Chapter 12 – Love, Memories, and Other Complications
Yuki POV
I'd spent the last week at my master's side, nursing him back to health.
Progress had been slow.
Understandably so—he'd mangled himself protecting… her.
The thought alone made my gut twist. A low, cold breath escaped my lips, frosting the air. Lately, this had become a ritual. Every time she crossed my mind, that same seething pulse bubbled to the surface.
I didn't hate her. Truly, I didn't.
She was a dependable ally—strong, loyal in her way. But she was reckless. Possessive. Controlled by instinct rather than logic. Always draped over him, demanding his attention, radiating heat like she was in season. And the worst part?
I understood it.
Because I felt it too.
Master had a way of worming past your defenses, didn't he? That arrogant tone of his never quite crossed into obnoxious. His humor—completely ill-timed and often immature—still made me laugh when I least wanted to. And his loyalty? Unshakable. He'd throw himself in front of danger for someone he barely trusted… then turn around and fight beside them like they were lifelong comrades.
Infuriating.
Endearing.
The memory of our battle flared in my mind. I'd felt something real then—intense, electric. It was only later that I understood what that feeling was. A warmth that lingered after every moment spent at his side.
Affection? Admiration?
No. Love.
It was strange… alien. My people didn't love like that. Our relationships were pragmatic. Arranged. Calculated. With lifespans stretching centuries, there was no urgency to bond, no need to chase fleeting connections. Children were raised by clans, not couples. Emotion was a liability.
And maybe that's why we're fading.
A few of us had tried to slow the decline—establishing breeding agreements, safe havens for younglings. I wasn't of age yet, but my pairing had been decided long ago. Once I completed my rite of passage—a solo hunt—I was to be handed off to my betrothed. A well-bred frost elf warrior. I'd bear his child, carry on the bloodline.
I'd accepted that. It was my duty.
Until I met Kai.
He'd flipped my entire world upside down.
He made me feel—in ways I didn't know I could. And while he was an absolute idiot, he wasn't blind. Not entirely. He'd teased me often during his recovery. Pushed boundaries, made lewd remarks, tested my reactions. I remembered the moment he asked for a blowjob, half-joking but fully serious. I'd stormed off—expression cold, tone colder.
But deep down, I hadn't been angry.
I'd been stunned.
He'd once seen me as childlike. Weak. Small. Since evolving… he didn't hide his attraction anymore.
"I've grown," I murmured, running my hands along my new form. My curves were soft but distinct, my limbs longer, leaner. I was no longer some waifish thing. I was a woman—by his standards, at least.
I exhaled again. Cold mist drifted into the air.
He had wandered off alone. Typical. And I'd been tempted to follow—but she was likely with him. That was reason enough to stay behind.
Still, something itched at the edge of my awareness.
That feeling again.
Eyes on me.
I'd sensed it for days—always distant, always watching. But never acting. Not like goblins. This wasn't blind aggression. This was… patience. Calculation. Intelligence.
I couldn't risk them targeting the cave while I was gone. Shyara wasn't at full strength. But if I drew this observer out—lured them into the open—I could learn something. Their goal. Their origin. Their intent.
So I left the cave, slowly and casually, letting my steps meander with no real direction. Within minutes, I felt the presence tailing me. It kept its distance but never lost me.
Good.
They weren't here for the cave. They were here for me.
I kept walking—five minutes… ten. Until I reached a clearing bathed in pale light. I stepped into the open and waited. They didn't follow.
Smart.
But not smart enough.
I summoned a small ice pillar and sat, composing myself. My fingers moved without thought, sculpting the air with frost. Ice butterflies bloomed in the cold, fluttering to life with threads of mana. Twelve in all—my limit for now. Each one shimmered with intricate detail, their wings reflecting moonlight.
It took intense focus to maintain them. But it kept my mind sharp. Centered.
Then the brush behind me shifted.
Leaves rustled. A branch creaked.
I didn't look.
"Take another step," I said, voice low and crisp, "and you die where you stand."
I didn't expect an answer.
But I got one.
"You speak my tongue?" The voice was male—rough, aged by years and battle. But behind it lay hunger. Lust.
My breath hitched.
Not at the words.
At the language.
Frost Elf dialect.
No.
I turned slowly.
My stomach dropped.
He stood just beyond the trees—tall, broad, clad in armor formed from clay and ice. His eyes were glacier blue, his hair silver and braided. A face I could never forget.
"Seldric?" My voice trembled like brittle glass.
His gaze narrowed. "Do you know me?" he asked, stepping closer, tone colder now… but still laced with that heat. "I was sent to retrieve a missing frost elf. She disappeared some time ago. Promised to me, to bear my heir. She holds some value, after all."
I couldn't move.
He kept talking, unaware. "And just now—you spoke my name. So you've seen her. Tell me, did you kill her?" He tilted his head, expression sharpening. "I've heard rumors… some monsters steal memories. Is that what you are? A parasite that devoured her and took her thoughts?"
I shook my head, lips parting.
But he continued, cruel amusement creeping into his voice. "No matter. If you speak our language, you'll serve just as well. She owed me a debt, and now you'll repay it. You'll give me an heir. Whether you like it or not."
