Dear Immortal Tyrant

That was what Kaden said, but he realized this woman couldn't hold liquor to save her damn life. She downed vodka like it was water, but choked and cried to him a second later. As if that wasn't enough, she sucked on the lemon too seductively. Lapping up the last juices, she placed the fruit back down, despite not realizing half the club wanted her in their bed.

"And then he had the audacity to thank the elders for the marriage," Lina grumbled, her head lolling to the side a bit. She rested her face on a propped up hand, staring at him through fluttering lashes.

Just the sight of her was turning him on.

Kaden narrowed his eyes. The soft lights illuminated her silhouette, adding an ethereal edge. Her hair slid over her shoulders, silky and smooth. She unbuttoned her dress, revealing her slender collarbone. Each time she threw her head back to drink, she revealed the length of her throat. He wondered how much of him could fit within her pretty little mouth.

"And then…" Lina hiccupped.

"That's enough, dove," Kaden commanded.

Kaden reached for her shot glass, throwing a warning glower to the bartender who came to refill it. The bartender flinched and lowered his head. He scurried off with his tail tucked between his legs.

Kaden slammed her glass down. That was enough drinking for the night. She needed to cool her head and hydrate herself. Grabbing her hand, he was prepared to take her upstairs. There should be a private room for her to sleep in. He'd watch over her.

"No, I don't want to leave," Lina grumbled, revealing a slight pout.

Kaden's gaze shifted to her adorable lips. She looked at him through her lashes, resembling the most spoiled brat he had ever seen. Damn his adoration for her. Gritting his teeth, he slid back to the barstool.

"You know, Commander…" Lina slurred, her lips finally curling into a smile. "I have never seen someone as devastatingly handsome as you."

Kaden clenched his jaw. He curled a finger under her chin, raising her head to look up. She was dizzy and stupid right now. Rubbing a thumb over her bottom lipl, his entire body froze. She licked at his fingers through an alluring gaze. Then, she wrapped her lips around his finger, softly suckling on the skin. He wanted to rail her on the table right then and there.

"Dove," Kaden growled in warning, pulling his hand away.

Lina let out a small laugh, her cheeks rosy from the alcohol. He was even more charming when he was frustrated. Perhaps that was the problem with her. She loved angry men. Call it the way she was raised or blame it on her surroundings, for violence was all that she had ever known.

"Will you ever tell me, Commander?" Lina asked in a soft voice, reaching a hand out to play with the edges of his sleeve. She liked the way his body went tense. She enjoyed the dilation of his pupils, the dangerous glower on his face, and his dark presence.

"About what?" Kaden seethed.

"Why are your eyes so melodramatic?" Lina murmured. "Why do you always wear a gaunt expression?"

Lina traced her thumb underneath his eyes. His breath hitched. She had never felt something as smooth and warm as him.

Kaden knew he was a fool the second he leaned closer to her, so that she didn't fall out of her stool reaching for him. With ease, he glided her chair nearer to him, earning a round of giggles that shot straight to his groin.

God, he was too damn hard for her.

"You're thinking too much into it, dove." Kaden grabbed her wrist and placed her hand back onto her lap. He knew men would kill to be in his chair right now. They couldn't get over her. There was a grand performance on the stage, but they were more entertained by barstool discussions.

"No, no, you must tell me, Commander, I have to know," Lina insisted.

"I'd tell you, but I must warn you. It'd break your pretty little heart."

"Try me, Commander," Lina whispered, believing nothing would hurt her more than family betrayal.

"I had a lover."

So, it did hurt much more than she had expected.

Lina softly frowned. She should've prepared herself in advance. How could a handsome man like him not have a lovely wife waiting at home? She envied the woman who'd bid him goodbye in the morning as he left for work. She hated the woman that'd welcome him home as he roughly tugged off his tie to make love to her on the kitchen table.

Where did that thought come from? Her face flushed red in disbelief.

"Had," Kaden emphasized, seeing her crestfallen expression.

"Do you still have one?"

"That's for you to wonder and me to know."

"So you do," Lina concluded.

Kaden didn't plan on falling into her trap.

"What about this lover left you this heartbroken?" Lina asked him.

'I'm looking at her right now,' Kaden dryly thought to himself.

Perhaps she could take a good look at what she'd done in the past. It was bad enough she took her own life in front of him, but what made it worse was knowing he might've never seen her again. That was, until she suddenly appeared in front of him.

Fate was an asshole.

"My first lover killed herself with the knife I gifted her," Kaden deadpanned like it was nothing.

"O-oh—"

"Taking our unborn child with her."

Lina could feel herself sobering up. How could one remain drunk at words like that? Tilting her head, she saw the hatred in his eyes. There was a fire that burned for eternity. A pain unlike any other. One could never heal from it.

"She had a miscarriage," he muttered. "And it was all my fault."

Ah. How could Lina not fall even more in love with him? She felt her mind begin to clear up.

"You know," Lina began, suddenly mustering the courage to link their fingers together. His attention snapped to their joined limbs. Then, he softly frowned.

"Dove."

Lina cupped the side of his face. She offered him a tender smile, one that reached her eyes. When it came to him, she couldn't keep up her mysterious facade. For him, she lowered her guards and set aside her pride.

"Sometimes children pick their mothers, for they feel a sense of love from them," Lina began. "However, the baby might sense danger coming the mother's way. Thus, they'll quietly return to the sky to wait. To wait for the mother and father again, but only after they're healthy. And then, they'll return."

Such a childish explanation. Yet, Kaden felt his cold and lifeless heart stir. It was a stupid reasoning, but he fell in love with her all over again. He yearned for her. He burned for her. She uttered useless comfort that he didn't need to hear. Despite that, his shoulders grew lighter, and his chest less prickled. Without warning, Kaden pulled her forward.

"Where have you been all my life, dove of mine?" he murmured, his thumb tracing the sensual curve of her lips.

Lina accepted it. She knew what was to come, but didn't fight or argue. She was in the right state of mind, fully sobered up, and able to accept the consequences.

Kaden kissed her. His lips were fiery and hot, filled with unsaid passion. He pulled her out of her chair and grabbed her waist. She whimpered into the kiss. He was rough and strong, settling her body between his thighs. She remained standing as he fiercely kissed her. A possessiveness unlike any other.

Lina could feel herself go dizzy, but he didn't stop there. He turned her head, angling their kiss for a deeper one. She tasted the sweetness of the wine he drank. His tongue licked at her bottom lip for access to her delicious mouth. She slid a hand up his chest and towards his jaw, where she felt the warmth of his skin.

Suddenly, the motion pulled him back into reality.

"We shouldn't be doing this, dove," Kaden muttered against her lips. "You will never recover from this."

"Ruin me then," Lina responded. "Ruin me so well, that the next will never understand what happens tonight."

Lina had gone beyond the path of return. She would never be able to take back this moment. Sealing her own fate, she decided to seize control of her life and body. She knew that her parents prized her for having her virtue, she knew why Mila wasn't chosen for the marriage.

Lina knew and yet locked eyes with Kaden. She meant what she said. And if he wasn't going to fulfill it, then someone else could take it.

"No regrets?"

"None," Lina returned.

"Then, let's get out of here dove, and into some place warmer."