“The bond,” I answer. “Bonding with me.”
The words leave my mouth evenly.
“You burned a village,” I continue quietly before she can answer. “You nearly destroyed yourself trying to stop it. You were in front of armed villagers today and commanded my power with a steadiness most demons never achieve in centuries.”
Her gaze searches my face carefully.
“And yet,” I add, stepping a little closer, “you are now bound to a wrath demon for the rest of your life.”
A faint crease appears between her brows. For a moment she studies me as though the question itself surprises her.
“You really think that’s something I would regret?” she asks quietly.
“I need to know,” I reply.
The honesty of the question settles between us with no room for evasion.
Elowen exhales softly, her gaze dropping briefly to where our hands remain intertwined before lifting again to meet mine. The evening light catches in her eyes as she speaks, and the bond between us warms with the quiet certainty behind her words.
“No,” she says.
The answer comes without hesitation.
“I don’t regret you.”
Something in my heart warms more.
“You were the first person who ever showed me what real strength looks like,” she continues quietly. “Not the kind peoplepretend to have when they raise their voices or threaten others, but the kind that chooses restraint when anger would be easier.”
Her fingers tighten slightly around mine.
“You saved me,” she says. “Again and again, even when I didn’t understand what was happening to me. You stood beside me when everyone else turned away, and when I lost control you didn’t run from me.”
The bond hums softly with the weight of her conviction.
“You could have left,” she adds. “You could have walked away the moment you realized what I was becoming.”
I shake my head faintly.
“I never would have done that.”
“I know,” she says.
A small, certain smile touches her lips.
“That’s why I chose you.”
The words land with quiet finality.
“I didn’t accept the bond because I had no choice,” she continues softly. “I accepted it because you were the only one who ever looked at me and saw something worth protecting instead of something dangerous.”
Her gaze holds mine steadily.
“And I would never regret that.”
The warmth spreading through the bond feels brighter than any infernal fire I have ever commanded.
“I chose you,” she finishes gently.
