The practice room was still thick with the heat of their sparring. Sweat slicked Serenya's temples, her braid frayed, stray strands clinging to her flushed face. The runes inlaid on the floor pulsed faintly beneath her boots, like the stone itself remembered every surge of flame she'd forced into it tonight.
Kael hadn't moved from where he stood. His chest rose and fell with an even rhythm, unhurried, his storm-gray gaze pinned to her as though she were the only thing alive in the room.
It wasn't fair. He hadn't even drawn his blade.
Serenya's breathing was ragged, fire still rippling beneath her skin, begging to be released. She clenched her fists tighter, forcing the heat to stay buried. "You're not fighting back."
The prince's mouth curved. Not a smile too sharp for that. "I don't need to."
Her temper spiked, hot and dangerous. The fire leapt to her palm before she could stop it, a blade of living flame arcing out. She slashed toward him reckless, stupid just needing him to react.
He did. Not with fear. Not even with surprise. Kael moved like smoke and steel, sliding aside at the last instant. Her fire missed his chest by a whisper, cutting through the air and searing the edge of his tunic.
The room stank of scorched fabric.
Serenya froze, horror and fury tangling in her veins. "I"
Kael closed the distance before she could finish, his hand snapping around her wrist. The grip wasn't cruel, but it was iron. Unbreakable. His body was suddenly too close, his scent smoke, steel, something darker curling into her lungs.
"You'd better be certain," he said, voice low, dangerous, "before you ever let fire like that touch me again."
The flames guttered instantly, betraying her. With his hand on her wrist, she couldn't summon enough focus to keep them steady. The heat fizzled, leaving only the ghost of sparks dancing along her skin.
Her breath came too fast, too shallow. "You told me to trust it. To trust myself."
Kael leaned closer. His gray eyes caught the torchlight, turning them silver, molten. "I told you to control it. Trust without control is suicide."
Every word pressed against her like a brand, scalding, infuriating. He was right. She hated that he was right.
She hated even more the way her pulse thundered beneath his touch.
"Let go," she whispered, though it didn't sound like a command. Not even to her own ears.
For a heartbeat, he didn't. His thumb brushed her pulse, whether by accident or intention, she couldn't tell. Her fire flared at the touch, licking at her skin without burning her. Without burning him.
Her breath caught.
Kael's eyes narrowed. He'd felt it too.
Slowly, deliberately, he released her. The absence of his touch left her reeling, emptier than she wanted to admit.
Silence dragged between them, charged and heavy. She could still feel the ghost of his hand against her skin, the dangerous nearness of him.
Finally, he stepped back. His tone was sharper now, meant to cut through whatever had just coiled between them. "Again."
Serenya's jaw locked. "You'll regret saying that."
Her fire surged back to life, bright and fierce, but this time steadier. She pulled it into her hands, shaping it with care, remembering his words control before trust.
Kael circled her, the predator at ease, watching, assessing. "Better. But you're holding back."
"You said control."
"I said mastery." His voice dropped lower, velvet over steel. "Stop fearing what you are."
She swallowed hard. He made it sound so simple, as if the fear wasn't the only thing keeping her from losing herself completely. As if letting go wouldn't burn down everything she loved.
Her flame coiled tighter in her hands, trembling. She wanted to prove him wrong. She wanted to prove him right. She wanted
Kael moved suddenly, faster than her eyes could follow. One moment he was circling, the next he was in front of her, close enough that heat rolled off his body in waves.
Serenya staggered back, instinctively flaring her flame. He caught it. With his bare hand.
The fire twined around his fingers harmlessly, like silk.
Her eyes widened. "How"
Kael's mouth curved again, that sharp edge of amusement. "Did you think your fire could scare me?"
The flame shuddered in her grip, flickering wildly. But it wasn't rage anymore. It wasn't fear. It was something far more dangerous.
Her pulse hammered as he leaned closer, their flames tangling between them, bright ribbons curling in the air. For a moment it looked like they breathed the same fire, shared the same heartbeat.
Serenya tried to speak, but her throat was tight, her voice gone.
Kael's gray gaze burned into hers. "One day," he murmured, too soft for anyone else to ever hear, "you'll understand what it means to be bound by flame."
The words seared deeper than fire ever could.
Before she could answer, before she could even breathe, a sound shattered the moment.
The high windows rattled as a scream tore through the night a sound not human, not beast, but something in between.
Both of them spun. The air outside was already dark with wings.
Shadows. Dozens of them. Hollow-born creatures, pouring from the sky, their bodies twisted things of smoke and claw.
The training hall trembled as the first slammed against the balcony, shrieking.
Serenya's fire snapped higher, ready, alive. Her fear was gone. There was only heat, only survival, only him at her side.
Kael drew his blade at last, the steel singing as it cleared the scabbard. His voice was fierce, certain, unshakable.
"Stay with me."
And gods help her she wanted to.