chapter 7
897 Words
The morning light filtered weakly through the broken windows, casting long shadows across the room.
Luna sat on the cold floor, knees pulled to her chest, trying to process what had happened the night before.
The kiss.
The bond.
The pulse of the curse reacting to her…
It was too much to understand.
Kael didn’t speak.
He was standing near the doorway, arms crossed, eyes dark and unreadable, his presence filling the space.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she finally asked, voice trembling.
“Tell you what?” His voice was calm, but there was a tension beneath it that made her stomach twist.
“This… all of this!” she exclaimed, gesturing vaguely at him, at the mark, at the curse, at the bond that pulled them together. “That the curse would react to me, that… that I could… help you—or hurt you!”
He stepped closer slowly, each movement deliberate.
“Because it’s dangerous,” he said quietly. “And because I didn’t trust anyone… not even you… with it.”
Her heart dropped.
“You didn’t trust me?” she whispered.
His gaze softened just a fraction.
“I didn’t trust myself,” he admitted.
Her breath caught.
“What do you mean?”
He sat down opposite her, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, fingers entwined.
“The curse…” he said slowly, voice low. “It’s ancient. It’s tied to my bloodline, to everything I am. It doesn’t forgive. It doesn’t forget. And it reacts to what it senses—power, emotion, destiny.”
Her eyes widened.
“Destiny?”
Kael nodded once.
“Yes. And you… Luna, the moment I touched you, it sensed something in your blood. Something it recognizes. Something… alive. Dangerous. And yet… it’s drawn to you.”
Her stomach twisted painfully.
“Alive? Dangerous?” she repeated. “Kael… what does that mean for me?”
He leaned back, exhaling slowly.
“It means you’re not safe. Not near me. Not near this place. And not… yet.”
Fear prickled along her spine.
“I’m already here,” she said quietly, though her hands shook slightly.
A shadow of a smile flickered on his lips—just a ghost of one—but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“You shouldn’t be,” he said softly. “And yet… I can’t let you leave.”
Her heart raced violently.
“Kael… you don’t understand. I want to help you. I want to be with you. I don’t care about the danger.”
He studied her silently for a long moment, his dark eyes searching hers, weighing her, reading her soul.
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” he said finally.
“I do,” she replied firmly, voice stronger now. “I’ve never felt anything like this. And if the curse reacts to me… then maybe I can help. Maybe I can stop it from hurting you—or me.”
Kael exhaled slowly, running a hand through his dark hair.
“You’re fearless,” he murmured.
“No,” she said softly. “I’m just… tied to you now. Whether I like it or not.”
The words hung heavy between them.
Kael rose slowly, moving toward her.
Closer.
Every step sent shivers down her spine.
“You don’t understand what being tied to me means,” he said softly. “It’s not just the curse. It’s the danger. The power. The enemies who will come for both of us—because of what you are, because of what I am.”
Her pulse spiked.
“I’m not leaving,” she said quietly, her hands lifting to his chest instinctively. “And you’re not sending me away.”
He froze at the touch, his eyes darkening as the cracks on his skin pulsed faintly again.
“Do you feel it?” he whispered.
Her lips parted slightly.
“Feel what?”
“That pull… the bond. It’s alive. It reacts to you.”
She swallowed hard.
“Yes,” she admitted softly. “And it scares me… but I don’t want to run from it.”
He leaned down, his forehead pressing lightly against hers.
“Then you’ll stay,” he murmured.
“Yes,” she whispered back, her voice trembling.
Their breaths mingled.
The bond pulsed stronger than ever, tying them together, alive, dangerous… undeniable.
Kael lifted his head slightly, dark eyes studying her, lips just inches from hers.
“I can’t promise you safety,” he murmured. “I can’t promise I won’t lose control. But I can promise… I won’t let anything hurt you that I can stop.”
Her heart pounded violently.
“Then I’ll take my chances,” she whispered.
A long moment passed, heavy with tension, electricity, and emotion.
Then slowly… Kael pressed his lips to hers.
Not just a brush.
Not just a test.
This time, deliberate, consuming, claiming.
Her hands went to his shoulders, then his chest, holding him as the kiss deepened, fire and longing mingling with fear and curiosity.
Every pulse of the curse, every beat of her heart, every breath connected them more tightly than anything she had ever felt.
And deep inside, Luna knew… there was no turning back.
They were bound.
By fate.
By blood.
By the curse.
And by a passion neither of them could resist.
- Writer
