I realized very quickly that the Dark King did not sleep like a normal man.
The chambers he gave me—claimed for me—were massive, carved from black stone and lit by soft, floating embers that hovered near the ceiling like captive stars.
Velvet curtains framed a bed large enough for royalty and sin alike, draped in obsidian silk.
Yet despite the luxury, I lay awake.
Because I could feel him.
Not his body. Not his footsteps.
His attention.
The bond pulsed faintly at my collarbone, warm and alert, like a creature that refused to rest. Every time I closed my eyes, the sensation sharpened—as if something unseen leaned closer.
Watching.
"You're imagining it," I whispered to myself, staring at the ceiling.
The bond responded with a slow, deliberate thrum.
I sat up.
My bare feet touched the cold floor as I rose, the silk nightdress clinging to my skin. I crossed the room and pushed open the balcony doors, letting the night air spill in.
The palace slept.
Virex spread beneath me in jagged towers and glowing runes, shadows stitched together by moonlight. The wind carried the distant echo of bells, the low hum of magic threaded through the city like veins.
And then—
"You should be asleep."
I spun around.
Kael stood just inside the doorway, arms crossed, shadows curling lazily at his feet as if pleased to see me startled. He wore black as always, his coat undone, dark hair loose around his shoulders.
"How long have you been standing there?" I demanded.
"Long enough," he replied.
My heart pounded. "That's creepy."
His gaze flicked over me—slow, assessing, intimate in a way that made heat bloom beneath my skin-a foreign feeling.
"You're bonded to the most dangerous man in this realm," he said calmly. "This is the least concerning thing about your situation."
"Do you enjoy invading my space?"
"Yes."
His answer was the usual blunt honesty that always stole my breath.
Kael stepped farther into the room, the doors closing behind him on their own. The shadows followed, dimming the embers until the chamber glowed low and intimate.
"You're restless," he continued. "The curse keeps you awake when danger is near."
"What danger?" I snapped. "You've killed or terrified everyone who so much as looks at me wrong."
A corner of his mouth lifted. "Not everyone."
The bond flared sharply—warning.
I stiffened. "Who?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached out and pressed two fingers lightly against the mark on my collarbone.
The world tilted.
Images flooded my mind—flickers of faces, sharp blades, whispered spells, crimson robes hidden beneath noble silks. A woman smiling as she poisoned wine. A man carving runes meant to sever souls.
I gasped, staggering.
Kael caught me easily, one arm wrapping around my waist as the visions faded.
"There is a faction within the court," he said quietly, "that believes killing you will free me from the curse."
"Will it?" I asked shakily.
His gaze darkened. "No. It will only make it worse."
I swallowed. "Then why haven't you crushed them?"
"Because," he said, eyes never leaving mine, "they want you alive long enough to break you thoroughly."
My stomach twisted.
"And you let them exist?"
"For now."
I pushed away from him. "You're using me as bait."
"Yes."
At least he didn't lie.
I turned toward the balcony again, gripping the stone railing. "You don't get to watch me sleep and pretend this is protection."
Silence stretched.
Then Kael said, softly, "I came because you were afraid."
I laughed bitterly. "Congratulations. You deserve an award for your granf skill in observation."
"No," he replied. "I came because the bond dragged me here."
That made me pause.
I looked at him. "Dragged you?"
He nodded once. "When you're afraid enough, it becomes unbearable. Like a blade under my skin."
Something shifted inside my chest—unease laced with a dangerous sense of significance.
"So what?" I asked. "You hover until I calm down?"
"If necessary."
I studied him in the low light. The devil. The king. The man bound to me by a curse older than his crown.
"Then sit," I said suddenly, gesturing toward the chair near the bed. "If you're going to watch, at least make it obvious, stop hanging in the corners like a creep."
His eyebrow lifted. "You're inviting me?"
"I'm setting terms."
A long moment passed.
Then Kael sat.
The shadows settled around him like obedient hounds. I climbed back into bed, keeping the covers tight around me, my back to the headboard.
"This doesn't mean I trust you," I muttered.
"I don't need you to trust me," he said. "I just need you to survive ."
Minutes passed. Then more.
My breathing slowed despite myself.
"Kael?" I said quietly.
"Yes."
"Have you ever loved anyone?"
The question hung between us, fragile and reckless.
"No," he answered after a short pause.
I exhaled. "That was fast."
"I did not say I was incapable of it," he added. "Only that it has never been… safe."
I closed my eyes.
"My love would only do more harm than good."
The bond hummed—steady now, calmer.
Just as sleep began to claim me, the palace alarms rang.
Metal screamed. Magic flared.
Kael was on his feet instantly.
"Stay here," he ordered.
"No."
He turned sharply. "Era—"
The bond flared violently.
I gasped as pain shot through my chest, collapsing to my knees.
Kael froze.
Then he cursed.
"They're not attacking the palace," he realized. "They're attacking you.
The shadows exploded outward as he crossed the room in a blur, hauling me up into his arms.
"Hold on," he growled.
The balcony shattered.
Glass and stone burst inward as a figure cloaked in crimson landed amid the debris, blade glowing with anti-magic runes.
"Step aside, my King," the assassin hissed.
"She's the key."
Kael's power erupted.
The room plunged into darkness as shadows roared like living things, slamming into the intruder with bone-crushing force.
But the assassin laughed.
"She's awakening," the figure said, eyes gleaming as they looked at me. "You feel it, don't you? The curse isn't just binding you—it's changing her."
Pain tore through me again, but beneath it—
Something answered.
Heat. Power. Hunger.
The shadows hesitated.
Kael stiffened. "Era," he said sharply. "Do not let it in."
"I—I can feel it," I gasped. "It's like… it's waiting."
The assassin lunged.
Instinct took over.
I raised my hand.
The air screamed.
Dark light burst from my palm, hurling the assassin backward into the far wall with a sound like thunder. Bone cracked. Blood splattered.
Silence followed.
I stared at my hand, shaking.
"I didn't—" My voice broke. "I didn't know I could do that."
Kael looked at me like I was something new and terrifying amusing.
"Yes," he said softly. "You could."
The assassin slid down the wall, unmoving.
Kael stepped closer, his presence overwhelming, eyes blazing.
"The curse is no longer choosing between us," he said. "It's choosing through you."
Fear twisted inside me.
"What does that mean?"
He cupped my face, his touch reverent and dangerous all at once.
"It means," he whispered, "that the curse didn't just choose you."
His thumb brushed the bond, igniting fire through my veins.
"It made you my equal."
And for the first time—
I wasn't sure who the monster in the room really was.