Kael crossed the hall in a blur.
His hand closed around Elowen's wrist before she could step back. The contact was not painful—but it was devastating. Heat bled from his skin, ancient and feral, answering the echo of something buried deep within her.
The air screamed.
Sigils carved into the stone flared, then dimmed.
Kael froze.
Her pulse thundered beneath his fingers. Her skin burned—not with fear, but with restrained power.
"You did something,"
The dragon's roar echoed through the castle, shaking dust from the rafters.
Elowen staggered back, breath leaving her in a gasp. The warmth inside her collapsed in on itself, leaving only confusion and fear.
"I didn't—" she began.
Kael crossed the distance between them in a blink.
His hand closed around her wrist—not cruelly, but with terrifying certainty. Heat bled through his touch, ancient and violent. Power answered power, and the air screamed.
Kael froze.
Her skin was warm. Too warm.
"You did something," he said.
"I don't know how," Elowen whispered.
The dragon snarled again, this time lower, uncertain. Its massive body bowed—just slightly—before retreating into the shadows.
Demons murmured.
Kael released her as if burned.
"Leave us," he commanded.
The hall emptied in seconds.
Alone, Kael looked at Elowen not as an offering, nor as property—but as a threat.
And something else.
Something dangerously close to interest.
"You will stay," he said.
"For how long?" she asked.
His eyes darkened. "Until I understand what you are."