Chapter Twenty-Three: Fire Beneath the Skin
399 Words
He’s standing in the war tent when I return.
Reading maps. Marking strategies. Pretending the world isn’t coming undone around him.
I don’t announce myself.
I let my presence speak—loud and silent.
He stiffens. “She’s lying.”
I cross my arms.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You don’t have to. I know what Elira’s capable of.”
“And what are you capable of, Kael?”
He turns, slow and guarded.
His eyes flicker—not cold, but calculating.
“Whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
“That’s not what this is about,” I snap. “It’s not about me. It’s about you. About what you’ve hidden. About what you knew before I even stepped into your damn territory.”
His mouth tightens. “You’re angry.”
“No,” I say, stepping closer. “I’m awake.”
He stares at me, silent.
So I ask it.
The question that’s been rotting in my ribs since Elira spoke it into me.
“Did you know I was marked before the bond?”
He flinches.
That’s answer enough.
“You used me,” I whisper, disgusted.
“No.”
“You planned for me—like a weapon.”
“I protected you.”
“By lying to me? By pulling me into a war I never asked for? By putting a mark on my soul I can’t scrub off?”
He moves—fast.
Grabs my wrist, but gently. Like I’ll shatter if he touches too hard.
“I didn’t plan you, Aurora. I didn’t expect you to matter.”
I recoil like he slapped me.
“Then what the hell am I?”
He closes his eyes.
“You’re the only thing I didn’t see coming. And the only thing I can’t afford to lose.”
I want to scream. Or kiss him. Or stab him in the heart and take his place on the throne.
Instead, I yank my arm free and spit the words like venom.
“If I’m a weapon, Kael—don’t be surprised when I stop pointing at your enemies.”
He’s quiet. Too quiet.
So I turn my back and walk away.
Not out of weakness.
Out of warning.
Because I still love him.
But I no longer trust him.
And those two things?
Together?
Are far more dangerous than hate.
---
- Writer
