You hadn’t meant to start anything serious.

Really, you hadn’t. It was just a game. A quiet evening in his apartment, the two of you curled on his velvet couch, low music humming in the background as rain dotted the windows. Rafayel had that usual calm, collected aura about him—elegant, smooth, poised. His shirt was unbuttoned just enough to show the hollow of his throat and that unfair collarbone of his, catching your eyes more than once.

You couldn’t resist.

“You’re so composed all the time,” you mused, shifting closer and resting your chin on his shoulder. “But I bet I could break that calm if I wanted to.”

Rafayel arched a single silver brow, sipping his tea with that maddeningly cool demeanor. “Break me?” he echoed with a smile that was more teasing than skeptical. “Is that a challenge, love?”

Your fingers ghosted over the line of his jaw, nails light as breath. “Not a challenge. Just a little experiment.”

He gave a soft laugh, deep and golden, like it vibrated in his chest. “Proceed, then.”

So you leaned in. You kissed just under his ear, whispering little nothings in your sweetest voice. Teasing touches followed—a hand brushing up his arm, your legs tangled with his. You watched with mischievous delight as he paused more frequently, eyes fluttering closed whenever your lips lingered too long. And then, as if you’d flipped some hidden switch, something changed.

He stiffened, sharp and sudden.

“Rafayel?” you asked, pulling back slightly. He didn’t speak right away, his eyes half-lidded, breathing just a little deeper than before. You were about to ask again when your gaze drifted downward—and froze.

There, along his throat and curling faintly over the edge of his collarbone, glimmered something iridescent. Not skin. Scales. Deep sea blue and pearl, like abalone shell, catching the room’s light in a stunning mosaic of hues. You blinked, stunned.

“Are those—?” you breathed, reaching out without thinking.

His hand caught your wrist mid-air—not hard, but firm. His eyes met yours, and for once, he didn’t have a witty remark at the ready. Just a flushed expression, unusually vulnerable. “I… didn’t mean for that to happen,” he murmured, voice lower, throat tight.

“They’re beautiful,” you said immediately, and his gaze snapped back to you. “Is this… part of your DNA?” Your fingertips touched just above the line of his shoulder, where more of those shimmering scales peeked out from under his shirt like delicate armor. They weren’t rough—they felt smooth and warm, like polished gemstones on velvet.

He swallowed hard. “It’s… a reaction I can’t always control.” His voice was a little hoarse now, like he was fighting to hold something in. “When I’m… emotionally overwhelmed.”

Emotionally overwhelmed, huh?

You gave him a slow smile. “You mean when you’re turned on.”

He groaned, covering his face with one hand. “You weren’t supposed to know that.”

“Oh my god,” you laughed, leaning closer again, “you poor thing. That’s why you were so still. You were trying to keep them from showing.”

You traced the scales with delicate fingers, watching how his breath hitched when you did. “I didn’t expect this, though. You’re breathtaking, Rafayel. Like something out of a dream.”

His whole body twitched beneath you, muscles taut. More scales bloomed down his arm, spreading like an aurora beneath his skin, and you gasped, mesmerized by how they moved with him—alive, responsive.

“It’s… very hard to think straight when you touch them like that.”

You hummed thoughtfully and leaned in again. “Then I’ll touch them more.”

“Darling—” he growled, deep and guttural now, hands gripping your waist as if to pin you down or push you away—he hadn’t decided which. His pupils were blown wide, blue irises barely visible, scales glittering all over his chest and shoulders like the sea had claimed him. Like he was no longer quite human.

“You’re dangerous,” he whispered, his lips brushing yours. “And you have no idea what you’ve started.”