The training hall was dark except for the torches guttering along the walls, their flames throwing long shadows across the runes carved into the floor. The scent of smoke lingered from their last session, faint but clinging, like memory.
Serenya's pulse thrummed as she stepped into the circle, Kael already waiting at its center. He looked carved from shadow and steel black tunic clinging to his frame, sleeves rolled to his elbows, storm-gray eyes steady as they tracked her every move.
It wasn't fair. He made the air feel heavier just by existing in it.
"You're late." His tone was even, but a twitch of his mouth betrayed his amusement.
She crossed her arms, masking the nerves crawling under her skin. "Maybe I wanted you to wait."
Kael tilted his head, studying her with infuriating calm. "Careful. Fire doesn't wait. It consumes."
The words lodged in her chest. He wasn't just talking about magic. He was talking about her.
The runes flared faintly as she took her place. The circle always hummed when she entered, as if recognizing the fire in her blood. Tonight it was louder, sharper, like the very stones could sense the restlessness under her skin.
Kael moved closer. Not close enough to touch, but enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him. His voice dropped low, almost a growl.
"Tonight, we push harder. No more holding back."
Her stomach tightened. She wanted to argue, to tell him she wasn't ready. But the look in his eyes made the words die in her throat. He believed she could do this. He believed when she didn't.
She exhaled slowly. "Fine."
"Good." His lips quirked, just a ghost of a smile. Then he lifted his hand, and the air rippled with his magic.
Stormlight crackled along his fingers gray, edged with silver. Not flame, not shadow, but something older. It hummed in the space between them, brushing against her fire like static before lightning.
Serenya's chest tightened as heat surged in her veins, responding instinctively. She raised her palm, a small flame sparking to life. It danced, eager, hungry.
Kael's gaze flicked to the fire, then back to her. "Stronger."
She fed it her breath, her focus, until the flame grew. It wrapped around her hand like molten silk, coiling up her wrist. The air shimmered with heat.
"Again." His voice sharpened, commanding.
The flame leapt higher, licking toward the ceiling. She clenched her jaw, sweat breaking across her skin as she fought to rein it in. It wanted more. It always wanted more.
Kael moved closer, circling her slowly like a predator. "Good. Now direct it. Don't let it rule you."
Her heart pounded as she tried to force the flame outward, shaping it into a controlled arc. It wavered, snarled, nearly snapped free. Panic surged.
"I can't"
"You can." His voice cut through like steel. He stepped into the circle, close enough that their flames brushed. Sparks burst between them, stinging the air. "Look at me."
She did. Gods help her, she couldn't look away.
The fire steadied. Her pulse didn't.
"Again," he murmured. His hand hovered near hers, not touching but close enough that she swore she could feel him. "Breathe with it."
She obeyed, and the flame obeyed her. It streamed outward, forming a ribbon of molten light that curled through the circle before dissolving into sparks.
Serenya gasped, chest heaving. For once, she hadn't lost control.
Kael's expression softened, a rare crack in his usual steel composure. "Better."
The word sank into her like warmth itself.
But before she could savor it, his hand shot out, catching her wrist. Fire flared in answer, rushing up her arm, and he didn't flinch.
His stormlight absorbed it, mingling with her flame until sparks shimmered between their skin. Her breath caught as the magic tangled, wild and alive.
"Kael"
"Don't fight it," he said, voice rough. His grip was steady, anchoring. "Feel it. Let it burn."
It wasn't just magic anymore. It was him. His presence pressed into her senses, heat and gravity, pulling her closer. Every nerve screamed with awareness of how near he was, how easily the air between them could vanish.
Her lips parted. Words died.
His thumb brushed the inside of her wrist barely a touch, yet it sent a shiver through her like fire catching kindling. His gaze dropped briefly to her mouth before snapping back to her eyes.
Danger. Intimacy. Colliding, unstoppable.
The fire surged higher, a column of light roaring around them. Kael's stormlight steadied it, weaving with hers until the flames bent into something new controlled, powerful, breathtaking.
Serenya's pulse thundered in her ears. She should pull back. She should break the circle. But gods, she didn't want to.
The moment stretched, taut as a bowstring.
Then
The shadows in the far corner stirred. Cold swept the hall, slicing through the heat. A whisper slithered across her mind.
The Hollow. Watching. Waiting.
Her flame faltered.
Kael's eyes narrowed, his hand tightening on hers. "Do you feel that?"
She nodded, trembling. The Hollow's presence brushed her like icewater, taunting. The fire inside her shrieked in defiance, fighting the cold.
Kael shifted closer, shielding her with his body though she knew it was useless against shadows. Still his nearness steadied her.
"Don't let it in," he commanded. "Stay with me."
She forced her focus back to his hand, his voice, the stormlight mingling with her flame. The Hollow hissed and receded, denied entry.
Slowly, her fire dimmed to a manageable glow. Her knees nearly buckled with the effort.
Kael caught her before she fell, an arm around her waist. The contact stole her breath. His chest pressed against hers, his heartbeat steady and infuriatingly calm.
"You held it," he said softly, his lips near her ear. "Even against the Hollow."
Her voice came out shaky. "Barely."
"Barely is enough." His tone carried the faintest smile, but his grip lingered, solid and unyielding.
Serenya swallowed hard. Gods, she needed to step away. But every instinct screamed to stay. To lean into him, to forget the world and its shadows.
Instead, she whispered, "What if I can't keep winning?"
Kael's storm-gray eyes locked onto hers, fierce and unrelenting. "Then I'll burn with you."
The words scorched through her like wildfire.
Before she could answer, a loud crack split the silence the balcony doors blowing open, wind howling through the hall. The torches guttered, nearly snuffed. The Hollow's whisper curled through the draft, promising. Threatening.
Kael shoved her behind him, stormlight flashing at his fingertips. "Not tonight," he snarled at the darkness.
The shadows slithered back, leaving only silence.
Serenya's heart thundered. She realized Kael hadn't let go of her hand. Sparks still clung between their fingers, as if refusing to die.
The fire inside her whispered the truth she wasn't ready to face. She didn't want him to let go.