Chapter 6: Mine to Protect
1118 Words
The palace no longer felt like a place of power.
It felt like a trap.
Seraphina Vale walked beside King Kaelith Draven, her senses sharp, her mind restless. Ever since the voices she overheard in the hidden passage, something inside her refused to settle.
They wanted her gone.
Not ignored.
Not removed quietly.
Gone.
And the worst part?
She believed them.
“Stay close.”
Kaelith’s voice cut through the silence, low and commanding.
Seraphina glanced at him, her expression unreadable. “You keep saying that like I’m fragile.”
His eyes flickered toward her briefly, dark and intense.
“Not fragile,” he said.
A pause.
“Targeted.”
Her chest tightened slightly at that word.
Before she could respond—
A sudden sound sliced through the corridor.
Fast footsteps.
Too fast.
Kaelith’s reaction was immediate.
His hand shot out, gripping her arm and pulling her back just as a blade tore through the air.
It missed her by inches.
The dagger slammed into the stone wall behind them with a sharp, echoing crack.
Seraphina’s breath hitched.
Her heart slammed violently against her chest.
“Stay behind me,” Kaelith ordered, his voice no longer calm—but lethal.
Figures emerged from the shadows.
Four of them.
Dressed in dark cloaks, faces hidden beneath hoods.
Assassins.
Seraphina’s pulse raced, but she didn’t step back again.
Fear wasn’t new to her.
But this?
This was different.
This was calculated.
One of the attackers stepped forward slightly.
“We’re not here for you, Your Majesty,” he said coldly.
Their attention shifted.
To her.
A chill ran down her spine.
“She shouldn’t exist here.”
Kaelith’s entire presence changed.
The air itself seemed to darken.
“No,” he said quietly.
His voice dropped into something deeper.
More dangerous.
“She exists exactly where I allow her to.”
The tension snapped.
The attackers moved.
Fast.
Deadly.
The first one lunged toward Kaelith, blade aimed straight for his chest.
He didn’t flinch.
In one swift motion, he sidestepped, grabbing the attacker’s wrist and twisting it sharply. A sickening crack echoed as the weapon fell from the man’s hand.
Kaelith struck without hesitation.
Precise.
Efficient.
Brutal.
Within seconds, the first attacker hit the ground.
The others didn’t stop.
They rushed forward together, their movements coordinated, practiced.
Seraphina stepped back slightly, her eyes scanning, her mind racing.
This wasn’t random.
This was planned.
One of them broke through Kaelith’s defense line, heading straight for her.
Seraphina’s breath caught as the blade flashed toward her—
But before it could reach her—
Kaelith appeared.
Like a shadow.
Like death itself.
His hand wrapped tightly around the attacker’s throat mid-motion.
The man froze.
Struggled.
Failed.
Kaelith’s grip tightened slowly, his eyes dark and emotionless.
“You made a mistake,” he said quietly.
The assassin gasped for air.
“You touched what belongs to me.”
Seraphina’s heart skipped.
The words echoed loudly in her chest.
Before she could process it—
Kaelith slammed the man to the ground with terrifying force.
The impact echoed through the corridor.
The remaining attackers hesitated.
Just for a second.
But that second was enough.
Royal guards flooded the hallway, surrounding them quickly. The last assassin attempted to flee, but he was dragged down within moments.
Silence fell again.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
The threat was gone.
But the tension remained.
Kaelith stood still for a moment, his back to her, his breathing steady—controlled.
Then slowly—
He turned.
His eyes found her immediately.
Sharp.
Searching.
“You’re hurt.”
It wasn’t a question.
Seraphina shook her head slightly, though her pulse still raced.
“No.”
But her voice wasn’t as steady as she wanted it to be.
He stepped closer.
Too close.
His gaze moved over her carefully, as if checking for injuries she hadn’t noticed.
Then—
His hand lifted.
Brushing lightly against her arm.
The touch was gentle.
A complete contrast to the violence she had just witnessed.
“They’re not going to stop,” she said quietly.
His jaw tightened.
“I know.”
“This is because of me.”
Silence.
He didn’t deny it.
Her chest tightened.
“You should let me go,” she said.
“If I leave, this ends.”
His eyes darkened instantly.
“No.”
The word was firm.
Final.
“You don’t get to decide that,” she pushed.
“And you don’t get to leave,” he replied.
His voice dropped lower.
Colder.
“Not anymore.”
Frustration flared in her chest.
“This isn’t protection,” she said. “This is control.”
A pause.
Then—
He stepped even closer.
Close enough that she could feel the heat of his presence.
Close enough that her breath caught despite herself.
“This,” he said quietly, “is survival.”
Before she could respond—
He turned sharply toward the guards.
His voice cut through the corridor like a blade.
“Listen carefully.”
Every guard straightened instantly.
“No one touches her,” he said, his tone deadly calm.
“She is under my protection.”
A heavy silence followed.
Then—
He looked back at Seraphina.
Something shifted in his gaze.
Something deeper.
More dangerous.
He stepped closer again.
This time, there was no distance left between them.
“And from this moment on…”
His voice lowered, but everyone heard it.
“…she belongs to me.”
The words echoed through the corridor.
The guards exchanged glances.
Shock.
Understanding.
This wasn’t just an order.
It was a claim.
Seraphina’s heart pounded wildly in her chest.
“You don’t own me,” she said, though her voice was softer now.
His eyes locked onto hers.
“I don’t need to,” he replied.
A pause.
Then—
“I just need to keep you alive.”
Her breath caught.
The intensity in his gaze made it hard to look away.
Hard to think.
Hard to breathe.
“You can’t keep me here forever,” she whispered.
He leaned in slightly.
His voice dropped to something only she could hear.
“Watch me.”
Her pulse raced uncontrollably.
Everything inside her told her to pull away.
To resist.
To fight.
But something else—
Something dangerous—
Held her in place.
Because the truth was becoming impossible to ignore.
He wasn’t just protecting her.
He was claiming her.
And the more she tried to fight it…
The more she felt herself being pulled into his world.
Into his control.
Into him.
And the most terrifying part?
A small part of her—
Was starting to feel safe there.
Even if it meant burning with him.
End of Chapter 6
- Writer
