Page 44

For a heartbeat, I’m nothing but sensation: the throb of his cock still buried in me, the aftershocks wracking my body, the bond singing with brilliant, terrifying unity.

My skin burns, brand glowing with a subdued silver now, and Kaelith’s runes glimmer with a renewed steadiness.

His thigh wound has partially sealed, stone plating covering the torn flesh.

The gash along his side, once a gaping hole, is now a crusted seam.

My heart bursts with relief. He’s healing.

Panting, we collapse together, limbs tangled, sweat-slicked skin cooling in the cave’s damp air. His softening cock slips from me, but he pulls me tighter against him, his tail curling around my waist like a vow. Alive. His. Ours.

He lifts a hand, brushing my sweat-matted hair from my face. “You… you saved me,” he whispers, voice cracked. “Again.”

My chest tightens, tears slipping. “We saved each other,” I manage.

Then I collapse onto his chest, exhausted beyond words, trembling with the comedown from that magical high.

My entire body hums with leftover energy.

The synergy recedes slowly, leaving behind warmth and the tang of fear.

Because I sensed it: the darkness tugging at me.

In that final burst of magic, I felt a shadow, a flicker of chaos that beckoned me to push further, to unleash more. It was the same siren call that lured Nerezza, a promise of unstoppable power if I only let go of my caution. I resisted this time, but just barely. It’s there, lurking.

Kaelith senses my tension. He cradles my face, concern etched in his eyes. “Sariah, what’s wrong?”

I swallow, tears still wet on my cheeks. “I… I felt something,” I whisper, voice trembling. “A pull, like if I used just a bit more power, I could’ve healed you instantly or destroyed half the mountain. It was… exhilarating—and terrifying.”

His runes flicker with worry. “Darkness tugging at you?”

I nod, pressing my forehead to his. The tether’s gentle hum offers a respite from that shadowy temptation. “Yes. For a moment, it felt so easy to sink into that raw chaos. I’m scared, Kaelith.” My voice cracks. “What if… what if I lose control one day?”

He exhales, tightening his arms around me. “We’ll face it together,” he vows. “I won’t let you slip alone. We’ll find a safer way to harness this synergy.”

My heart aches at his words. Relief wars with lingering dread.

He’s healing, but at what cost to me? If I keep tapping into that forbidden well, I risk the fate Drayveth warned about, the path Nerezza carved in blood.

But as I lie here in Kaelith’s arms, I can’t bring myself to regret saving him. I’d do it again. I love him.

A trembling sigh escapes me. “We need to rest,” I say, voice barely above a whisper. “The lesser gargoyles might still be out there. If we’re found like this, we’re done.”

Kaelith nods, though his wings twitch with leftover tension. “Yes. But let me hold you a moment.” His gaze flicks with tenderness. “After that… I’ll keep watch.”

Tears spill anew as I gently cradle his cheeks, brushing away specks of dust. He kisses my palm, eyes closed.

My brand flares with a gentle warmth, reminding me that for all the danger, for all the potential for darkness, there is also extraordinary light in this bond.

I love him, the thought resonates, steady and sure.

So I nestle against him, letting our breathing even out.

His stone-laced body is surprisingly warm, the partial petrification receding now that the worst of his injuries have stabilized.

Outside, I hear the distant hiss of the lesser gargoyles, but none approach the cave mouth.

The synergy we unleashed must have frightened them off—or they lurk, waiting for us to emerge.

I can’t dwell on that now. We have at least this moment of peace.

Eventually, after minutes of silence, I shift to retrieve what remains of my clothing, skin still tingling from our frantic union.

Kaelith helps me, though he hisses once or twice when a movement strains his half-sealed wounds.

Guilt wracks me, but he shakes his head, forcing a small, reassuring smile.

“Sariah,” he murmurs, voice thick. “You saved me. And you said something… or maybe I heard you in the synergy. Something about love.” His eyes search mine, raw with emotion. “Was it real, or just the magic?”

Heat floods my cheeks. I must have let that slip during the climax of our synergy.

My chest tightens. Part of me wants to lie, to keep that vulnerability hidden.

But I can’t after what we’ve shared. “It was real,” I admit softly, tears stinging again.

“I love you, Kaelith. Even though it terrifies me.”

His runes glow a fraction brighter, a mixture of wonder and relief crossing his battered face. “Then we share that terror. Because, Sariah, I… I can’t deny I love you in return. Despite everything.”

