Torches flickered through the rain as armored figures advanced across the battlefield. Their voices carried, sharp and eager.
"Search every body! The Dragon Princess is wounded—she can't have gone far!"
Aric's jaw clenched. Dragon hunters.
Serenya turned to him, her expression cold and imperious despite her pale face. "Fight."
He barked a laugh. "Fight? You think I'd risk my life for you? You're insane."
Her gaze hardened. "If I fall, you fall. Our souls are one now, human. Remember that."
The reminder burned through his chest like a brand. He cursed under his breath. She was right—if she died here, the bond would drag him into the grave with her.
Damn it all.
He tightened his grip on his battered sword, stepping in front of her as shadows closed in.
The hunters emerged—six men in blackened armor, carrying steel chains and spears tipped with dragon bone. Their leader sneered when he saw Aric.
"A lone mercenary? Pathetic. Step aside, boy. That creature belongs to the Empire."
Aric spat to the side. "I don't take orders from cowards who chain what they fear."
The man's smirk vanished. He raised his hand. "Kill him. The dragon lives—for now."
They lunged.
Steel clashed in the rain. Aric parried one strike, barely dodged another. His body screamed from exhaustion, but something strange surged in his veins—heat, raw and violent. His blade burned faintly red as if fire itself clung to it.
The bond.
Serenya's golden eyes widened as she felt it too. "Yes… use it." Her voice was soft, almost reverent. "Draw on my flame."
Aric roared as his sword cleaved through the air, a trail of sparks following. One hunter fell, screaming as fire erupted across his armor.
The others hesitated, eyes flicking between him and the wounded woman behind him.
The leader snarled. "So it's true. The Dragon Princess bonded with a human."
He raised his spear, dark energy swirling around it.
Serenya's expression turned sharp, her voice a whisper only Aric could hear.
"Human… if you want to live, kill them all."
Aric's chest burned as their bond pulsed like a second heartbeat.
He didn't know if this power would consume him or save him. But with hunters closing in, he had no choice but to unleash it.