THE SUNLESS HEIR

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE ANCHOR

Elian screamed Kaelen's name, a sound that tore through the blizzard. The Sun-Weaver didn't throw fire this time. He closed the distance in a blur, tackling the Blood-Weaver to the icy ground. Elian’s hands clamped directly onto the man's face.

"Burn," Elian whispered, his voice trembling with sheer, unadulterated rage.

The heat that poured from Elian was not the brilliant light of the dawn. It was the blinding, localized fury of a dying star. The Blood-Weaver barely had time to shriek before the thermal force incinerated him from the inside out, turning him into a pile of white-hot ash.

The crimson magic severing, Kaelen collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. The courtyard fell dead silent, save for the howling wind.

Elian dropped to the stone beside him, entirely uncaring of the mud and ash ruining his silk. His hands were shaking violently as he reached for Kaelen, his glowing fingers frantically unbuckling the heavy obsidian breastplate. "Look at me. Kaelen, look at me," Elian pleaded, his voice breaking.

Kaelen coughed, the metallic taste of blood thick on his tongue. He leaned heavily against the stone pillar, his amber eyes struggling to focus on the Weaver. His skin was terrifyingly pale, the cursed veins along his jaw pulsing weakly.

Elian didn't ask for permission. He pressed his warm, glowing hands directly against Kaelen’s bare chest, right over his heart. He didn't use fire; he channeled pure, gentle, revitalizing sunlight, forcing the ambient warmth deep into Kaelen's freezing veins.

Kaelen let his heavy head fall forward, resting his forehead against Elian’s shoulder. He closed his eyes, his breathing slowly steadying as the Weaver’s profound, relentless empathy poured into him. He reached up with a trembling, steel-clad hand, wrapping his fingers into Elian’s unruly chestnut hair, grounding himself.

"I have you," Elian murmured fiercely, pressing a desperate kiss into Kaelen’s damp hair, his own tears evaporating instantly on his burning cheeks. "I am not letting you go back into the dark. Do you hear me? You stay here, in the light. With me."

Kaelen tightened his grip, the freezing numbness fading into the absolute certainty of the man holding him. "Always," he rasped, his voice barely a whisper against the wind. "Only with you."