Elara felt it before it happened.
The air shifted—subtle, wrong. The faint hum of palace wards flickered like a dying heartbeat, sending a cold ripple across her skin. She froze mid-step in the corridor outside the guest chamber, her fingers tightening around the shawl draped over her shoulders.
Danger.
In her past life, she had learned to recognize that feeling too late.
Not this time.
"Stop," she whispered.
The guard escorting her frowned. "My lady?"
"Go back," Elara said calmly. "Now."
The guard hesitated—just long enough.
The first arrow struck the wall inches from her head.
Chaos exploded.
"Elara!" someone shouted.
She dropped to the floor as a second arrow whistled overhead, splintering stone. Screams echoed down the corridor as servants fled in panic.
Assassins.
Inside the palace.
So the council had chosen speed over subtlety this time.
Elara rolled behind a pillar just as a third arrow shattered where she'd been standing. Her heart pounded, but her mind was frighteningly clear.
They don't want control anymore, she realized.
They want silence.
A shadow moved above.
Too fast.
She raised her hand on instinct.
Moonlight flared.
The assassin screamed as silver fire wrapped around his arm, sending him crashing into the wall with bone-snapping force. He collapsed, unmoving.
Elara stared at her glowing palm.
So much power—raw, violent, unrestrained.
Footsteps thundered closer.
"Down!" a voice roared.
Kael.
He slammed into the corridor like a storm, sword already drawn, silver eyes blazing with lethal fury. Two more assassins lunged from the shadows.
They never stood a chance.
Kael moved with terrifying precision—steel flashing, bodies dropping. Blood splattered across the stone floor as he placed himself squarely in front of Elara, his back to her, stance wide and unyielding.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
She almost laughed.
Behind him—where she'd died last time.
Still, she obeyed.
An arrow flew from the far end of the hall.
Kael caught it midair.
His grip tightened.
The arrowhead was etched with a familiar sigil.
Council-sanctioned.
His aura exploded outward, cracking the stone beneath his boots.
"Morvain," he growled.
The remaining assassin tried to flee.
Kael hurled the arrow like a spear.
It pierced straight through the man's chest, pinning him to the wall.
Silence fell.
Kael turned slowly, scanning Elara from head to toe, his gaze sharp and furious.
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head, though her legs trembled.
"Then you shouldn't be standing," he snapped—and before she could protest, he scooped her into his arms.
The bond flared violently.
Elara gasped as heat rushed through her veins, her senses sharpening painfully. She could feel his heartbeat beneath her palm, fast and wild. Smell his blood, his rage, his fear.
Fear—for her.
"Put me down," she said weakly.
"Not a chance."
He carried her swiftly down the corridor, guards scrambling to follow. She clutched his tunic despite herself as dizziness washed over her.
"I told you they'd come," she murmured.
Kael's jaw clenched.
"I didn't think they'd dare," he said darkly. "Not inside my palace."
"You underestimate how disposable I am to them," Elara replied softly.
Kael didn't answer.
He kicked open the doors to his private chambers and carried her inside, sealing the wards with a sharp gesture. The air shimmered as the room locked itself down.
He set her gently on the bed.
The moment his hands left her, the bond snapped painfully, leaving an aching void in her chest.
She hissed softly.
Kael noticed.
His eyes darkened.
"You felt that too," he said.
She didn't deny it.
"They were never this bold before the ceremony," Kael muttered, pacing. "Which means something changed."
"Yes," Elara said quietly. "Me."
He stopped.
"You're not just resisting fate," he said slowly. "You're threatening it."
She met his gaze steadily. "Good."
Kael exhaled harshly, running a hand through his hair.
"You should hate me," he said suddenly. "After what you claim I did."
"I do," Elara replied without hesitation. "That doesn't mean I want to die again."
Something in his expression twisted painfully.
"I won't let them touch you," he said. "Not tonight. Not ever."
She studied him carefully.
In her past life, he had made the same promise—too late.
"What price?" she asked.
Kael frowned. "Price?"
"Protection is never free," Elara said. "What do you want in return?"
Silence stretched.
Finally, he said, "Stay."
Her breath hitched.
"Stay," he repeated. "In my chambers. Until I dismantle the council's reach."
Forced proximity.
Dangerous.
Intimate.
"I won't be your prisoner," Elara said.
"You won't be," Kael replied immediately. "You'll be my responsibility."
She laughed bitterly. "That sounds worse."
Kael stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Then let me earn your trust," he said. "One choice at a time."
Their gazes locked.
The bond pulsed—tentative, fragile, alive.
Outside the sealed chamber, alarms rang through the palace as guards dragged the assassins' bodies away.
Inside, Elara lay back against the pillows, exhausted but alive.
For the first time since her rebirth, death had come for her—
And missed.
She closed her eyes briefly.
This time, Kael had chosen her.
The terrifying question was whether he would keep choosing her… when it cost him everything.