Elowen POV
The castle was quieter today, but that only made the threat feel louder.
Every corridor felt like a mouth waiting to close. Every shadow felt like a hand reaching for me. The fact that Lyra was now near me—always near me—made it worse. I could feel the weight of Kael's control through her, like a string pulled tight around my throat.
I had never hated him more than I did right now.
Not because he was cruel.
Because he was calm.
And calm meant he had planned this.
I found Lyra in the courtyard again, not by accident this time, but because I wanted to know if she was truly safe.
Lyra's eyes lifted when she saw me. She smiled, but it was small, careful—like she was holding herself back from saying something dangerous.
"Good morning," she whispered.
Elowen tried to return the smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Morning."
Lyra's gaze flicked to my wrist. I felt it—the way her eyes searched for the band without looking directly at it. She was trying not to see it. Trying not to acknowledge what it meant.
I hated that I could see it in her.
We sat on the stone bench near the ivy, close enough to speak quietly but far enough to pretend we weren't together.
"Have you seen him?" I asked.
Lyra's expression tightened. "Not today."
My throat went dry. "Do you feel… safe?"
Lyra blinked slowly. "I feel like I'm walking on a thin line."
That answer was honest.
It was also terrifying.
"You should leave," I said, voice low. "I can't—"
Lyra shook her head. "I'm not leaving. Not if you're trapped here."
Trapped.
That word made my chest tighten. She didn't understand. She couldn't.
No one could understand unless they had been taken by someone like Kael.
"Stay away from him," I whispered.
Lyra's smile faltered. "You're scared."
"I'm not scared," I lied.
Lyra reached out and placed her hand on mine, gentle, steady. The touch was warm. Normal. Human.
For a moment, I almost forgot.
Then I felt the presence of Kael before I saw him.
He stepped into the courtyard like a shadow stepping out of the dark.
Lyra's hand tightened around mine.
My skin prickled.
Kael's gaze swept over us. He didn't look angry. He looked… satisfied.
"You have been spending time with her," he said calmly.
My heart thudded.
"Who told you?" I demanded.
Kael smiled faintly. "The castle."
It wasn't a joke. It was a fact.
He stepped closer.
Lyra stood abruptly, as if she had been struck. Her eyes were wide, frightened. She looked at me like she wanted to ask if I was okay, but the question never formed.
Kael's eyes locked on Lyra.
"You have been doing well," he said softly. "It would be a shame if something happened to you."
Lyra's lips parted, but she didn't speak.
My blood ran cold.
Kael's hand moved, just slightly, toward his belt.
Not a weapon.
A leash.
My breath caught.
"I—" I began.
Kael's gaze shifted back to me.
"Do not interrupt," he said.
The way he said it made my stomach twist.
He wasn't threatening Lyra.
He was reminding me that he could.
And that I couldn't stop him.
Lyra's face went pale.
"I'm fine," she whispered, voice shaking. "Really. I'm—"
Kael's eyes flicked to her again.
Elowen's chest tightened.
I wanted to scream at him. To tell him he had no right. To tell him he was a monster.
But I knew the truth.
If I spoke, if I tried to stop him, Lyra would suffer.
And Kael would enjoy it.
Kael stepped closer, and his voice softened.
"I will allow you to continue seeing her," he said to me, "under one condition."
My heart pounded.
"What condition?" I demanded.
Kael's eyes gleamed. "You will obey me without question."
I stared at him, shaking.
"That's not a condition," I said. "That's your rule."
Kael's smile was thin.
"It is your choice," he said. "You can choose obedience, or you can choose to lose her."
Lyra's hand slipped from mine.
Her eyes were wet.
My throat tightened so hard I thought I might choke.
Kael stepped back.
"Now," he said, voice calm, "return to your training."
He turned and walked away.
The courtyard felt colder after he left.
Lyra looked at me with fear and something else—something like guilt.
"I didn't want this," she whispered.
"I know," I said, voice breaking.
But the truth was worse than that.
He had never intended to hurt her.
He had intended to use her.
To control me.
And he had succeeded.
Because I couldn't risk Lyra's safety.
Not even for a moment.
And that meant—
I was already his.
Kael POV
She thinks she is defiant.
She is not.
Elowen's defiance is loud when she is alone, but quiet when I am present. That is the nature of her fear. That is the nature of her loyalty.
She believes she is protecting Lyra.
She is.
But she does not understand that she is protecting Lyra because she wants to protect her.
That desire is the chain.
Lyra is not a pawn.
She is a key.
Elowen has already attached herself to the girl.
And that attachment is the most useful tool I have ever had.
I watched her in the courtyard. The way her body tightened when I approached. The way she tried to act calm. The way she looked at Lyra like she was a lifeline.
It was… entertaining.
Not because I enjoyed her fear, but because her fear proved the bond.
Elowen does not understand the rules of my world.
She thinks she can fight me.
She cannot.
Not when she cares.
Not when she has something to lose.
I allowed her to see Lyra because it was necessary.
Because she needed something human to cling to.
But she must understand the price of that.
She must understand that I am not a cruel master.
I am a protective one.
And protection requires control.
The moment I saw her hand on Lyra's, I knew the bond was real.
So I made the conditions clear.
Obey me.
Or lose her.
It was a simple choice.
And she chose correctly.
She always does.
Even when she thinks she is fighting.
She will obey.
Because she wants Lyra alive.
And I will keep Lyra alive.
Until Elowen learns what it truly means to belong.