plastered to her face, her dark eyes shining not just with desire, but with something deeper—trust.

Kael smiled faintly, a rare, almost tender smile, before continuing. He pressed a slow kiss to her navel, making her arch slightly. It was a simple gesture, but charged with intimacy.

Exelia pressed her fingers against his shoulders, as if trying to hold on so as not to lose herself. Her lips parted, and the air rushed out in shudders.

"You..." she whispered, her voice choked, almost trembling. "Kiss me... kiss me lower... please..." She asked timidly.