The flames had burned lower, a thin skeleton of orange chewing through the last of the wood. The Wilds pressed close around them, trees whispering in the dark.
Kael shifted, trying to find warmth, while Riven leaned back on her elbows, eyes half-lidded but sharp. She was never relaxed—just waiting.
"You should sleep," Kael said quietly.
"Mm. You first."
He frowned. "Why?"
Riven's lips curved, faint and sly. "Because I want to see if you snore. Or if that shard of yours hums when you dream."
Kael's hand curled into a fist over his chest. "…You keep circling it."
Her gaze sharpened, firelight catching in her dark eyes. "Of course I do. You walk around with a god's mistake burning in your ribs. Power like that doesn't just… happen. It means something."
Kael swallowed. "To you?"
"To everyone." She sat forward now, elbows on her knees, voice low and intent. "The cult wants it to chain the world. Varic wants it to make himself king of the beasts. The priests would carve it out of you and toss you in a pit. And me…"
Her smile was thin, wolfish. "I want to see what it does when it's pushed far enough."
Kael's blood chilled. "…So I'm your experiment?"
"Don't pout, boy. Think of it as… partnership." Her head tilted, braid sliding over one shoulder. "You want to survive. I want answers. Together, maybe we get both."
Kael shook his head. "Or maybe I end up another body in your past."
Riven didn't deny it. She just watched him, unreadable, the fire snapping between them.
And Kael realized something that made his stomach twist—
he believed her.
Not in her promises, but in her honesty. She wouldn't lie about gutting him if it came to that.
Somehow, that was worse than deceit.
The fire cracked again, throwing sparks skyward. Neither of them spoke after that. The night stretched on, long and heavy, the unspoken words burning hotter than the embers between them.
⸻
➡️ Cliffhanger: Riven finally admits what she wants—the shard, or at least what it can reveal. Kael knows she's dangerous, but also knows she's too honest to ignore. The tension between survival and betrayal is razor-thin.