The Vault was still breathing. Not in the way of living things, but in the slow, oppressive exhale of ancient magic leaking from its walls. Ash drifted through the air in lazy spirals, each speck glowing faintly before vanishing into nothing.
Rhea stood frozen, her chest heaving. The silver light in her eyes refused to fade, and the mark along her spine pulsed with molten heat. She could feel it, the raw, animal power prowling under her skin like a caged beast. It wanted out.
Kael stood just a few feet away, his shirt torn, a line of blood cutting across his jaw. His gaze locked onto her like she was the only thing left in this cursed world. His voice was low, hoarse.
"Rhea… breathe."
She tried. God, she tried. But the more she inhaled, the more she felt him, the scent of his skin, the warmth radiating from his body, until her pulse became an unsteady drumbeat. Her claws had half-formed, her senses sharpened, and every instinct screamed for something primal.
Kael took a step closer.
"You're not losing yourself. You hear me? You're still in control."
He reached out, his fingers brushing her jaw. It was a grounding touch, but it sent sparks racing down her neck, straight to the restless heat between her ribs.
"I can't… hold it back," she whispered, her voice breaking. "It's too much, Kael. She's in me."
The mention of the Queen's presence darkened his expression. His thumb swept along her cheekbone.
"Then we cage her. But to do that… there's only one way."
She knew what he meant before he said it. The ritual. The forbidden joining. A bond so deep it could tether her to him ,body, soul, and power but one that would demand a price neither of them might be willing to pay.
"Here?" she breathed, glancing at the black stone walls. "Now?"
His lips curled into something between a snarl and a smile. "The longer we wait, the closer she gets to taking you."
The Vault seemed to press in on them, the air thick with the scent of ash and him. Every beat of her heart was louder, every inch of space between them unbearable. She didn't know if it was the Queen's influence or her own hunger, but when Kael's fingers slid to the back of her neck, she leaned into him like she had been waiting her entire life.
"Once we start," he murmured, his forehead resting against hers, "there's no turning back."
The mark along her back flared, answering for her.
"Then don't stop," she whispered.
Kael's breath caught and then he closed the distance.
The first kiss was fire and possession, tasting of danger and desperation. His hand gripped her waist, pulling her flush against him as her claws grazed his skin through the torn fabric. She felt his heartbeat, strong and steady, grounding her even as it drove her wild.
The Vault's magic swelled around them, feeding on their heat. Somewhere in the shadows, the ancient runes began to glow again.
And at that moment, Rhea understood the ritual had already begun.
The runes blazed brighter, their light spilling across the vault's blackened floor in ripples of gold and crimson. The air thickened until it was almost molten, each breath dragging heat into Rhea's lungs.
Kael's mouth moved from hers to her jaw, then down the curve of her throat, every kiss searing. The mark along her spine pulsed in rhythm with his touch, sending shivers that curled low in her belly. She felt the tether forming, the threads of magic weaving between them like chains ,chains she didn't want to break.
Her fingers slid into his hair, tugging him closer. His answering growl vibrated against her skin, raw and primal. "Hold on to me," he murmured, voice rough with power. "Let it take you but only through me."
A swirl of ash and light rose around them, wrapping their bodies in a storm. She could feel her power surging, clawing for freedom, but each time it pushed, Kael's presence pulled it back, molding it into something focused… something theirs.
His hands roamed over her, mapping every line, every tremor. Where his palms pressed, heat bloomed; where his lips touched, the mark blazed brighter. Her heartbeat was no longer hers , it matched his, a perfect echo.
The magic flared higher, and the Vault's stone floor trembled beneath their feet. Symbols burned in the air, spinning around them in dizzying circles. Somewhere far away, she thought she heard the Queen's voice furious, hissing but Kael crushed it with a kiss that stole her breath and left her gasping.
The tether locked in place. It wasn't gentle. It was sharp, consuming, molten their magic fusing so completely that she could no longer tell where she ended and he began.
When the light finally dimmed, she was in his arms, her claws retracted, her breathing slowing. The wild hunger inside her had gone quiet… but its echo still thrummed under her skin, tied irrevocably to him.
Kael brushed his lips against her temple, his voice low.
"It's done. She won't take you now."
But Rhea, feeling the bond burning in her chest, knew the truth. The Queen might not take her but she had bound herself to a different kind of danger entirely.