The sky over Forks had darkened, the gray haze deepening into a quiet, brooding dusk. The air carried the scent of rain-soaked forest, fresh and cold. But Kane barely noticed.
Alice was in front of him.
And she wasn't backing away.
"You're playing with fire, Alice," Kane said again, his voice lower this time gravel dragged through velvet.
"So are you," she whispered.
They stood close closer than before. Her scent, light and floral, mingled with the storm in the air. Kane's eyes traced every detail of her face: the sharp line of her cheekbones, the flicker of golden irises, the way her lips parted just slightly as she breathed him in.
Alice reached up, her fingers brushing against his chest. He didn't flinch. He didn't move.
"You're holding back," she said softly, her hand sliding upward to the base of his neck.
Kane's breath deepened. "You don't know what you're asking for."
"I think I do."
His eyes burned into hers, the space between them vanishing like smoke. She could feel the heat radiating off his skin, the strength coiled beneath his stillness.
"Tell me to stop," Kane growled, but his hand was already cupping her waist, pulling her closer.
Alice shook her head. "I won't."
That was all it took.
Kane crushed his lips to hers not gentle, not hesitant. It was raw, hungry, a kiss that had nothing to do with romance and everything to do with dominance, need, and fire.
Alice didn't resist. She matched him teeth, breath, fingers tangling in his hair as she pulled him even closer. Her cool body pressed flush against his burning heat, and it made her shudder.
Kane growled low in his throat, one hand sliding up her back, the other curling possessively at her hip. He kissed her like he meant to stake a claim and Alice let him.
She kissed him back like she'd been waiting a century.
When they finally pulled apart, both were breathing heavier than before. Not from exhaustion.
From restraint.
Kane's forehead rested against hers, his eyes still half-lidded but glowing with something darker.
"That was a bad idea," he murmured.
"Then why did it feel so good?" Alice whispered back.
He chuckled, just once, low and dangerous. "Because I wanted it."
She touched his jaw, her voice quiet. "So did I."
Silence stretched between them again but this time it wasn't tense.
It was electric.
"I should go," Alice said, though she made no move to leave.
Kane smirked. "Then go."
She leaned in, brushed her lips against his one more time soft this time, lingering.
"I'll see you soon," she murmured.
Then she turned, walking away with her usual graceful steps. But Kane noticed the slight shake in her hands. The way her lips stayed parted. She was rattled and she loved it.
Kane stayed there long after she vanished into the dark. His fists clenched at his sides. His heart beat like a war drum in his chest.
So this is what fate feels like.