KIERAN'S POV :
[THE PRETEND HUSBAND]
"Absolutely not."
Ravion adjusts his crown—actual crown with actual thorns—and looks at me with those blood-red eyes that are somehow both patient and commanding.
"Kieran. We've discussed this."
"You discussed this. I stood there in horror."
We're in his—our, apparently—chambers, and he's trying to convince me to take a "tour" of Nocterra. Which would be fine except for the tiny detail he dropped five minutes ago.
"The kingdom thinks you're Prince Kaelis," Ravion says calmly, like this is reasonable. "They think we're happily married. We need to maintain that illusion."
"Why?!"
"Because if they find out I married the wrong person, it undermines my authority. Questions my judgment. Creates political instability." He pauses. "And more importantly, it puts a target on your back."
I hadn't thought of that.
"People who want to hurt me would target the 'fake' husband," he continues. "But if they believe you're my real consort—my chosen partner—they won't dare touch you."
Fuck.
He's right.
I hate when he's right.
"So what," I say slowly, "you want me to just... pretend we're in love?"
"Not love." He considers. "Contentment. Mutual respect. The appearance of a functional political marriage." His eyes meet mine. "Can you do that?"
I want to say no.
Want to tell him to go fuck himself.
But the truth is, I'm stuck here. Bound by blood magic. Married forever. And if pretending to like my kidnapper-husband keeps me alive...
"Fine," I mutter. "But I'm not enjoying this."
His smile is small but genuine. "Noted."
The tour starts in the throne room.
Which is exactly as dramatic as you'd expect from a place called "The Cursed Kingdom of Nocterra."
Black stone. Vaulted ceilings so high they disappear into shadow. Stained glass windows showing battles between light and dark. And at the center, two thrones—one massive (Ravion's), one slightly smaller but still impressive (apparently mine now).
"This is where we hold court," Ravion explains, his hand resting on the small of my back.
I try not to flinch.
We're being watched. Servants, guards, nobles passing through—all eyes on us, the newly married royal couple.
"Wave," Ravion murmurs.
"What?"
"To the servants. They're staring. Wave."
"I'm not—"
His hand presses slightly firmer against my back. Warning.
I paste on a smile that probably looks deranged and give a small wave.
The servants beam and whisper to each other excitedly.
"Good," Ravion says quietly. "See? Not so hard."
"I feel like a circus animal."
"Welcome to royalty."
We move through corridors lined with portraits of previous Dark Kings—all looking appropriately brooding and murderous.
"That's my father," Ravion says, gesturing to one particularly scary-looking man. "Died in battle. And that's his father. Died in battle. And his father—"
"Let me guess. Battle."
"Poison, actually. But close."
"Your family has issues."
"Every royal family has issues." He glances at me. "I'm sure yours does too."
I think of my parents back in 2025. My mom who texts too much. My dad who sends me memes he doesn't understand.
"Not... not like this," I admit.
Something softens in his expression. "No. Probably not."
We pass a group of nobles who bow deeply. I awkwardly bow back. Ravion's hand finds mine—cool fingers threading through mine—and squeezes.
"What are you doing?" I hiss.
"They're watching. Married couples hold hands."
"Married couples who like each other hold hands!"
"Then act like you like me." His smile is sharp. "Unless you want rumors spreading that the Dark King's new husband is already unhappy."
Fuck.
I squeeze back. Force myself not to pull away.
His thumb brushes across my knuckles—gentle, almost tender—and something in my chest does this stupid flutter thing.
The bond.
Has to be the bond.
Right?
The gardens are... beautiful.
I didn't expect that.
Everything else in Nocterra is dark and gothic and vaguely threatening, but the gardens are alive. Black roses (of course), silver flowers that glow faintly, vines climbing ancient stone walls. A fountain with crystal-clear water reflecting the perpetually grey sky.
"This was my mother's," Ravion says quietly. "She designed them before she died."
I look at him. Really look. There's something vulnerable in his expression—brief, quickly hidden, but there.
"It's beautiful," I say. And mean it.
He looks surprised. "You think so?"
"Yeah. It's like..." I search for words. "Like someone took all the darkness and made something alive from it."
Ravion stops walking. Turns to face me fully.
"That's exactly what she said." His voice is soft. "That darkness doesn't have to mean death. That even in shadow, things can grow."
We're standing too close. His hand still in mine. Those red eyes looking at me with something I can't name.
"Kieran—"
A servant appears, bowing. "Your Majesty. The council requests your presence."
The moment breaks.
Ravion's expression shutters back to cold authority. "I'll be there shortly." The servant leaves. He turns back to me. "I need to attend to this. You're free to explore, but stay within the castle grounds."
"So I'm still a prisoner."
"You're my husband." He lifts my hand—still holding it—and presses a kiss to my knuckles. Brief. Formal.
But his eyes stay on mine, and the bond hums.
"I'll see you at dinner," he murmurs.
And then he's gone, leaving me alone in the garden with a racing heart and the distinct, horrifying realization that I didn't hate that kiss as much as I should have.
Fuck.
KAELIS' POV:
[THE CHAOS TOUR]
"Don't touch that."
I touch it.
"Kaelis."
"What? I'm just looking."
"You're touching a two-thousand-year-old sacred crystal formation that took centuries to grow!"
"And it's squishy! Why is it squishy?!"
Nyx makes a sound like he's in physical pain.
