For the first time in months, the battlefield fell quiet.
The Shadow had retreated into the mountains, leaving behind a wasteland of ash and blood. Wolves lay broken, their golden eyes dim but alive. The gods lingered in the sky, silent, their judgment unspoken.
Aradia knelt beside Kael, her fire trembling faintly at her fingertips. She pressed her hands to his wounds, healing where she could, weeping where she could not.
He caught her wrist, rough and steady, his green eyes fierce even through pain. "Stop. You'll burn yourself."
Her tears spilled. "I can't lose you. Not again."
His massive hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing her tears. "You never will. Not while I breathe. Not while I burn."
She kissed him, desperate and tender, her fire flaring golden between them. He kissed her back, his lips tasting of blood and devotion, his arms wrapping around her with the weight of eternity.
For that fragile dawn, they were not curse or savior.
They were only Kael and Aradia.