The first scream came at dawn.
It tore through the palace like a blade, sharp enough to rip me from sleep. I sat upright in the bedchamber that still did not feel like mine, heart pounding as shadows recoiled along the walls.
Another scream followed—closer and louder this time.I swung my legs over the side of the bed, the cold stone biting into my bare feet.
The bond at my collarbone burned, a sudden, violent heat that made my breath hitch.
Kael.
Something had to have gone wrong.
I didn't bother with a cloak
I didn't call for guards.
I ran.
The corridors of the palace twisted like a living being, torches flickering as servants fled in the opposite direction. Blood streaked the marble floors. The smell of iron hung heavy in the air.
"Move!" someone shouted.
I shoved past them, ignoring the way my pulse roared in my ears. Every step sent a fresh wave of pain through the bond, sharp and frantic, like a warning screamed directly into my bones.
By the time I reached the inner sanctum, the doors were already shattered.
And Kael Draven was on his knees.
The Kael Draven was on his knees.
And not just on his knees, but bleeding too.
For a heartbeat, the world stopped.
The Dark King—feared, untouchable, undefeated—was bleeding.
Black blood pooled beneath him, steaming where it touched the floor. His crown lay cracked beside him, shadows writhing wildly as if panicking without their master's control. Three figures lay dead nearby, their bodies twisted unnaturally, faces frozen in terror.
Assassins.
Elite ones.
Kael's head snapped up when he sensed me.
"No," he growled. "Get out."
I ignored him.
I crossed the room in seconds, dropping to my knees beside him. The wound in his side was deep, jagged with foreign magic. The curse flared violently in response, sending white-hot pain through my chest.
This just added to the already a throbbing pain in my chest which I would not admit was out of worry and concern for the dark king.
"What did they do to you?" I demanded, hands shaking as I hovered uselessly near the wound.
"Poisoned blade," he said through clenched teeth. "Old magic."
His control slipped, shadows lashing out and cracking the stone pillars. I flinched but I refused to move away.
"You're dying," I whispered.
Kael laughed once, dark and bitter. "Not today."
"You're lying."
His gaze softened just a fraction. "You shouldn't be here."
"I'm exactly where I should be."
Another wave of pain ripped through us both. I gasped, clutching my chest as the bond flared brighter than I had ever felt it.
That was when I understood.
The poison wasn't just killing him.
It was tearing the curse apart.
"If the bond breaks—" I started.
"—one of us dies," Kael finished.
I stared at him. "Which one?"
His silence was answer enough.
"No," I said immediately. "No, you don't get to decide that."
"Era—"
"I won't let you die."
Something unreadable crossed his face. "You would trade your life for mine?"
"I would fight for it," I snapped. "There's a difference."
Before he could argue, the doors burst open again.
The woman in crimson strode in, her expression triumphant.
"Ah," she said softly. "So the little queen came after all."
Kael's shadows surged, but weakly.
"You," he hissed. "This was your doing."
She inclined her head. "The curse has ruled this kingdom for centuries. It was time someone took control of it."
My blood ran cold. "You poisoned him to break the bond."
"To redirect it," she corrected. "Through you."
She turned to me, eyes gleaming. "You are the key, child. The curse listens to you now."
I stood slowly, positioning myself in front of Kael without thinking.
"You will step away," I said.
She laughed. "You think you can command me?"
"I think," I replied, feeling something foreign stir deep within me, "that you should be afraid."
The bond flared again—different this time.
Not pain.
Power.
The shadows hesitated. Then they moved toward me.
Kael's eyes widened. "Era—stop."
"I won't."
I lifted my hand, and the air thickened. The crimson woman's smile faltered as the shadows wrapped around her limbs, lifting her from the ground.
"You wanted control," I said quietly. "Congratulations."
With a sharp twist of my fingers, the shadows crushed inward.
Her scream was mercifully brief.
When her body fell, the palace was silent once more.
The power drained from me instantly.
I collapsed beside Kael, trembling.
"That," he said hoarsely, "was reckless."
I laughed weakly. "I'll take that as a thank you."
His hand found mine, gripping it tightly. "You've change."
"So have you," I shot back.
His breathing grew uneven. The poison still worked its way through him, dark veins spreading across his skin.
"Stay with me," I whispered.
"I don't plan on leaving," he said, though his voice lacked conviction.
Desperation clawed at me. "Tell me how to save you."
"There is a way," he admitted. "But it's dangerous."
"I don't care."
He cupped my face with blood-stained fingers. "If you draw the poison into yourself—through the bond—it will hurt you. It could kill you."
"And if I don't?"
"I die."
The choice felt brutal and immediate.
I didn't hesitate.
"Do it."
"Era—"
"Now."
He closed his eyes, jaw tight, and pressed his forehead to mine. The bond ignited, white light tearing through us both as agony exploded in my veins.
I screamed.
The poison burned like fire, ripping through me as it transferred, my body convulsing as Kael cried out in equal pain. Shadows screamed. The palace shook.
Then—silence.
Utter silence.
I collapsed forward, darkness closing in.
The last thing I felt was Kael holding me, frantic, desperate.
"Era," he whispered. "Don't you dare die."
I woke to warmth.
And silence.
For a terrifying moment, I thought I was dead.
Then I felt the bond—steady, calm, alive.
I opened my eyes.
Kael sat beside the bed, his armor gone, dark hair loose, eyes fixed on me like he was afraid I might vanish if he blinked.
"You're awake," he said hoarsely.
"Disappointed?" I croaked.
He let out a shaky breath that might have been a laugh. "Maybe a little."
I tried to sit up and immediately regretted it.
"Don't," he said, gently pressing me back.
"You absorbed enough poison to kill ten men."
"But not enough to kill me," I murmured.
"No," he agreed softly. "Not you."
Something shifted between us then.
The bond no longer felt like a chain.
It felt like a choice.
Like a choice we were made willingly
"I thought I lost you," he admitted quietly.
"You almost did," I replied. "So listen carefully."
He leaned closer.
"I am not your weakness," I said. "I am not a pawn. And I will not be protected by lies."
His gaze burned into mine. "Then what are you?"
I swallowed. "Your wife. Your queen. Your equal."
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he bowed his head.
"My queen," Kael said, voice rough. "What would you have me do?"
I stared at him, heart pounding.
"Teach me everything," I said. "About the curse. About the throne. About the monsters who will come for us next."
A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips.
"Your wish is my command," he said. "But know this—"
He leaned down, pressing his forehead to mine.
"I will make the world bleed for what it tried to take from us."
And for the first time, I didn't doubt him.