A wise man once said the only thing more dangerous than ignorance was arrogance. Now, Lina understood why.

  Patiently holding a cup of her favorite coffee was the man she wished would drop dead. She eyed the iced drink, largely consisting of cashew milk with a decent splash of coffee. Holding back her irritation, she brushed past him.

  "Is this how you treat your god?" Kaden questioned in an amiable voice, showing no hints of a threat.

  Lina ignored him and headed for the private parking lot just a few feet away from her gallery. As she swiped her identification near the passenger sidelines, she could hear his taunting footsteps. Even the security guard froze at his presence, breaking out into a nervous sweat.

  "If you wanted to be kidnapped in broad daylight, you should've said so. Underground parking isn't safe—"

  "What are you doing?" Lina snapped, finally spinning around. She was growing annoyed by his persistence to be by her side.

  "Chasing you."

  Lina's eyes flashed with betrayal. "Now?" she sharply stated.

  "Yes."

  "You're late."

  "I know, dove," Kaden softly said.

  "Stop it."

  "Dove—"

  "You're pretending to be as harmless as a lamb when we both know you're the wolf," Lina snarled.

  Lina hated how late he was. Better late than never, he should've said. He always did the opposite of what she wanted him to. For someone who always had control for the past five years, she didn't like it. She didn't like how unpredictable he was. He did anything he wanted and expected other people to follow him. Arrogant. Coward.

  Lina reminded herself of what he did to her. He betrayed her trust. He used his abilities on her. His fear caused him to lose her. What he did, he could never recover from.

  "I know you can never forgive me, dove. I do not want your forgiveness either," Kaden murmured, stepping closer to her.

  Lina watched the ice swivel from the heat of his hand. She let out a slight scoff. At least he wasn't demanding. For once.

  "You and I both know what I've done can never be fixed. Once broken, there is no gluing the pieces together," Kaden gently told her.

  Kaden grabbed her hand. Immediately, she twisted away from him, but he placed the drink against her palm and forced her to hold it. She unwillingly held onto the iced milk with a splash of espresso. All this time, her taste hadn't changed.

  "Let go of me," Lina gritted out.

  Lina hated that he remembered the little things about her. Her small comments, so easily forgettable, he always kept it in mind. Everything she shared with him, he'd never forget. She hated how… What was the word for it? When it came to Kaden, she couldn't use kind adjectives.

  "But give me another chance, dove, and I swear it, I will never repeat the same mistakes. Just one final chance, my love, one."

  Maybe in another life, Lina would. But in this one, Kaden and Atlantis had lost her for good. The truth was written all over her face. The pity. The hatred. She couldn't hold it back.

  Lina saw Kaden's expression. His eyes shifted with realization. His gaze darkened. He approached her, his footstep a heavy thud echoing off the parking lot walls. She tried to back away, but he chased her. Each step she took back, he took forward. Soon, he was within reach. Soon, he had her by the shoulders.

  "I've lost you," Kaden muttered. His grip felt like iron.

  "Tell me it's not for good," Kaden insisted, his voice lowering.

  "For good," Lina breathed out. "For the good of my heart and sanity. You've lost me. Now, let me go. For good."

  "If I can't have you in this life, dove, I will end it until you're reborn again," Kaden stated. He bowed his head, releasing one shoulder to touch her face. Her skin went cold as ice. He let out a small laugh. She trembled in his grasp, but then froze.

  "You won't."

  "Drink your iced coffee, dove."

  "Why? Did you poison it?" Lina countered.

  "Drink it."

  Lina tried to pull away. He instantly grabbed her, yanking her body to his. She screamed, but he pressed his hand against her mouth. He pushed her against the wall, the coffee loudly thudding onto the floor. Milk splattered over his suit pants, but he didn't even care.

  Finally, when he saw her quiet down, he dropped his hand from her lips.

  "You won't kill me," Lina relented. "You won't dare."

  "You should've drank the coffee. It was your favorite."

  "You're a coward," Lina said to him. "A lowly, bastard who's scared of his own shadow."

  The second Lina uttered such words, she regretted it. The look on Kaden's face was menacing. She might as well have looked death right in the eyes. A frigid wind blew past them. That was impossible, the parking lot was underground and well-heated. His gaze was chilly, his eyes flashing red. Bloody hell.

  "Say it again, dove."

  Lina swallowed. She shoved at him, but he didn't budge. He never would. She stomped on his shoes, but he didn't even blink. Instead, he lowered his head in defeat. His hair swept over his forehead. Silky and smooth, everything about him was inviting. His scent was intoxicating, a mix of forest wood and sweet tangerine. The smell made her eyes water.

  "You can never kill me," Lina reminded him. "I can kill you a thousand times and you will never drop dead. But you kill me once, and it might as well murders you."

  Kaden didn't respond. He curled his hand around her throat. It was easy to kill a little human girl like her. Human flesh bled at the slightest cut. Her neck was tender. All he had to do was squeeze. All he needed to do was drink from her. He could drain her until she cried out and went limp. He could kill her with a flick of his wrist.

  Instead, Kaden grabbed her chin and forced her eyes to meet his. A silence passed through them. They both knew who won this battle. They both understood who was in the right.

  "Once more chance, dove," Kaden stated. "I do not like to beg."

  "Then get on your knees and start groveling…… You have a lot of begging to do."