Elowen POV
I didn't sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, I felt it again—the way the power had surged toward Kael like it recognized him as something essential. Like he was gravity, and I was already falling.
By dawn, my chest ached with questions.
By dusk, I was done waiting.
I found him where the castle bled into shadow—an old sanctum carved deep into the mountain, its walls blackened by ancient fire. He stood in the center of it, wings folded tight, head bowed as if in prayer.
"You said I'm becoming something," I said.
My voice echoed too loudly.
Kael looked up slowly.
"You shouldn't be here."
"That's not an answer."
I stepped closer. The air grew warmer with every step, the stone beneath my bare feet humming faintly in recognition.
"I deserve to know," I continued. "Everyone keeps circling around the truth like it'll kill me if I hear it. Maybe it already is."
His jaw flexed.
"Elowen—"
"Stop saying my name like it's a warning," I snapped. "Say it like it's the truth."
Silence stretched.
Then Kael exhaled, long and heavy, like he'd been holding his breath for centuries.
"The Black Flame was never just a weapon," he said. "It was a bloodline."
My stomach dropped.
"A living one," he continued. "Born rarely. Hidden carefully. Always hunted."
My hands trembled. "You're saying… me?"
"Yes."
The word rang through the sanctum like a bell struck too hard.
I staggered back a step, shaking my head. "No. I'm human. I grew up starving. Cold. Afraid. There's nothing divine or ancient about me."
"You survived," Kael said quietly. "That alone sets you apart."
Anger flared, sharp and sudden. "So I'm special because I suffered?"
"No," he said, stepping toward me now. "You're dangerous because you endured."
The distance between us vanished.
I could feel him everywhere—heat brushing my skin, power pressing against mine, the air thick with something unspoken and unbearable.
"You should have told me," I whispered.
"I wanted you to choose ignorance," he admitted. "Because once you know, there's no going back."
Tears burned behind my eyes. "You don't get to decide what I can face."
"I know," he said hoarsely. "That's why this hurts."
The power stirred violently, responding to my emotions like it was listening too closely. The seal flared, light crawling up my arm like fire veins.
Kael's breath hitched.
"Elowen—control it."
"I don't know how!" I cried. "It keeps responding to you."
He closed his eyes briefly.
Then he did the one thing he'd sworn not to.
He touched me.
His hands closed around my wrists—firm, grounding, burning hot. The moment skin met skin, the power snapped into place, roaring and then settling like a flame fed exactly what it needed.
I gasped, arching involuntarily.
Kael swore under his breath.
The connection slammed into both of us, raw and intimate. I could feel his restraint like a live wire, his desire tightly leashed beneath centuries of control.
"Kael," I whispered, breathless. "What did you just do?"
He didn't let go.
"I anchored you," he said, voice strained. "The way you've been anchoring yourself to me."
My pulse thundered.
"And if I don't want you to stop?"
His eyes darkened dangerously.
"Then you're asking me to risk becoming something I promised myself I'd never be again."
"Say it," I challenged softly. "Say what you're afraid of."
His grip tightened—just enough to make my breath stutter.
"I'm afraid," he said lowly, "that once you fully awaken, the Black Flame won't just answer me."
It leaned in.
"It will choose me."
The air between us pulsed.
My heart raced—not with fear alone, but with something reckless and aching.
"And if it does?" I whispered.
Kael looked at me like I was his undoing.
"Then loving you," he said, "will be the most dangerous thing I have ever done."
The words wrapped around my ribs and squeezed.
He released me abruptly, stepping back like he'd been burned.
"Leave," he said harshly. "Before I forget why I'm holding back."
I stood there, shaking, power humming beneath my skin, heart cracked wide open.
"Too late," I said softly.
He froze.
"You already did."
And as I turned away, I knew—
The truth hadn't freed me.
It had bound us both to the fire.