Chapter Nineteen
747 Words
Morning broke with a hush, as if the forest itself were still catching its breath.
Sabrina stirred beneath the blankets, the warm press of Dmitri’s body grounding her in the quiet aftermath. But something had shifted. Not just in the air or in the stillness—but inside her. The Sylvari Bond, usually no more than a gentle hum beneath her skin, had flared in the bath the night before—sharp, urgent, wrong. It had climbed her spine with icy fingers, a visceral jolt of panic that hadn’t felt entirely her own.
She’d risen from the tub, dripping and half-dressed, just as the Sentinels began to stir outside.
And then he’d come back—bloodied, naked, eyes haunted.
Now, wrapped in the hush of their bed, she listened to him breathe beside her. Dmitri’s face was turned into the pillow, a faint furrow still etched between his brows. His body bore new scars—faint now, but fresh. Evidence of a fight she hadn’t been part of. Couldn’t protect him from.
She turned in his arms and reached out, fingertips ghosting over one of the healing gashes on his shoulder.
His eyes opened. Bleary, dark, already aware.
“You’re awake,” she murmured.
“Couldn’t stay asleep. The bond—it’s loud today.” He rolled onto his back, wincing slightly. “You felt it last night, didn’t you?”
She nodded. “While I was in the bath. It clawed at me—like fear, but not mine. That’s how I knew something was wrong.”
He sat up slowly, dragging a hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I told you it was just a run.”
“And I believed you,” she said. “But I also knew you were lying.”
He stilled. Then: “I’m sorry. I couldn’t leave it alone, Sabrina. I felt him—out there, watching. I had to be sure.”
She pulled the blankets tighter around her bare legs and exhaled. “You said ‘him.’ You know who the wolf was.”
His jaw tensed. “Ragnor.”
She blinked. “That name means nothing to me.”
“It will.” His voice was grim. “He’s one of the old alphas. Brutal. Ruthless. Most thought he was dead—or hoped. But he’s alive. And now, he’s hunting again.”
Her heart kicked up. “Hunting you?”
“Maybe. Or maybe what we’ve become.” His eyes found hers. “The Sylvari Bond—it’s not just rare. It’s forbidden. A witch and a werewolf bound by ancient Fae magic? To someone like Ragnor, that’s not just unnatural. It’s offensive.”
She swung her legs off the bed, the chill of the floor biting into her bare feet. “Then we need answers. I want to speak to Seraphina. If Ragnor found us once, he’ll try again. We need protections—stronger ones. And maybe… allies.”
Dmitri nodded, already moving. “We’ll go today.”
They dressed in quiet urgency, their movements sure and deliberate. Sabrina pulled on a deep-green traveling cloak, embroidered with silver sigils that shimmered faintly with enchantment. Around her neck, she clasped a moonstone pendant—its magic pulsing gently against her skin. Protection. Intuition. Memory.
Dmitri donned black trousers and a linen shirt, the fabric clinging to the cuts along his ribs. He strapped a dagger to his thigh—simple, lethal. Before leaving, he paused at the kitchen wall, palm pressed flat against the plaster where the wards hummed like a heartbeat.
She packed quickly—only what mattered. Crystals. Herbs. Ink. Practical magic. Old habits.
Outside, the morning air was cool and gold-drenched, carrying a quiet tension beneath its peace. The Silent Sentinels stood motionless once more, but their eyes still glowed faintly—embers that hadn’t yet cooled.
Sabrina paused at the threshold. “Do you think he’ll come back?”
Dmitri stepped beside her, voice low. “Eventually. But not today. Not after what the Sentinels did to him.”
“Still…” She touched the doorway, murmuring a charm of reinforcement under her breath. “Let’s not wait for him to knock again.”
The moment they stepped beyond the protective line, the shift was immediate.
The veil between worlds thinned, folding around them like silk. Light deepened. Air thickened. Colors sharpened into something rich, otherworldly.
Hand in hand, they crossed through the veil—together.
- Writer
