Casimir
The storm did not end when the rain stopped. It stayed in the air, humming through the walls of the apothecary, crawling beneath my skin. I had not slept since the dream. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her in fire and light, her mark glowing as if it called to me. My wolf stirred restlessly, caught between desire and fury.
I stood by the window, watching the horizon. The sea churned, black and endless. Nicholas lingered near the door, his voice low and careful.
"You cannot guard her if you lose yourself to her," he said.
I did not look at him. "I am not sure I remember the difference anymore."
He hesitated, then added quietly, "He is pressing closer. You feel it, do you not?"
"Elijah never sleeps," I said. "He waits for weakness."
"And what happens when that weakness is her?"
The question cut sharper than any blade. I turned away. "Then I will make certain she never sees it."
Nicholas's eyes softened, pity and warning tangled together. "You cannot fight what you are bound to."
I met his gaze. "I have spent my life fighting what I am."
He sighed and left me to the silence. The candlelight wavered. The scent of salt filled the room. My veins glowed faintly beneath the skin, silver threads winding up my arms, the same light that lived beneath hers. I could feel her heartbeat even now, steady and soft, a rhythm that matched my own.
When she woke, I felt it before I heard her voice.
"Casimir?"
I turned. Ava sat up, the blanket sliding down her shoulders. Her hair was tangled from sleep, her skin pale but alive. The glow of her mark shimmered faintly through the thin fabric of her dress. The sight of her made my chest ache.
"You should rest," I said.
"I have done nothing but rest," she murmured. "You have not slept either."
"I cannot."
"Because of me?"
"Because of everything," I said. But we both knew the truth.
She rose slowly, crossing the space between us. "You are hiding something."
"I am protecting you."
Her eyes flashed. "From what? From you? From the thing inside you that looks at me like it wants to devour the world?"
I exhaled, tension knotting in my throat. "You do not understand what that bond does. Every time I touch you, it feeds the Veil. Every time I look at you, it burns."
"Then why do you keep looking?" she whispered.
"Because I cannot stop."
The distance between us vanished. My hand found her wrist before I realized I had moved. The moment our skin touched, the mark ignited. Light flared across her collarbone, mirrored by the glow that ran up my arm. The warmth spread through me, wild and consuming. I could feel her pulse racing beneath my fingertips, could taste her breath when she exhaled.
"You should not touch me," she said, but her voice trembled.
"Then tell me to stop."
She did not. Instead, she stepped closer. I could smell her, the faint scent of herbs and rain. My heart beat too fast, too loud; hers matched the rhythm. The air between us tightened until it hurt to breathe.
Her lips parted. "Casimir."
I bent my head until our foreheads touched. The bond pulsed once, a shock of heat that rolled through both of us. Then her mouth met mine. The kiss was not soft or careful. It was desperate, fierce, like drowning and breathing all at once. Her hands gripped my shirt, and I pulled her closer, every part of me burning.
The candles flared. The room shuddered. Glass shattered somewhere behind us, the sound cutting through the haze. I tore myself away, breathing hard. The light dimmed, leaving only the scent of smoke and the echo of what we had just done.
Nicholas burst through the door, sword drawn. "What happened?"
"The Veil reacted," I said, my voice raw. "It felt us."
He looked from me to her, realization dawning. "You cannot feed it. Every time you touch, it strengthens the tear."
I stepped back, fury and guilt colliding. "If I do not touch her, it consumes her. If I do, it consumes us both."
Nicholas's expression softened. "Then you must decide which loss you can live with."
He left, leaving the room heavy with silence. Ava stood by the window, her back to me. Her shoulders shook, whether from fear or something else, I could not tell.
"You should not have done that," she said quietly.
"I know."
She turned, eyes bright. "Then why does it not feel like a mistake?"
I could not answer. My chest hurt too much to speak.
---
Ava
The night pressed close, full of thunder and sea-wind. I sat by the window long after Nicholas had gone, watching lightning bloom over the cliffs. Casimir had not moved from where he stood. His eyes were on the horizon, but I knew his thoughts were on me.
The bond between us hummed still, soft as a heartbeat. Every time I breathed, it pulsed in answer. My lips still tingled from his kiss. I should have been afraid. Instead, I felt alive in a way I never had before.
Finally, I said, "Maybe fate isn't trying to destroy us."
He looked at me then, his expression unreadable. "What do you think it wants?"
"Maybe it is trying to remind us what it costs to love."
He gave a broken laugh. "Then we are already paying."
I rose, stepping toward him. The air between us shimmered faintly. I reached out, almost without thinking, my hand brushing his chest. Beneath my palm, his heart beat strong and steady.
"Do you regret it?" I asked.
"No."
The single word left his lips like a vow. He caught my hand before I could pull away, pressing it against his heart. His eyes met mine, gold and shadow and something more. "But it will cost us both."
Outside, thunder rolled. The storm finally broke. Rain lashed against the windows, lightning flashing over the sea. Casimir turned back toward it, his reflection in the glass twin to another, eyes darker, colder, burning gold beneath the surface.
A voice whispered through the storm. "Love her, and she will be your ruin."
Casimir's reply was quiet, almost tender. "Then I will love her until ruin is all that's left."
The wolf in him had always known hunger, but never like this, a hunger that wanted not flesh, but fate itself.