Chapter Seventeen: Aftershocks
842 Words
Chapter Seventeen: Aftershocks
The cavern was too quiet after Elara’s explosion.
The Veilwater stilled, shadows thinned, and yet the air still vibrated with the echo of her command. One by one, the brothers broke away from her light, retreating into their own corners of the sanctuary.
Elara felt their emotions clawing at her through the bonds—rage, shame, desire, fear—all tangled like a snarl she couldn’t undo.
Kael
He didn’t look back as he stalked to the far side of the cavern, flames flickering in his clenched fists. Guilt gnawed at him, but so did something darker. She had stood against him. Stopped him. And yet, gods help him, he’d never wanted her more than when she glowed with that unearthly starlight, untouchable, defiant.
“She doesn’t understand,” he muttered under his breath, punching the stone wall until sparks burst. “She’ll burn herself alive before this is done.”
But deep down, he knew—if she was fire, he would gladly let her consume him.
Theron
He stayed near the water, staring into its dark surface as though it could wash away the shame staining his chest. He had lost control. Again.
Yet the memory of her voice—commanding, radiant—sent shivers down his spine. He wanted to be her shield, her steady ground, but what if he was just another storm threatening to drown her?
“Fool,” he whispered to his reflection. But when he closed his eyes, all he could feel was the press of Kael’s fire against her lips.
Riven
Unlike the others, Riven didn’t sulk. He leaned casually against a stalagmite, arms crossed, a sly grin tugging at his mouth.
“Well, little star,” he murmured, though she wasn’t near enough to hear, “you’ve got claws after all.”
Amusement rippled through him, but under it was something sharper—curiosity, hunger. He had always enjoyed breaking things open, testing their limits. And Elara had just shown she was far more dangerous than she looked.
He chuckled, low and wicked. “I can’t wait to see how far you’ll go.”
Darius
He remained silent in the shadows, watching. Unlike his brothers, he hadn’t reacted outwardly to her power—but inside, something stirred. The prophecy whispered in his mind: The star will bind or break the night.
Elara had proven tonight she was no mere mortal girl.
And Darius… he wasn’t sure if that thrilled him or terrified him.
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Elara sat alone in the center of the cavern, breath still uneven, bonds pulling her in every direction. They were fire and storm, shadow and mischief—and all of them were unraveling for her.
But for the first time, she wasn’t afraid.
Elara hugged her knees to her chest, the glow of her starfire long gone. The cavern felt colder without it, every drip of water echoing like a reminder of what she’d unleashed.
She wasn’t sure if she should be proud—or terrified.
The bonds tugged at her, whispers of Kael’s fury, Theron’s shame, Riven’s wicked amusement… and then, softer, steadier. A presence in the shadows.
Darius.
She felt him before she saw him. His bond was the quietest of all, but it pressed against her like the weight of night—inescapable, undeniable.
“You silenced them,” his voice came low, smooth, from the darkness. “Not an easy thing to do.”
Elara lifted her head. He stepped forward, shadows peeling back from him like mist, eyes glinting silver in the dim light.
“They would have killed each other,” she whispered. “And over what? Me?” Her voice cracked on the last word.
“Yes,” Darius said simply. “Over you. They would burn the world, drown it, laugh while it burned… all for you.”
Her throat tightened. “And you?” she asked, hating how fragile the question sounded. “What would you do, Darius?”
For a long moment, he only studied her, unreadable as ever. Then he crouched down in front of her, close enough that the scent of earth and smoke clung to her lungs.
His hand brushed her chin, tilting her face up—gentle but firm, commanding without force. Shadows curled around his wrist like living ink.
“I don’t play at fire or water, Elara,” he murmured. “I wait. I watch. And when the time is right…” His thumb brushed the corner of her lips, slow, deliberate. “…I strike.”
Her pulse raced, heat sparking where his skin met hers.
Darius leaned closer, his breath ghosting over her ear. “Remember this, little star. The prophecy isn’t theirs alone. It’s yours. You choose which of us you’ll crown… and which of us you’ll destroy.”
Then, before she could respond, he straightened, shadows swallowing him once more as he melted back into the dark.
Leaving her trembling, breathless, and terrified of just how much power she had over all of them—especially him.
- Writer