My heart soars painfully in my chest, tears finally flowing unchecked. We hold each other again, a gentler embrace this time. The rotting smell from outside and the damp chill of the cave fade from my awareness, replaced by the heady rush of hearing him confess a love I never expected.

But overshadowing our confessions is the knowledge that I nearly tapped into a well of chaos to heal him fully.

Darkness tugs at me, a whisper in my mind.

If I keep using synergy this way, if I keep forging deeper bonds with Kaelith, am I summoning the same demons that claimed Nerezza?

The thought casts a shadow over my raw joy.

Kaelith must sense my lingering unease, because he presses his forehead to mine, voice somber. “We’ll figure it out,” he whispers, runes dimming to a steady glow. “We won’t let the darkness claim us.”

I nod, tears slipping in silent agreement.

We remain there, tangled in each other’s warmth, half-dressed, half-injured, hearts pounding with an uncertain future.

Outside, the lesser gargoyles might still roam, Drayveth’s condemnation waits, and Nerezza’s shadow looms. But for this fragile moment, we’ve chosen each other, clung to love in a world determined to tear us apart.

Time slides past in a haze. Eventually, I coax Kaelith into a shallow rest, letting him slip into a partial stone doze while I stand watch near the cave entrance.

The brand on my wrist flickers with residual magic, and I fight off the lingering echoes of that dark temptation.

I won’t let it claim me, I vow, repeating his words.

We love each other enough to stand on the brink without falling.

As the night deepens, I hold a battered staff, scanning the silent mountain pass.

No gargoyle silhouettes appear, no shrieks echo.

Only the quiet drip of water and the distant moan of a high wind.

My body aches in every muscle, but an ember of fierce determination glows in my chest. If we can survive this, if we can hold onto the tenuous alliance with Drayveth’s group or find new allies in Snowfall Glen, maybe we stand a chance against Nerezza.

And maybe I can harness my magic for good, not darkness.

Tears glimmer in my eyes as I replay Kaelith’s confession.

He loves me too. The tether pulses in comforting manner, as though to confirm that for the first time, we openly embraced the bond.

My brand stings, but it no longer feels like condemnation.

Instead, it’s a symbol of the power I wield—and the responsibility I must carry.

I can do this, I tell myself, knuckles whitening around my staff. We can do this, together.

I glance over my shoulder, seeing Kaelith’s stone-laced form resting on the cavern floor, his breathing calmer now, runes steady. A wave of tender warmth floods me. He’s safe. For the moment.

Outside, the stars twinkle over the rugged peaks, indifferent to the mortals below. The night is uncertain, but we’re alive—and we share a bond deeper than fear. I vow I’ll keep fighting, keep forging a path that defies Nerezza’s shadow and Drayveth’s condemnation. I refuse to fall.

Because love tethers us, even in a world on the brink of darkness.

And though I glimpse the pull of chaos in my peripheral vision, for now, that love anchors me enough to push forward.

So I stand guard by the cave mouth, staff in hand, watching for danger with renewed hope beating in my chest—hope that our desperate union might be the key to saving both Kaelith and me from the fate that hunts us.

By the time dawn’s first pale light filters through the cavern fissure, Kaelith stirs from his partial stone doze.

His injuries still look brutal, but the edges are sealed by petrified flesh that gradually recedes as he regains consciousness.

I hurry to his side, brand tingling with relief.

He blinks at me, runes glowing softly, voice groggy. “We made it?”

I brush dust from his hair, nodding, tears of exhaustion flooding me. “For now,” I whisper. “The gargoyles didn’t return. We’re safe for the moment.”

He presses a clawed hand over mine, a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.” Emotions swirl in his gaze—gratitude, love, the leftover anguish from nearly dying. “I can walk?” He tests his legs, flinching slightly. But the gaping hole in his thigh is now a ragged scar. My chest floods with gratitude.

“Careful,” I urge, sliding an arm around his waist. He leans on me, though far less than last night.

The tether hums at our proximity, reminding me how intimately we fused our powers.

Heat flushes my cheeks. I can still feel the echoes of that desperate lovemaking.

He must sense it too, because his runes flicker in a moment of silent acknowledgement.

Our gazes meet, and the memory of our union pulses, overshadowed by the raw tenderness we share now.