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The alarms wouldn't stop.
Every horn, every bell, every voice screaming orders seemed to tighten around my chest, but I didn't slow. I had one path left—and it was straight to the palace walls.
The courtyard stretched before me, littered with fallen guards and shattered lanterns, the smell of smoke and blood clinging to the air. My boots pounded against the stones, and I could feel the heat of pursuit at my back.
Shadow Sync.
The system's pulse rippled through me the moment I willed it, cool and heavy, like the night itself had just stepped inside my skin. The torches lining the courtyard flickered, their light stretching long, and the darkness between them thickened—inviting me in.
I dove.
The world folded in on itself, sound warping into a deep, muffled hum. My body became weightless, my vision swallowed by black until the shadows spat me back out—on the far side of the wall.
I landed in a crouch, my breath fogging in the cold night air. No clamor of guards here. Just quiet… too quiet.
"Ravyn?" My voice felt too loud.
Nothing.
I scanned the empty field beyond the palace. No footprints. No torn fabric. No sign she'd even been here. Of course she'd left. She wasn't the kind to wait around, not when things got dangerous.
A bitter laugh escaped me before I could stop it. I told myself I didn't care—but the truth sat heavy in my gut.
No time for that now. I pulled the shadows close again. If Ravyn was gone, I'd have to survive this night on my own.
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I didn't stick around to let the cold settle in. The palace was already spitting out search parties, and if I lingered, they'd find me before the shadows could hide me again.
I kept low, cutting through narrow alleys and ducking beneath sagging laundry lines. The moon was bright enough to betray me, so I stuck to the edges, letting the darkness swallow me whole where it could. Every time a pair of armored boots clattered past, I melted into a wall, my heartbeat loud enough that I swore they'd hear it.
The guards were smart—splitting into pairs, sweeping the streets with lanterns, their voices carrying sharp commands. But the city was mine tonight. Every gutter, every crooked chimney, every strip of darkness between the cobblestones was a thread I could pull myself along.
Her apartment wasn't far, but every step felt longer than it should. I could see the window in my mind—half-open, curtains barely drawn, a warm glow spilling out.
By the time I reached her street, I'd slipped past five patrols, a checkpoint, and a drunk noble who nearly tripped over me in the dark. I waited across the road, watching the building. No sign of movement inside.
If she was here, she wasn't expecting company. And if she wasn't…
I didn't finish the thought. I crossed the street in silence, shadows curling at my feet like a loyal tide, and made my way toward her door.
---
My heart was still thudding in my chest, but it wasn't from the chase anymore.
I climbed the stairs two at a time and rapped on her door.
No answer.
I waited. Knocked again. This time, harder.
Still nothing.
A prickle of unease crept up my spine. I tested the handle—it turned easily. Unlocked. Too easily.
I stepped inside. The scent hit me first—sandalwood, faint but lingering, mixed with something richer… wine, maybe. The lights were dim, just one low lamp glowing in the far corner, its soft amber spilling shadows that crawled along the walls.
I took two steps in—
Something moved.
A flash. A weight. My back slammed against the wall before I even knew I'd been grabbed. The air left my lungs in a sharp grunt as cold steel pressed under my jaw, close enough that a breath in the wrong direction would slice skin.
Her voice was sharp, almost feral.
"Don't move."
My eyes snapped to hers.
Ravyn.
Recognition sparked in her gaze, shock melting into relief so fast it almost looked like guilt. "You?" Her grip loosened a fraction, though the knife still hovered. "I thought—dammit, I thought they caught you. When the alarms went off…" She exhaled sharply. "I ran."
My teeth ground together. "Yeah. You ran. After sending me in first."
She didn't deny it. Didn't defend herself. Just studied me for a moment, then stepped back enough to lower the blade.
And that's when I saw her properly.
Her shirt hung loose on her frame, one sleeve slipping off her shoulder in a lazy, almost deliberate way. No pants. Just bare skin catching the low light, the shadows drawing lines along the curve of her hips and the long length of her legs. She moved without hurry, without shame—like this was her territory, and I was the one intruding.
"I can make it up to you," she said, her voice soft now, the edges gone.
I started to speak, the frustration still raw in my chest. "Ravyn, you—"
But she moved closer. One slow step at a time, closing the space between us, eyes locked on mine.
"Can you?" I asked quietly, not sure if I meant the words as a challenge or a warning.
She smiled—small, knowing. "I can try."
Her hand slid up my chest, her touch light but enough to burn. Then her lips found mine—soft at first, testing, and then deeper, more certain when I didn't pull away.
My anger cracked, and heat surged in its place. My hands found her waist, fingers digging in just enough to pull her flush against me. The kiss deepened, her scent—sandalwood and wine—pulling me under.
Before I knew it, my hands slipped lower, hooking under her thighs. I lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around me with the kind of ease that said this wasn't the first time. Our mouths never parted as I carried her across the room, the world beyond that dim-lit apartment vanishing behind the quiet click of the closing door.
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