Elyria hadn't slept since the breathing halls.
Something in her had shifted. Or maybe awakened.
It wasn't just the lingering taste of Kaelith's mouth on hers, or the breathless stillness between them in those final seconds before their kiss. It was in her bones now. Her skin. Her breath.
The fire she'd seen during the Trial hadn't faded. It lived in her now, curling beneath her ribs like a second heart. Sometimes when she brushes her hand against the walls, it warmed. When she closes her eyes, Kaelith's magic whispered through to her, low and deadly, like the hum of a sleeping beast.
Even though that part may just be her imagination.
She sat alone in the quiet of her chambers, staring at her waist. In the dark, it glowed faintly.
This is more than a bond, she thought. This is becoming me.
A knock pulled her from her thoughts.
Kaelith didn't wait for her to answer. He stepped in, his coat half undone, shadows still trailing behind him like smoke. He looked as though he hadn't rested either. His eyes, golden and sharp, locked on her glowing waist.
"It's starting," he said, voice low.
"What?"
"The bonding."
He crossed the room, and the temperature shifted with him.
"I warned you," he murmured. "The bond isn't passive. It feeds both ways. You're taking more of me than I expected."
She raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly did you expect, Kaelith?"
His smirk was tired, but there. "Not to crave your warmth like a starving creature. Not to wake every time you breathe."
She stood, heartbeat loud in her ears. "And yet here you are."
They stood close now. Too close.
He exhaled, hand lifting as if to touch her cheek, but halting an inch away.
"There are consequences, Elyria. If we don't stabilize this bond, others will notice. They already have."
She looked up, challengingly. "Let them notice."
He hissed through his teeth. "They'll think you're weakening me. That your fire is consuming mine. That I've grown soft."
"Have you?"
That caught him.
His hand dropped.
"There's talk," he said after a moment. "The Houses stir. The Council whispers. They'll force an inquiry. Or worse, a challenge."
Elyria frowned. "Because we kissed?"
"Because you are human," he replied. "And they fear what they don't control."
He turned, pacing like a caged storm.
"There's a ritual," he said at last. "A binding rite. Not full, but deep enough to steady what's growing between us. It ties you further into this realm—and to me."
"And what's the cost? Because it sounds....not healthy for humans."
Kaelith faced her fully, eyes unreadable. "If you accept it, the realm will recognize you not just as consort… but as something more. Tied to my fate. Bound to my soul. Demonic in essence."
"What happens if I refuse?"
"They'll come for me, then you and finally, your realm and i might not be able to protect you, elyria."
Elyria lifted her chin. "I don't need protection, Kaelith. I need power."
He paused.
And smiled.
"Then we bargain."