The Enchanted Five

Book 1 Chapter 12

Three days passed in a blur of ink, parchment, and unanswered questions. Ari practically lived in the library now. She slept late, skipped meals, and buried herself in every scrap of lore she could find. The prophecy. The werebears. The Fraser line. The bond between the First and the Prince. Every page she read only raised more questions. And Bram? He stayed away. She heard him in the halls sometimes, a low voice, a heavy step, but he never crossed the library threshold. Not once. It was as if they were orbiting each other, both too afraid to collide. On the fourth afternoon, the library door swung open, and Moira marched in with a tray.

“Ari Thorne,” she said, hands on her hips, “you’ve not eaten since yesterday.”

Ari blinked. “I… forgot. Mom always said I was like a dog with a bone, like dad.”

Moira snorted. “The world could be on fire, and you’d still be reading.”

Ari flushed. “Sorry.”

Moira softened. “Lass, you need air. And food. And a break from all this doom and prophecy.”

“I can’t,” Ari said. “I’m close to...”

“You’re coming with me to town,” Moira said firmly. “End of discussion.”

Ari opened her mouth to argue… then stopped. Maybe a break would help. Maybe she could find something in town, a bookshop, a historian, anything. “Okay,” she said quietly. “Let’s go.”

Moira smiled. “Good girl.”

Bram returned from the training grounds, sweat still clinging to his skin, and headed straight for the library.

Empty. His chest tightened. “Where is she?” Torin looked up from the ward map. “Moira took her to town.”

Bram froze. “She WHAT?”

Torin raised a brow. “She needed air. And food. And a break.”

Bram’s pulse roared. “She shouldn’t be out there.”

“She’s with Moira,” Torin said calmly.

“That’s not the point.”

Torin’s eyes sharpened. “Then go get her.”

Bram didn’t need to be told twice.

The town was charming, with stone streets, warm shops, and friendly faces. Ari wandered through a small bookstore while Moira chatted with the owner. That’s when she heard a smooth voice behind her.

“Didn’t expect to see someone new in these parts.” Ari turned. A tall man with dark hair and a mischievous smile leaned against the shelf. His eyes were sharp, curious, and entirely too confident.

“I’m Kellan,” he said. “And you must be the American staying up at the castle.”

Ari blinked. “Word travels fast.”

“In a small town?” Kellan grinned. “It travels faster than gossip.” She laughed despite herself. They talked about books, Scotland, and her research. Kellan was charming, funny, and surprisingly knowledgeable about Highland legends. Then he tilted his head. “Listen… I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner sometime. Maybe tonight?” Ari opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say no thanks...

“Ari.” His voice cut through the shop like a blade. Kellan straightened. Ari turned to see Bram standing in the doorway, chest rising and falling like he’d sprinted the whole way. His eyes locked on Kellan. Hard. Moira appeared behind him, muttering, “Oh, for heaven’s sake…”

Bram stepped forward. “We’re leaving.”

Ari bristled. “Excuse me?”

Bram didn’t look at her; he was still staring down at Kellan. “Now.”

Kellan smirked. “Friend of yours?”

“No,” Bram said sharply. Ari’s stomach twisted. Bram finally looked at her. “Dinner. With me.”

Ari blinked. “I didn’t agree to...”

“You’re hungry,” Bram said, softer now. “And we need to talk.” Kellan raised a brow. “Seems like someone’s jealous.”

Bram growled, actually growled, and Moira smacked his arm.

Ari sighed. “Fine. Dinner. But you don’t get to order me around.”

Bram swallowed hard. “Understood.”

The restaurant was warm and quiet, but the tension between them was anything but. Ari poked at her food. “You didn’t have to interrupt.”

Bram stared at his plate. “He’s not who you think he is.”

“You don’t know who I think he is.”

“I know enough.”

Ari huffed. “You’re still avoiding me.”

Bram’s jaw tightened. “I’m protecting you.”

“From what?” He didn’t answer. Ari leaned back, frustration burning in her chest. “You can’t keep doing this. Pulling me close one minute and shutting me out the next.”

Bram closed his eyes. “I’m trying,” he whispered. “I just… don’t know how.”

Ari looked away. She didn’t know how either. But she knew one thing: Whatever was happening between them wasn’t going away.

Dinner ended in a quiet, uneasy truce. Bram paid the bill without looking at her, jaw tight, shoulders tense. Ari followed him out of the restaurant, the cool night air brushing her cheeks. They walked in silence for a while, the cobblestone streets glowing under the warm lantern light. The town was peaceful, but Ari’s thoughts were anything but. Bram kept a careful distance between them, not too close, not too far, as if he didn’t trust himself to bridge the space.

Ari finally broke the silence. “You didn’t have to drag me away like that.”

Bram exhaled slowly. “I didn’t drag you.”

“You didn’t give me a choice.”

He stopped walking. Turned to her. His eyes were shadowed, conflicted. “I’m trying to keep you safe,” he said quietly.

“From Kellan?” Ari asked. “Or from you?”

Bram flinched barely, but she saw it. He didn’t answer. Instead, he resumed walking, slower this time, as if the weight of her question hung between them like fog. Ari sighed and fell into step beside him. The castle loomed in the distance, its silhouette rising against the darkening sky. She should have felt comforted by it, but tonight, it felt like a place full of secrets.

When they reached the gates, Bram finally spoke. “I shouldn’t have interrupted,” he said, voice low. “But I couldn’t… I didn’t want…” He trailed off, unable to finish.

Ari’s chest tightened. “Bram, you can talk to me.” He looked at her, then really looked, and for a heartbeat, she saw everything he was trying to hide. Fear. Longing. Something deeper. Something ancient. But just as quickly, he shut it down.

“Goodnight, Ari.”

He turned and walked toward the castle doors before she could respond. Ari stood there for a moment, frustrated and aching and more confused than ever. Then a soft sound behind her made her turn. A figure stood at the edge of the street, half‑hidden in the shadows between two buildings. The lantern light caught just enough of his face for her to recognize him.

Kellan watched her with a slow, knowing smile, not threatening, but unsettling in its confidence, like he’d expected Bram to swoop in. Like he’d learned something important just by observing. Ari’s breath hitched. Kellan lifted two fingers in a casual salute. Then he melted back into the darkness. Ari shivered. Whatever was happening between her and Bram…Kellan had just decided he wanted to be part of it. And that was a problem neither of them saw coming.