The training hall smelled of smoke and iron. Torchlight licked at the stone walls, painting them in restless shadows, as though even the room itself braced for what might happen within.
Serenya hesitated at the doorway, her hand pressed flat against the cool frame. She could still feel the echo of the word she'd spoken on the balcony yes. It had come out of her mouth before she could stop it, soft and small, yet binding in a way that terrified her.
Kael Draven stood at the center of the hall, waiting.
He hadn't dressed in armor or finery tonight. Just a black tunic clinging to broad shoulders, dark trousers tucked into worn boots. His storm-gray eyes lifted to her, unreadable. That was what unnerved her most not his power, not his presence, but the way he could look straight through her shields as if they weren't there.
"You came." His voice carried easily across the vast room. Not surprised. Not pleased. Just… steady.
Serenya swallowed hard and stepped inside. Her boots echoed softly against the polished floor, the sound swallowed by the cavernous silence. "You asked."
"You said yes."
The reminder sent a shiver down her spine. He was right she had. She'd chosen this, when everything in her wanted to hide.
Kael motioned toward the circle of runes carved into the floor. The faint etchings shimmered with dull light, as though the stones themselves were waiting for her to test them. "Stand there."
Serenya clenched her fists to hide the tremor in her hands. She hated how aware she was of his gaze following her, sharp and intent. She hated even more the way her chest tightened under it.
She stepped into the circle. Heat curled in her veins, immediate and insistent.
"Breathe," Kael said quietly.
She closed her eyes, inhaled. The fire stirred, restless, like it had been waiting for this very moment.
"Again," he murmured.
Her chest rose, fell. Sparks teased her fingertips. Her skin buzzed, every nerve on edge.
"Now focus." His voice dropped lower, softer. "Let it come."
Serenya opened her hands. Flame flickered to life, small but sharp, dancing between her palms. The hall warmed.
Her breath caught. Too much. Too fast
"You're fine." Kael's words cut through her panic, grounding her. "You have it."
The fire stilled. Not gone, not wild. Balanced.
Serenya blinked at it, the delicate ribbon of molten light weaving above her skin. It looked almost beautiful. Almost hers.
Kael stepped closer, his boots whispering against the floor. He didn't stop at the edge of the circle. He came inside, slow and deliberate, until his presence pressed against her awareness as much as the fire did.
"Good," he said, voice softer now, almost approving. "Now extend it. Shape it."
Her pulse hammered. She tried stretching the flame outward, coaxing it instead of forcing it. The ribbon lengthened, curling into the air like molten silk.
Her chest tightened. "It's going to break"
"Trust it."
His words brushed against her like heat. She swallowed, drawing in a breath that tasted of smoke, and the ribbon steadied. For the first time in her life, the fire didn't feel like a threat. It felt like a dance.
Kael's lips curved faintly. "Impressive."
The praise hit her harder than it should. "So… good enough?"
"For now." His tone carried the faintest tease, but the look in his eyes was serious. "But skill alone won't save you. You'll need more."
She tilted her head. "More?"
"Trust." His gaze didn't waver, didn't blink. "In yourself. And in those who would stand with you."
The words pulled something deep in her chest. A longing she'd tried to bury, a wish she didn't dare name. To not carry this alone. To not be alone.
The fire wavered, flickering with her heartbeat. Kael reached out without hesitation, his hand closing gently over hers. His skin was warm, steady, grounding.
"Focus here," he said, low and sure. "On what you can hold."
The flame steadied again, curling harmlessly between their joined hands. Her breath stuttered. Every inch of her felt alive, electric, burning. Not from fear. From him. From this.
She should pull back. She should shove him away before he saw just how much she wanted to lean into that warmth.
But she didn't.
The air thickened, charged, the distance between them dwindling until she could feel the heat of his breath against her cheek. His gray eyes locked on hers, stormy and unrelenting, as if he were memorizing every flicker of light in her irises.
The fire inside her responded to him, drawn like a tide to the pull of the moon.
Then
A shadow swept across the high window.
Serenya jerked, breaking the fragile spell. Kael's head snapped up, his hand tightening briefly on hers before releasing.
From the balcony rail, a creature landed soundlessly. Its feathers shimmered in hues of ember-red and molten gold, each movement catching the torchlight. Its eyes glowed bright, ancient, as it tilted its head toward her.
Serenya's breath caught. A pulse ignited in her chest warm, certain, undeniable.
The Emberborn had come. And it had chosen her.
The bond struck like lightning, flooding her with heat that wasn't her own. Not frightening, not overwhelming. Just right. Like a missing piece sliding into place.
Kael reached for the creature at the same moment she did. His hand brushed hers, sparks dancing between their skin, the flame twining harmlessly around his fingers as though it, too, acknowledged the bond.
"You're not alone in this," Kael murmured, his voice low, certain.
Serenya's throat tightened. For once, the words didn't feel like a lie.
"No," she whispered, the sound steadier than she felt. "And I don't want to be."
The Emberborn's molten gaze held hers. Kael's hand lingered, warm against her skin.
Outside, night had swallowed the sky whole. Inside, heat and power burned brighter than any fire.