CHAPTER 218: DON’T KNOW

Chapter 218

Daphne

Well.

I’m not complaining.

***

Nima

I’m now embarrassed for totally different reasons.

What is this.

I can’t breathe.

Every nerve in my body locks as I freeze, trying desperately to process what’s happening. The heat of her body seeps into mine, silk brushing my bare skin, her heartbeat maddeningly steady where mine is all frantic chaos. My thoughts spin, tangling in panic and shame until finally—finally—my brain kicks in.

Move. I have to move.

I push against her, trying to slide off, but her hand drops firmly to my waist, holding me in place like I weigh nothing at all. The touch isn’t rough, but it’s unshakable. My stomach twists at the strength in her fingers, the ease with which she pins me.

And then—her tail.

It curls around my leg, smooth and deliberate, tightening with a slow, possessive squeeze. I shiver, helpless, trapped in more ways than one.

Startled, I look up at her, my ears betraying me by flicking back against my hair. My mouth opens, but no words come out.

Her eyes at this distance aren’t the harsh yellow I always thought they were,they’re softer, glowing, a molten gold that makes my breath catch. Too close. Too intense.

"Seems you’re bold today," she murmurs, lips curving just slightly.

"I–I’m not..." The words tumble out weakly, pathetic even to my own ears. Because how am I supposed to sound convincing when her hand is pressed against my waist, hot and steady, sending jolts of awareness through me with every tiny shift of her fingers? My body doesn’t know the difference between danger and something else entirely.

Her smile deepens, sharp with amusement. "Says the naked one."

My ears burn crimson. I want to bury my face in her chest just to hide, but that would only make everything worse. "...You know I just shifted. Of course I’m naked..." I manage, though my voice cracks on the last word.

She hums, low in her throat, like she’s considering my excuse but doesn’t quite buy it. Her thumb strokes idly along my waist, maddeningly casual, as if to remind me of exactly how vulnerable I am.

I try to shift back, to put some distance between us, but her tail tightens around my leg in warning. I’m trapped, caught between her warmth and my shame, every instinct screaming at me to run even as another traitorous part of me wants to stay.

Golden eyes catch mine again, refusing to let me look away. "Excuses, bunny," she whispers, and the sound slides straight into my chest, leaving me trembling.

I swallow hard, ears flicking back in humiliation. "It’s not like that..." I whisper.

But even to me, it doesn’t sound convincing.

"If you say so..." she murmurs, and before I can blink, she twists us with effortless strength.

The world tilts, and suddenly I’m flat on my back, pinned to the bed. She towers over me, her raven hair slipping forward, strands brushing my cheeks, framing her face in a way that makes her look both terrifying and devastatingly beautiful.

Every instinct screams at me to bolt, to scramble free, to shift and vanish beneath the nearest crack in the floor. But there’s another voice—quieter, dangerous—that tells me to stay.

My body doesn’t know what it wants. Flight or surrender. Fear or something far more dangerous.

"So," she says, golden eyes gleaming as she leans close enough that her breath ghosts over my lips. "Why did you kiss me?"

My throat locks tight. Words gather, break, scatter. I can’t. I can’t answer.

So I don’t. I look away, ears burning, silence my only shield.

"Now, now, my little bunny. That silence won’t work in human form," she says, her tone a velvet purr edged with steel.

Her hand slides upward, deliberate, until it rests against my neck. The heat of her palm sears into my skin, steady and unyielding, and a shiver bolts down my spine. She’s so warm—no, not warm. Hot. Too hot.

"Not going to answer?" she presses, voice dipping lower, threatening in its patience.

Her fingers shift slightly, urging my chin up, forcing me to meet her golden gaze. I want to look away, but her hold keeps me there, tethered, cornered beneath her shadow.

"Go on," she whispers, coaxing and commanding all at once.

My chest tightens. The words stick, refusing to form. I don’t know what to say, don’t know what I’m allowed to say, what I even mean anymore. The kiss, the heat, this closeness—it’s too much.

Finally, my lips part, and the smallest sound escapes.

"I... I don’t know."

"You don’t know?" she repeats, voice low, curling around me like smoke.

"No," I manage, barely above a whisper.

Her golden eyes narrow slightly, though her lips tug into something that looks far too much like a smile. "So you just did it without much thought?"

I swallow hard and nod, heat crawling up my ears.

"You didn’t think it through?"

Another nod. My throat is too tight for anything else.

"It was just impulsive?"

I nod again, my chest rising and falling too quickly.

Her fingers at my neck shift, thumb brushing along the edge of my jaw. She leans closer, the tip of her hair brushing my cheek, her gaze pinning me in place with unbearable weight.

"So..." she murmurs, voice velvet and blades, "you wouldn’t mind if I did it?"

I nod before I even register the question.

Wait.

Wait, what?!

My eyes fly wide, breath catching sharp in my throat. My whole body locks beneath her, muscles coiled, heart hammering so hard it feels like it might break free from my chest.

"You tricked me!" I gasp, the words tumbling out in a rush, half-accusation, half-plea.

"No, take back, my little bunny," she says, amused,the curve of her mouth is unfairly perfect, a smirk that makes my stomach twist. I hate it.

"Now be a good little bunny and open your mouth," she commands, her words curling like smoke around my ears.

The sound is low, dangerous, leaving no gap for refusal. Her hand tightens just slightly around my throat—not enough to crush, but enough to remind me how easily she could.

What can I do? I’m only a bunny.