Elara POV
While waiting for the summit, I fell asleep without meaning to.
One moment I was sitting in the chair. Trying to stay awake. Trying to prepare.
The next, I was somewhere else entirely.
Not my room. Not Moonscar Summit.
A hall made of shadows and crimson light.
I knew immediately. This wasn't a normal dream.
"Welcome back, little flame."
Theron's voice wrapped around me like silk.
He stepped out of the shadows. Wearing black. Simple. Elegant. His pale skin glowed in the crimson light. His red eyes burned.
"Get out of my head," I said.
"But you invited me in." He smiled. Not kind. Amused. "The moment you fell asleep without protection. Without wards. You opened the door."
I tried to wake up. Couldn't. The dream held me tight.
"This is the second entry," Theron said. He moved closer. Slow. Predatory. "Two more and you're mine. The bond will seal. Permanently."
"I'll never let that happen."
"Won't you?" He stopped in front of me. Close. Too close. "Let me show you something."
The dream shifted.
Suddenly we were standing on a mountain. Looking down at two kingdoms. One bathed in silver moonlight. One drowning in crimson twilight.
"This is what I'm offering," Theron said. His voice was soft. Intimate. "Not slavery. Partnership. You and I, reshaping the world. Breaking the old rules. Creating something new."
"You mean creating more weapons. More slaves."
"I mean creating choice." He turned to face me. "The bond system is broken. You know that. It forces people into relationships they don't want. Traps them in cages they can't escape. But you—" He reached out. His fingers brushed my cheek. Cold. Gentle. "You can unmake it. Rebuild it. Make it what it should have been from the start."
His touch sent shivers through me. Not fear. Something else.
Something I hated myself for feeling.
"Why do you care?" I asked. "Why not just take what you want by force?"
"Because force creates rebellion. Always." His thumb traced my jawline. "But willing cooperation? That creates empires."
I should pull away. Should fight. Should wake up.
But I couldn't move.
"Let me show you," he whispered.
The dream shifted again.
Now we were in a room. Dark. Intimate. Lit only by firelight.
Theron stood behind me. His hands on my shoulders. Not holding. Just resting there. His touch burned cold through my skin.
"Feel this," he murmured in my ear. "The power flowing between us. The potential."
I did feel it. The crimson mark on my right wrist blazed. Hot. Demanding. Power surged through me. Intoxicating.
His hands moved. Slid down my arms. Slow. Deliberate.
"I could teach you everything," he breathed. "How to wield your power without fear. How to break bonds without destroying lives. How to remake the world."
His lips brushed against my neck. Just barely. A promise.
Heat flooded through me. Not the fever. Something else. Want. Need. Wrong and terrifying and overwhelming.
"Stop," I whispered.
"Do you want me to stop?" His hands settled on my waist. Pulled me back against him. "Or do you want me to continue?"
I should say stop. Should push him away.
But the word wouldn't come.
His mouth moved along my neck. Feather-light kisses. Each one sending fire through my veins.
"Say stay," he murmured against my skin. "Give me permission. Let me show you what we could be together."
My breath came fast. Shallow. Every nerve was alive. Electric.
The crimson mark burned. Demanding. Pulling me deeper.
"Stay," I whispered.
His grip tightened. Possessive. Satisfied.
Then his hand moved. Slid up. Cupped my breast through my clothes.
The sensation was immediate. Overwhelming.
I gasped. Arched into his touch.
"That's it," he breathed. "Stop fighting. Stop resisting. Just feel."
His other hand moved lower. Traced patterns on my hip. My thigh.
I was drowning. Losing myself. The dream was too real. Too powerful.
His hand moved between my legs. Pressed.
Pleasure shot through me like lightning.
"Say yes," he commanded softly. "Say yes and I'll give you everything. Power. Freedom. Pleasure beyond anything you've imagined."
The word hovered on my lips. Yes. God, yes.
Then I saw it.
A symbol. Glowing faint red in the corner of the dream. A bat. Wings spread. Growing darker. Stronger.
The claim symbol.
If I said yes now—if I let this continue—the third entry would begin. The bond would seal.
I'd be his. Forever.
"No." The word tore from my throat. "Stop. NOW."
The dream shattered.
I woke gasping. Sweating. Shaking.
My room. My bed. Safe.
But the crimson mark on my wrist was blazing. Hot. Angry.
And between my legs, I was wet. Aching. My body still responding to touches that never really happened.
Shame flooded through me. Hot. Bitter.
I'd almost given in. Almost let him claim me. Not through force. Through seduction.
A knock at the door made me jump.
"Elara?" Kaelen's voice. Tight. Controlled. "Are you alright?"
No. I wasn't alright.
"I'm fine," I lied.
"You're not." The door opened. He stepped in. His golden eyes found mine. Saw too much. "He was in your head again. Wasn't he?"
I couldn't answer. Couldn't meet his gaze.
Kaelen crossed the room. Grabbed my chin. Forced me to look at him.
"Did he claim you?"
"No." My voice shook. "I stopped it. Before..."
"Before what?"
I couldn't say it. Couldn't admit how close I came. How much I wanted it.
Kaelen's jaw clenched. "He's seducing you. Piece by piece. Making you want him. Making you think you have a choice."
"I do have a choice."
"Do you?" His grip tightened. Not painful. Just firm. "When he invades your dreams? Controls your desires? Manipulates your emotions? That's not choice, Elara. That's assault."
The word made me flinch.
"He warned me," Kaelen continued. His voice was rough. Raw. "Three dream entries. Three times you let him in. And on the third, the bond will seal. You'll be his. Completely. No way to break it."
"That was only the second."
"Only?" He released me. Stepped back. Ran his hands through his hair. "One more. One more time and I lose you. And there's nothing—NOTHING—I can do to stop it if you let him in."
"I won't let him—"
"You already did twice!" His control snapped. "You invited him in. Twice. And each time you go deeper. Want him more. How long before you can't say no anymore?"
I didn't have an answer.
Because he was right. Each time was harder. Each time I wanted to stay longer. Wanted to give in.
"The trial is in one hour," Kaelen said. His voice was dead. Empty. "After that, I'm putting wards on this room. Dream wards. So he can't reach you. Even if it means trapping you here."
"You can't—"
"Watch me." He walked to the door. Stopped. Didn't turn around. "I will not lose you to him, Elara. Even if that makes me the monster."
He left.
I sat on the bed. Staring at my hands. At the marks burning on my wrists.
Silver on the left. Crimson on the right.
Two bonds. Two kings. Two impossible choices.
And somewhere between them, I was losing myself.
The window frosted over. Words formed.
Soon, little flame. Very soon.
I closed my eyes.
One hour until the trial.
One hour until the Moonfire judged me.
One hour until everyone saw exactly what I was hiding.
I was terrified.