She hated it. Hated that she could feel such a thing forhim, of all people. He was a mystery wrapped in steel, a fortress she had no desire to breach, yet the cracks were beginning to show.
The way he spoke of the stones on his ring... She had thought it would be something to boast about, a mark of his standing, a symbol that commanded respect. But the darkness in his voice, the tension in his shoulders—it didn't sound like an honor. It sounded like a curse.
“In this world, everyone is bound to someone, willingly or not.”
At the time, she’d thought it strange, even cynical, for someone like Osin’s Hunter to say such a thing. But now, after everything she had seen… she wasn’t so sure anymore.
As they moved through the thick brush along the far wall of Mordenhall, Elara felt something strange. At first, she thought it was just her own exhaustion, the ache in her limbs, the tightness in her chest. But the longer they walked, the clearer it became—it wasn’t just her. Every step they took, every breath the Hunter drew—she could sense the way his muscles strained beneath his skin, the way his steps faltered ever so slightly as he pushed open the hidden door, leading them into the narrow, dimly lit staff corridors of the castle. He was hurting. Not bad, not injured in the way that would leave a mark—but sore. A bone-deep exhaustion she wondered if he could feel coming off her too.
“What?” His voice snapped, rough and cold, and it startled her.
Elara quickly looked away, heat rising to her cheeks. She hadn’t meant to stare. But the question was already there, pressing at her lips. She couldn’t stop herself from asking. “Are you hurt?”
She glanced back at him and found him standing rigid. He didn’t meet her eyes right away, his gaze flicking down the hall as if searching for something, anything, to avoid the question.Then, after a long, uncomfortable beat, his dark eyes cut back to hers.
“I trained hard the other day,” he said, voice flat. “Pushed myself until I couldn’t move.”
Elara’s lips pulled back in a tight line, her chest squeezing as his words settled into her mind like a lead weight. The heat came next, slow at first, then raging, a wildfire roaring through her veins, setting her skin alight. All this time, she’d thought it was just her body breaking down, pushing its limits. But it wasn’t just her. It washim,too? Her mind raced, questions hammering against her skull. Had his training kept her from regaining her strength? Had it made her weaker, left her exposed in Osin’s game? Worse still… had he known? Done it on purpose?
The thought crackled, igniting the fury that surged up so violently she could barely breathe.
"You drove yourself into the ground, training until you couldn't move, while I quiteliterallycouldn’t move," Elara snapped, her voice trembling. "And you knew—knew it would affect me. While I lay fordaysin that damned infirmary, choking on potions, barely able to breathe under the constant watch of your leering comrades, you're telling me it was your training that slowed my healing?"
The Hunter's eyes narrowed. "Youdied, Hallowed. Or did you forget?" He stepped forward, closing the distance between them, his gaze burning with fury. "You died. And I felt everysecondof it—the pain, the cold, the emptiness. You did not suffer alone. I pushed myself until my body broke, just to drown it out."
Elara’s chin lifted. "And in doing so, you kept me from recovering. You made me vulnerable."
A bitter scoff escaped his lips. "You’re sofuckingselfish. I'd almost forgotten."
Forgotten. Like he'd known her. Her heart stuttered. She had been right all along. There were more memories missing.Memories with him. But that didn’t douse the fire roaring inside her. If anything, it fueled it.
She shoved him hard, her palms slamming into his chest, but he didn’t budge, didn’t so much as flinch. “I’mselfish? You didn’t even tell me what was happening between us! You left me stumbling in the dark!”
“I didn’t know for certain.”
“You had an idea!”
He shook his head, jaw clenched so tight she thought he’d crack a tooth. “You’re right. I had my suspicionsafterI felt you die. And I acted. Who do you think told the healer you were hurt? Who dragged your lifeless body back?” His breath was hot, nearly brushing her face as he leaned in. “Idid. If it weren’t for me?—"
“What?” Elara spat. “If it weren’t for you, what? I’d finally have some gods-damned peace? Well, thanks for that.”
The Hunter’s eyes darkened, something dangerous flashing in them. His lips curled, a bitter smile that didn’t reach his eyes as he took a step back, fingers raking through his hair. He opened his mouth, like he was ready to lash out, but then stopped, swallowing the words.
“I never asked you to save me.”
The Hunter stilled, and shefeltit—felt the way his breath caught between his ribs, how his heart stuttered, then restarted. There was a storm brewing inside him, emotions tangled, pulling him in two directions. But it was true—she had never asked him to help her. Not after touching the stones, not all those years ago.
He drew in a sharp breath, chest rising like he was preparing for a blow. “You remember?”
Elara’s stomach flipped. “Of course I remember,” she whispered. Her fingers drifted, almost of their own accord, to the scar etched into her skin, brushing over its jagged line.
"Minva sölk harn."
His gaze followed, tracing the line of her scar like a caress before sliding up her throat, inch by inch, until it lingered on her lips. Elara’s breath hitched, her chest lifting as she fought to steady the sudden rush in her veins. His eyes climbed higher and locked onto hers, amber flaring bright enough to swallow the dark.
“Why?” The word came out rough, barely more than a rasp. “Why save me at all? If I’d died, you’d have one less problem to deal with. No seal, noDraoth Cara. You could’ve gone back to…”
But she didn’t finish. What would he go back to? No title. No family, from what she’d heard. The one relative she knew of lived in squalor and seemed to loathe him for it. What did he evenhavebesides the nameHunter?
