Standing in Raiden's chambers, I forced myself to stay steady.
He looked as calm and composed as ever, while my insides were still a riot. It infuriated me—how could he stand there so unaffected? Why was I the only one unraveling?
We couldn't keep letting this fester. Not when Revik and Muir were counting on us to work together.
I took a long breath. "Don't interrupt me," I said firmly. "I'm going to say my piece, and then I'm done."
Raiden gave a small nod, gaze unreadable. "Alright."
I swallowed hard. "I get it. To you, the kiss meant nothing. I'm sorry if I've been distant—I just needed time to process." My throat tightened, but I pushed through. "But to me… it meant something. I don't even know what, but it wasn't nothing."
His expression didn't flicker, not even once.
I hated him a little for that.
"I'm not someone who kisses on a whim," I continued, my voice quieter now. "That was… that was my first kiss."
The words left me like a weight torn free. "And gods, I hate that it was wasted on someone who can stand here looking like it meant nothing." I swallowed. "It hurt. I guess I just thought it would be something special—not just for me, but for both of us."
I managed a brittle, humorless smile. "But I can't change that now."
I stepped closer, my hand lifting before I could stop it. My fingers brushed his chest—solid, warm, steady. His heartbeat thrummed under my palm, steady as his face, but I could feel the tension humming beneath.
"I'm sorry for letting my feelings get in the way," I said softly. "But I'm done now. We can go back to being unlikely allies. Maybe, with time… friends."
I drew my hand back and straightened. "Alright, Sparky. Let's go catch a smuggler."
A beat of silence stretched between us before he murmured, voice rougher than before,
"Whatever you say… Little Thief."
I turned away before I could watch whatever cracked behind his eyes.
⸻
A breath later, Muir's voice slid through the hallway like a blade wrapped in silk.
"Well, that was an interesting conversation."
He leaned against the wall, sharp grin in place, dragon ears flicking back before vanishing again. "So you finally talked about the infamous kiss, huh?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Mind your own business."
He chuckled and fell into step beside me, unbothered as always. But before I could tell him off again, he moved—fast. One blur of motion, and suddenly his arm was braced beside my head, caging me against the cool stone wall.
My body tensed, instincts screaming to shove him away—but for half a second, I froze. Maybe it was the sudden closeness, the heat radiating from him, or the dangerous calm in his smile.
"If you want to redo your first kiss with someone who actually wants it to mean something," he murmured, voice dipping low enough to make my pulse stutter. "I'd be happy to help."
His lips hovered close enough to feel the heat of his words. "I'm sure you'd taste delicious."
My pulse kicked hard. "Not interested," I ground out, trying to turn my head.
He caught my chin, thumb and forefinger gentle but unyielding, forcing me to meet his eyes. The ocean-blue gleam in them was unreadable.
"I think you're curious," he whispered.
A pause. My breath snagged—traitorous, sharp.
He leaned in, slow enough that I could feel the warmth of him, the faint brush of his breath ghosting my lips—
Crack.
Raiden's fist collided with Muir's jaw in a single, brutal strike.
The sound echoed down the corridor. For a heartbeat, even the air seemed to stop. Then Muir hit the floor, blood at his lip and a crooked grin blooming through it.
"Well, well," he said thickly, rolling his jaw. "And here I thought she wasn't taken."
I'd had enough.
Before Raiden could move again, I shoved Muir forward. "Fuck off. Disappear for a while."
He let me push him a few steps, then glanced back over his shoulder, eyes glinting like he'd just uncovered a secret.
"Clearly," he drawled, "the kiss didn't mean nothing after all."
He winked and sauntered off, smug as ever.
⸻
I spun on Raiden. His chest heaved, lightning still crackling faintly at his fingertips, his eyes burning with fury so sharp it could've split stone.
No. Not this time.
I marched straight up to him and shoved him hard against the stone wall. His back hit with a dull thud. "What the fuck was that?!"
He opened his mouth, but I didn't let him speak.
"No!" My voice came out raw, shaking with anger. "You don't get to say the kiss meant nothing and then go punching someone when they try to kiss me!"
His hands flexed at his sides. For a moment, I thought he might push me away—but he didn't. He just stood there, chest heaving, eyes locked on mine with that same infuriating intensity that always made it hard to breathe.
"You don't get to be jealous, Raiden." My voice dropped, steadier now but sharper than ever. "You don't get to hurt me twice. Figure out what the hell you feel—if you ever do—then talk to me."
I stepped back, pulse racing. "But I won't promise I'll wait."
I turned and walked away before he could answer.
Before my resolve cracked again.
⸻
The afternoon passed in a blur of preparation—checking weapons, sharpening blades, packing supplies. Busy hands kept my mind quiet, and right now, silence was mercy.
By the time we gathered in the courtyard, the sun hung low, bleeding gold across the stone.
Raiden was already there. I caught his eye—a flicker of tension, unreadable—and gave a curt nod. He returned it, wordless.
As I walked past, my shoulder brushed his arm. Barely a touch. But I heard his sharp intake of breath, felt it echo somewhere in my chest.
I didn't look back.
Revik leaned against a pillar, grin already waiting. He ruffled my hair as I reached him. "Stop that," I muttered.
"It brings me luck," he said, smiling that easy smile that never seemed to fade.
I rolled my eyes but didn't push him away. It felt good—a small anchor in the chaos inside me.
Muir appeared next, smirk fully restored. "Well, hello again."
Raiden shifted before I could respond. Bones reformed, scales rippled across skin, and wings burst wide in a single, fluid motion. The courtyard trembled as he finished his transformation.
Revik climbed onto his back with stiff but practiced movements. I spread my wings, catching the air beneath me and soaring upward before settling between Raiden's shoulder blades. Revik behind me. Muir last.
"Well hello, handsome," Muir murmured, close enough that his breath warmed the nape of Raiden's neck. "I'll hang on if you don't mind."
"Try that," Revik said, voice low, "and I'll drop you so fast you won't remember the fall."
He laughed, low and unbothered.
Raiden didn't wait. One powerful beat of his wings, and we were airborne—the palace shrinking below us, clouds parting ahead.
South stretched before us.
Toward the Water Kingdom.
Toward Muir's domain.
The ache between my ribs was still there, dull and familiar, but the wind pulled at it until it hurt a little less.
For the first time in days, the air didn't feel so heavy in my lungs.
I closed my eyes and let the sky take me.