I woke up to a sound that rang in my head— something fierce, inhuman.
The room shook slightly, shadows twisting along the walls as if the darkness itself were not enough. My first thought was that maybe the guards caught a palace thief.
I was wrong. It was Kaelvion, fighting whatever was living in him, whatever he had carried along for so long.
I got out of bed gently, tiptoeing to the door. His voice was strained, harsh, laced with pain echoed through the room.
"Liora… don't," he said, trying to push back, but the force of the struggle made him stagger.
The shadows around him pulsed like a fire. My chest ached with a helpless sort of pity that I had to reach out to him.
I whispered, shaking my head, "Kaelvion.. I'm here.
He turned, his dark eyes snapping toward me, and for a moment he looked like a boy lost in a nightmare he couldn't wake from.
"Leave me alone. Hell, you shouldn't see this," he hissed.
Still, I don't want to. Every inch of me wanted to hold him, shield him, especially when I knew he slept outside to protect me. I appreciated the way he kept his word.
"You don't have to do this alone," I murmured. "Come sleep with me."
He looked at me with disbelief written all over his face, and then a shiver ran over him.
"No, you can't—"
"I can," I insisted. "I don't like the way you're outside because of me. What if you caught a cold because of me?"
It took a long moment, filled with unspoken fear, before he finally stood up and followed me, every one of his movements hesitant and cautious, as though stepping into my room might make things worse for him.
We both sat on the bed, each aware of the other's presence. My hand brushed against Kaelvion's, just a small tentative touch and I saw his entire body tense, something in his eyes flickered then calmed down as my warmth met his skin.
"Don't do that again," Kaelvion said, staring down at my hand. His voice was soft, almost broken.
I smiled faintly, not sure if it was comfort, or me being stubborn. "I won't leave you," I said letting him see my heart, even if he couldn't.
Lying side by side on the bed, careful to give each other space yet we are drawn together by some invisible thread. His body still trembled, though less violently now. I reached for him again, this time letting my fingers curl with his, holding him steady without saying a word.
"Do… you fight it every night?" I asked him quietly.
"If I sleep… if I close my eyes. It wakes. I can't— don't even want anyone to see the monstrous side of me, Liora. Not even you."
"No, Kael. You don't have to hide it from me. I pity you, but not in the way you think. Just wanted to be of help."
His lip parted, as if he wanted to speak, then closed again. Instead, he exhaled slowly, finally letting his tension loosen in the smallest way.
"You're different from anyone I've ever met," he admitted, locking eyes with me.
Well, I shrugged not knowing how to explain the pull I felt toward him, the ache to ease his pain. "Maybe because I see you. Not the curse, not your devil's side. Just you."
And that was all it took for him to shift slightly, him pulling my body closer, our legs brushing under the blanket. The heat of him pressed against me, the smell of leather and something deeper, muskier, that made me aware of him in a way I had never been.
For a while, we didn't speak. We just existed in the quiet aftermath, learning each other's rhythms— how he's breathing when calm, how his fingers twitched when he wrestled the darkness, how my own heart is reacting to him being too near.
Kaelvion broke the silence. "I don't remember what it's like. To sleep… without fighting my demon."
I swallowed my spit hard. "Then maybe we can learn together. I'll be here."
His hand tightened around mine. "You don't know what it means to be with a man like me. Not really."
"Even though, Kael. I wanted to be yours."
He wasn't expecting that from me, his reaction said it.
We talked, sharing pieces of ourselves we had never dared speak aloud. I told him of my fear— of falling, of not being enough to walk alone in a castle that didn't yet feel like home. At one point, we laughed at the small, ridiculous memory he revealed from his childhood until we both fell asleep.
***
Morning came in slowly with sunrise light across the edge of the bed. Neither of us moved immediately. We both wanted to savour the moment, the quiet intimacy.
"You look more beautiful in the morning," Kaelvion said while brushing aside a strand of hair on my face. "You make my night easier, even when you should have run away for your life."
"I don't care," I whispered back, "I like it, being here with you."
He let out a small, almost shy laugh. "I don't even know what to do with you, Liora."
"Then do nothing, please. Just stay with me."' I said, smiling, despite myself.
"I will see you at breakfast, don't be late," he said already walking toward the door, leaving me on the bed.
I got up and took an icy bath, dressing up quickly, didn't even need the help of any maid. I'm so eager to see him again, as if he hadn't just left.
When I got to the dining hall, I was already thirty minutes late. Kaelvion was already there looking handsome as always, waiting for me with his usual cold, commanding presence that softened immediately he saw me.
A servant passed by, murmuring under their breath, "His Highness has never eaten with anyone before."
Kaelvion's eyes gleamed, interrupting with a soft edge of pride. "She is my wife, so as of today. She sits with me."
I caught the tiny smile on his lips, realizing the depth of his possessiveness— not in a cruel way, but protective and personal.
"Liora. If my brothers bother you again," he leaned close enough for his words to warm my ears. "Tell me, don't deal with them alone."
I glanced at him, teasing lightly despite the lingering sensation. "You didn't face last night alone. Why would I? You are—"
We were interrupted by a sudden clatter in the dining hall. A guard bursts in, urgency written all over his face.
"Your Highness… Prince Darius demands a duel! He is challenging your claim to the throne."
Kaelvion's hand gripped mine tightly under the table. The firelight cast the glint of war resolve in his eyes."
"Fine. If he wants war, he'll have it," he said in a low, controlled voice.
My stomach twisted at his words, the tension between us charged with the promise of danger and protection. I squeezed his hand, pledging that we would face it together, whatever it took.
He glanced at me then, a flash of softness in the storm of all this. "And I promise…" he whispered, "…I'll keep you safe. No matter what."
The doors slammed shut behind the guard, and the hall fell into a tense silence, the weight of Darius's challenge hanging between us like a storm cloud.
I realized then how fragile everything was—our budding intimacy, his battles, our place in a castle full of shadows. And yet, sitting there, fingers entwined, I knew we had begun something that would not break easily.
"Ready?" he asked, his eyes dark, alive, and demanding.
I nodded, breath catching. "Always," I whispered.
And in that single heartbeat, everything changed. The storm outside, the curse within, the sparks between us, they all collided leaving nothing untouched.