Eliam froze, staring at it.
"Enough!" Thaine stepped between them, his hand on Eliam's chest. "Enough. You made your point. He made his. This solves nothing."
Briar felt the warmth in her chest split, pulled equally toward both of them, and the sensation was so painful she gasped. Karse's arm tightened around her.
"Steady," he murmured. "Breathe through it."
Eliam's eyes found hers across the destroyed garden, and she saw the moment reality crashed back in. His shadows receded, pulling back into him, and his expression shifted from rage to something rawer.
Arion stood slowly, one hand pressed to his bleeding shoulder. His light had dimmed, but his eyes stayed locked on Eliam.
"I would do it again," he said quietly. "If it meant keeping her safe." He paused, his eyes meeting Eliam's directly. "And you're right. About the river. About me wanting her. I offered her sanctuary after you cast her out. Hoped she'd stay, that she'd choose the Star Court. Choose me."
His jaw tightened slightly. "She didn't. Even without saying the words, I knew. She'd already decided to go back to you."
"But that doesn't mean I've stopped wanting her," Arion continued, his hand still pressed to his bleeding shoulder. "So I'll take any opportunity I can to change her mind. The next time you hurt her, the next time you make her question whether she belongs with you, I'll be right there offering her something better. Consider that fair warning."
Eliam's shadows surged again, but Thaine's hand on his chest held firm.
"Enough," the huntsman said quietly. "He's made his position clear. You've made yours. This is done for now."
Karse released Briar with a small sound of amusement. "Fae," he said, like it explained everything. Then to Briar, "Can you walk?"
She nodded.
Eliam was there immediately, his arm around her waist, supporting her weight. He didn't say anything, didn't look at Arion, just turned and began leadding her back toward the residence halls.
She looked back once, seeing Arion still standing in the destroyed garden, Thaine moving to check his shoulder. The Star Prince's eyes met hers, and something passed between them. Understanding, perhaps, definitely confusion. The same question she had no answer for.
Why had the warmth responded to his kiss that way?
Why did it still pull toward him even now?
What did it mean?
Eliam guided her back to their room in silence, his grip on her waist possessive and tight. When they reached the door, he swept her up without a word, carrying her inside despite her protest that she could walk.
He set her on the bed and immediately began layering blankets over her, his movements sharp and controlled in a way that meant he was barely holding his temper.
She watched him move around the room, stoking the fire higher, checking that the terrace doors were locked, his shoulders rigid with tension. When he finally climbed into bed beside her, he pulled her against him, his arms wrapping around her like he was afraid she might vanish.
The silence stretched between them, filled only by the crackle of the fire and their breathing.
"Was it true?" he asked finally, his voice rough. "What he said. Before Malachar took you, had you already decided to come back?"
She felt him holding himself completely still, waiting for her answer.
"Yes," she said quietly.
His arms tightened fractionally around her. "Why?"
Briar studied him a moment. She could give him a dozen reasons that were all true—the bargain, the marks, the way the warmth pulled her toward him. But none of those were the real answer.
"Because I love you," she said, the words coming out steadier than she felt.
He went completely still behind her. She felt him stop breathing for a moment, could sense the war happening inside him between what he wanted to say and what he was capable of saying.
His hand moved from her waist to turn her to face him, and when she met his eyes, they were black and intense and full of things he couldn't put into words.