We're maybe ten minutes into this "tour" and I've already:
Touched three things labeled "DO NOT TOUCH"
Knocked over a vase made of "ancient sea glass" (it didn't break, but Nyx gasped)
Asked if I could eat the glowing plants (answer: no, but also why would you even ask that, Kaelis)
Somehow got my hand stuck in a coral formation and had to be rescued like a child
I am nailing this.
"Perhaps," Nyx says with the patience of a saint, "we should move to a less... fragile area."
"I didn't mean to get stuck!"
"You reached into a carnivorous coral."
"You didn't tell me it was carnivorous!"
"I did. Three times. You said, and I quote, 'that makes it cooler' and stuck your hand in anyway."
"I wanted to see what would happen!"
"THIS is what happens!" He gestures at my hand, which is currently being very gently extracted from the angry coral by his magic. "You nearly lost fingers, Kaelis!"
"But I didn't! So technically I won!"
Nyx looks at me. Just... looks.
Like he's reconsidering every life choice that led to this moment.
"Is this," he says slowly, "the person I've been waiting twenty-two years for."
"YES! Surprise! I'm a delight!"
"You're a disaster."
"Same thing!"
He pinches the bridge of his nose. Takes a deep breath. Probably counting to ten in whatever language sea gods use.
"Let's try the Crystal Caverns," he finally says. "They're very beautiful. Very sacred. And hopefully Kaelis-proof."
"Nothing is Kaelis-proof!" I announce proudly.
"I'm beginning to understand that."
The Crystal Caverns are amazing.
Walls covered in crystals that pulse with soft blue light. Stalactites and stalagmites that sing when water drips on them. Pools so clear you can see all the way to the bottom where tiny glowing fish swim.
It's gorgeous.
Which means I obviously have to touch everything.
"What happens if I—"
"No."
"But what if I just—"
"Kaelis, no."
"You don't even know what I was going to say!"
"You were going to ask if you could jump into the Sacred Pool of Eternal Reflection."
"...Maybe."
"The answer is no."
"Why not?! It's just water!"
"It's sacred water! It's used for prophecies and vision quests and—"
I'm already taking off my boots.
"KAELIS!"
"I'm just going to dip my toe in—"
"If you jump into that pool I swear by every tide in every ocean I will—"
I jump.
The water is cold.
Like, really cold.
Like jumping into a pool made of ice and regret.
I surface, gasping, to find Nyx standing at the edge looking like he's aged a thousand years in the past thirty seconds.
"WHY," he says, voice very calm and therefore terrifying, "would you do that?"
"I wanted to see what would happen!" I'm shivering now. "Also it looked fun!"
"It's a SACRED. POOL."
"And now it's a sacred pool that I've been in! I've made it better!"
"GET OUT."
"I can't! It's deep!"
Nyx closes his eyes. Breathes. Possibly praying to himself since he IS a god.
Then he jumps in after me.
Because of course he does.
He surfaces, hair plastered to his face, looking spectacularly annoyed and also unfairly attractive which is just rude.
"You," he says, swimming toward me, "are the single most infuriating person I have ever met in my entire immortal existence."
"Thank you!"
"That wasn't a COMPLIMENT!"
He grabs me—one arm around my waist—and starts swimming us toward the edge.
"I can swim!" I protest.
"Clearly you can't because you jumped into a pool without checking the depth!"
"I was being spontaneous!"
"You were being RECKLESS!"
We reach the edge. He lifts me out of the water like I weigh nothing—which is annoying and also does things to my heart that I'm ignoring—and deposits me on the stone floor.
Then he pulls himself out with that stupid fluid grace and stands there, dripping, glaring at me with glowing silver eyes.
We're both soaked.
"You," Nyx says slowly, "are going to be the death of me."
"You're immortal."
"You're making me reconsider that!"
I grin—can't help it—because his hair is plastered to his face and he looks like a drowned cat and it's hilarious.
"You look ridiculous," I inform him.
"I LOOK RIDICULOUS?!" He gestures at me. "You look like a drowned rat that's somehow proud of itself!"
"I am proud! I successfully jumped into a sacred pool!"
"That's not an ACHIEVEMENT!"
"It is now!"
We're both yelling.
And then—
We're both laughing.
I don't know who starts it—him or me—but suddenly we're just standing there in the Crystal Caverns, dripping wet, laughing until our sides hurt.
"You're insane," Nyx says between laughs.
"You kidnapped me! What did you expect?!"
"I expected the PRINCE from the prophecy! Not—not—THIS!" He gestures vaguely at me.
"Well surprise! You got me instead! Downgrade!"
"Massive downgrade!"
"HEY!"
We're grinning at each other now, and something in his expression shifts.
Goes soft.
"You're a disaster," he says quietly.
"I know."
"You're going to destroy my entire realm."
"Probably."
"I've waited twenty-two years for this."
"Sorry?"
"Don't be." His hand comes up, pushes wet hair back from my face. "I think I like you better than what I was expecting."
My breath catches.
"I—I still hate you," I stammer.
"I know." He's still smiling. Still touching my face. "But you're going to make the next few centuries very interesting."
"Centuries?!"
"I'm immortal. You're staying with me." He says it so casually. "We have time."
And before I can argue—
Before I can protest—
He's already walking away, leaving me dripping and confused and feeling things I absolutely should not be feeling.
"Come on!" he calls back. "Let's see what else you can break!"
"EVERYTHING!" I shout.
His laugh echoes off the crystal walls.
And I follow, already planning what sacred thing to touch next.