The fire burned low in the den, wolves sleeping restlessly. Aradia lay awake, her eyes fixed on the shadows dancing across the stone walls.
Beside her, Kael did not sleep either. His massive frame lay still, but his green eyes glowed faintly in the dark.
"You haven't said it," she whispered.
His gaze shifted to hers, piercing. "Said what?"
"That you remember." Her voice cracked. "That this isn't the first time."
Silence stretched. His jaw tightened, his hand clenching against the furs. Finally, he exhaled, low and rough.
"I remember fragments," he admitted. "Dreams. Flashes. A battlefield of fire. You, standing in a circle of runes. Me, bleeding at your side. And a promise made as the world burned."
Her breath caught, her tears hot. "You should have told me."
His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing her skin with rough tenderness. "I feared it would break you. That the weight of it would crush you before you were ready."
Her heart ached as she leaned into his touch. "And now?"
His lips brushed hers, fierce and unyielding. "Now I cannot let you forget. Because this time, Aradia, I will not let you die for me."
Her fire flickered, her body trembling with both fear and desire. And when his mouth claimed hers, she surrendered to him, not just in this life, but in all the ones before.