“Lovely,” Tristan said, clapping his hands together, his grin spreading like wildfire across his face. He glanced at the Hunter, who stood like a statue, his eyes never leaving Elara, like he was waiting for the slightest twitch, ready to strike if she so much as blinked wrong. "Now, can I trust you'll be on your best behavior?"
"Fuck off," Elara snapped, wiping the blood from her nose.
"Right." Tristan turned to the Hunter, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe I should stick around?"
The Hunter's eyes shifted to Tristan, hard as ice. "I can handle her."
Elara’s jaw tightened, teeth grinding in frustration. Tristan, of course, didn’t notice—or didn’t care. He spun on his heel, walking toward her with that same swagger that made her want to strangle him. She barely had time to react when he pulled something out of his pocket. Four vials.Stonebrew.
Her eyes widened in shock.
“I nicked these from your healer. Wasn’t easy. You can thank me later,” he said, thrusting the vials into her hands with a wink. Elara blinked, stunned for a moment, before gripping the vials tight to her chest. Relief swept through her, so fierce it nearly brought her to her knees. Strength. She'd have it again. She wouldn’t be helpless for whatever was about to unfold. The thought alone was like air in her lungs after drowning, her exhale trembling as if the weight of her fear had finally cracked open, releasing her.
But before she could even form a response, Tristan was already heading for the rift. And, like the insufferable fool he was, he fell backward into the abyss, arms outstretched, leaving her speechless.
Elara stood there for a moment in utter disbelief before shaking her head. "Is he always this irritating?"
Ivan’s lips twitched into a faint smile. "Always."
She popped open two vials and downed them without a second thought. The change was instant. Her legs stiffened, her muscles locking into place, the shaking in her body finally stilling. She drew in a deep breath, painless this time, the relief like cool water flooding her veins. Yet, even as the tension melted from her body, she felt his gaze on her—tracing every movement like the burn of a brand pressed against her skin.
She despised it.
She straightened her spine, slipping the remaining vials into her corset. “Are you going to tell me why I’m here, or just keep gawking?”
The Hunter’s gaze didn’t waver. "I need to evaluate your bind."
"You already did that."
“I did,” he agreed, his arms crossing over his chest, “but I wasn’t able to… accomplish what I’d intended that day.”
Her gaze narrowed. "Which was?"
He didn’t respond right away, his jaw tight, like he was wrestling with the words before they finally came. “At the binding ritual… something shifted between us. But even before that…”
Elara’s heart skipped, her pulse a quickening rhythm. She knew what he was talking about. That moment in the Hartling Forest—when she’d fought him, when the air between them had cracked and split with a force she still felt in her bones. That shockwave, like a cord pulled too tight, snapping between them. She hadn’t forgotten the way his power had crashed into hers, like it had been lying dormant, just beneath the surface, waiting for hers to touch it, ignite it.
She hadn’t let herself think about that day—hadn’t dared. Because to think about it meant admitting the truth, acknowledging that strange, dangerous pull that had flared to life after the fact.
Elara’s lips pressed into a thin line. “And now you’re here to, what, undo it?”
He tilted his head slightly, considering her words. “I’m here to understand what it means.”
'Understand it'.Sure, maybe only to then unravel it, to strip away the small, precious thread of power she held over him.
She rolled her eyes. “Right. Like I’m going to fall for that. From where I’m standing, I’ve got all the control. I can hurt youwhenever I want. In fact…” Her lips twisted into a cruel smile as she squeezed the seal inside her.
The Hunter flinched, his face tightening, a vicious curse slipping through his teeth. “It would benefit us both.”
Her brows shot up, eyes flashing with contempt. “How do you figure that?”
“I wouldn’t be standing here if it didn’t.”
A bitter, cold laugh ripped from her throat. “Of course. The great Hunter, only ever doing anything when it suits him.” Elara bared her teeth. “I’m not going with you. Drag me if you want, throw me over your shoulder again. I know you love playing the brute. But I’ll make sure every second of it is hell for you. I’m not giving up an inch of control. Not to you.”
“What do you want?”
Elara went very still. “What?”
