Chapter 7

I bit my lower lip softly, holding back the tears that suddenly burned at the corners of my eyes. My breathing hitched not only from anger, but from fear. Fear of losing control in front of someone who could so easily take command of everything about me.

“I’m sorry, I just wanted tonight to feel normal. I wanted to know, even for a moment, what it’s like to be an ordinary student. Not always hiding, not always feeling guilty every time I smile at someone else.”

Gabriel’s eyes locked on mine, sharp and unyielding, but I knew that look wasn’t made of anger alone. There was something else behind it something deeper, something he refused to show.

“Normal?” he said, his voice low. “Nothing has been normal since you came into my life. You’ve turned everything upside down.”

I lowered my head. “I’m sorry.”

I took a cautious step closer, and before he could step back, I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him tightly. His whole body stiffened, his breath catching in his chest.

“I’m sorry, Gabriel,” I whispered against his warm chest. “I didn’t mean to make you angry. I just don’t know how to act anymore. I love you, but this world scares me.”

Gabriel drew a long breath, then quickly stepped back. His hands moved to my shoulders, gently pushing me away. His eyes darted around the empty corridor, wary, searching.

“We’re at the university. Anyone could see us.”

“I don’t care if they see,” I said quietly.

“But I do,” he replied, his voice firm but not cold. “If anyone finds out about us, it won’t just ruin your life here, it will put you in danger. Our world isn’t kind to a bond like this.”

I bit my lip again, looking up at him. His gaze softened slightly before he lowered his head, clearly fighting himself.

“You don’t understand. I’ve fought wars to protect what’s mine. But this time, if they find out about us, I can’t protect you.”

I exhaled shakily, lowering my gaze, trying to hold back the ache in my chest. “I know my limits. But I’m human, Gabriel. I need space to breathe. You can’t just show up at a party and drag me away like I belong to you.”

His jaw clenched. “Don’t you?”

I met his eyes steadily. “No. I don’t belong to anyone. I choose to love you, but I still want to be myself.”

He studied me for a long time, then finally let out a weary breath. “You’re as stubborn as ever.”

“I learned from the best,” I answered with a faint smile.

A group of students passed by at the far end of the corridor, their laughter echoing faintly. Gabriel immediately turned his face away, stepping back into the shadows.

“I need to go before someone sees us,” he said, his voice low. “Go home safely. And Sera…”

I looked at him hopefully. “Yes?”

“Don’t let anyone touch you like that again.”

I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came out. In a heartbeat, his figure had disappeared into the night, leaving me standing alone beneath the dim campus lights.

I stared at the direction he had gone, wrapping my arms around myself to stop the trembling. The chill that ran through me wasn’t from the night air, it was from the sudden emptiness left behind.

I knew then that whatever happened after tonight, the line between love and forbidden desire had already blurred. And I, Seraphina Bloodfang, was far too deep to ever turn back.