That was it.
He didn't recognize me. Didn't see me.
To him, I was just a replacement.
Just a womb.
The tremble faded from my limbs.
I thought of Kai.
Of his warmth. His laughter. His complete disregard for rules and titles.
Of the way he'd chosen me—without obligation. Without tradition.
I summoned two ice daggers, their blades gleaming in the moonlight.
"I know who I am," I whispered. "And I know where I belong."
Seldric took another step, smirking.
"I will not go with you," I said, dropping into a stance I'd practiced a thousand times.
"If you want me—then take me."
I would not return to the cold.
I had found my warmth.
And I would die with that feeling burning in my chest.
⸻
POV: Seldric
I hadn't come to this wretched corner of Wildreach for sport. I came to collect a wayward frost elf brat—my betrothed, or so the Elders had decided. She vanished before the bonding rite, and it fell to me to drag her back. Hardly a romantic errand, but practical. She had value, if only as a fertile vessel for the next generation.
Yet after a week of trudging through piss-soaked brush and beast-stink humidity, all I'd found were ice pillars in a clearing… and rot.
The pillars still pulsed faintly with familiar mana. Her signature. That, at least, confirmed she'd been here. But the corpses—goblins, mostly—were more interesting.
Dozens of them. All dead in distinct ways. Some bodies were torn apart with brute force, others pierced cleanly—skilled work. Surgical.
Not like her.
I crouched near a goblin slumped against a tree, its eyes glassy, a chunk of skull missing. A clean kill. An archer's mark.
Hers, perhaps. She'd always preferred distance. Cowardice disguised as strategy. But these others? The slashes… the precision…
She wasn't alone.
Four trails led away from the site. One, heavily bloodied. Human footprints. Odd. The others—nonhuman, light, erratic. Monsters, maybe? Tamed?
My brow furrowed. None of this fit.
I followed the trails as far as I could, but they scattered and twisted through thick foliage and ravines until I hit another dead end. A cave—freshly used. Four presences inside. Goblin blood. Something lupine. The elf again. And the human.
I watched them from afar. I made a game of it.
The wolf thing was protective. The goblin rarely left. The human was healing—badly. But it was her that drew my gaze.
A frost elf. Beautiful, ethereal… refined in a way few are. She barely stepped outside, yet when she did—gods. The mana coming off her practically shimmered. Controlled. Elegant. Awakened.
I watched her breathe cold mist into the air like it was hers to command. Dangerous, I thought. My blood stirred in ways I hadn't allowed it to in years. She wasn't just powerful—she was intoxicating.
My kind aren't supposed to feel this. Lust. Hunger. But I was born defective. Always wanting more. Always burning inside.
And tonight… she left the cave.
Alone.
I followed her like a shadow. My breath shallowed as I stalked from tree to tree. Her steps were slow, distracted. She wasn't scouting—she was… wandering. Contemplating. Lost in thought.
Ten minutes later, she reached a clearing.
There, she stopped. Created a frozen seat from nothing. Sat.
And then she began to play.
Butterflies of ice danced from her fingertips, fluttering with delicate flares of mana. I watched, transfixed. This was no child's display. This was artistry. Mastery.
She didn't just command the cold.
She made it dance.
By the time I realized how close I'd gotten, it was too late. She stiffened—sensing me.
Damn. Sloppy.
She didn't turn. Didn't speak. But I felt the threat in her stillness.
And then she said it—in our tongue.
"Take another step and you die where you stand."
Ah. That voice. Frost-etched. Confident. Untouched by fear.
I was throbbing before she even turned around.
So I responded—low, rustic, teasing.
"You speak my tongue?" I stepped into the open, letting her see me. No point hiding now. My desire was a heatstroke in my veins. I let it show.
Her reaction was immediate. Tension. Recognition? Or revulsion?
Her expression cracked—eyes wide, breath caught.
Interesting.
Something about her… familiar. Vaguely. But I couldn't place it. Didn't matter.
I smirked, letting my gaze trace her figure. "My apologies. Bit of a side effect, I'm afraid," I said, casually gesturing toward the tent in my trousers. "It tends to pop up when I'm tracking something delicious. And you, my dear, seem… especially potent."
She stiffened.
I laughed. "Do relax. I didn't come for blood—well, not initially. I'm tracking a missing frost elf. My betrothed, technically. She's been gone too long. Clan wants her womb accounted for."
I took a step closer, watching for flinches.
"You haven't seen her, have you? White hair. Cold eyes. Reserved. Prone to vanishing when responsibilities arise. I wouldn't be surprised if she got herself eaten. Or maybe…" I tilted my head. "Maybe you had a hand in that?"
She didn't answer.
Didn't blink.
Just reached behind her and summoned blades of ice.
My grin widened.
"Oh? You plan to fight me?"
I laughed again. Low, amused. "I'm flattered. Truly. But if you've harmed what's mine, then I'll simply take you in her place."
I rolled my shoulders, letting the frost creep along my skin like armor. My mana stirred in anticipation.
"Come then," I whispered, madness gleaming in my eyes. "Let's see what you're worth, little snowflake."