I look down at the water, where the glow worms scatter their light across the surface. Before I can stop myself, the words slip out. “I used to spend many nights sneaking out of the palace to come here with Kallan.”
Koen stays silent, and the quiet stretches, urging me to fill it.
“I found it by accident one day. It was the same day my parents discovered I’d been sneaking around with my personal guard. That I’d…fallen for him.” My throat tightens. “I still don’t know how they found out, but they were worried. They adored Kallan.” I swallow. “They just knew that one day, I would have to let him go. And they didn’t want me getting hurt.”
I draw in a slow breath. “That day, they reminded me that my path was already chosen. I was always meant to marry the winner of the trials. And since Kallan wasn’t human, he would never be allowed to compete. He would never truly be mine.”
I can feel Koen’s gaze back on me, steady and searching, but I keep my eyes on the water.
“I went for a walk after that. I needed air. Somewhere I could breathe.” My fingers curl slightly at my side. “That’s when I found this cave. I ran back to get Kallan the moment I did.” I smile faintly as memories of that night flood my mind. “After that, it was ours. We made so many good memories here.”
The silence that follows is almost too much, too weighted.
This is only the second time I’ve ever spoken of Kallan to him. The first time I’ve said Kallan’s name out loud.
When I finally turn to face him, his expression is carefully composed, but the way his jaw tightens makes something heavy settle in my chest.
“I hope he knew,” Koen says quietly, “how lucky he was to be loved by you.”
A tear slips free, and I am not sure if it is for the memories tied to this place or the longing he doesn’t hide in his eyes when he says it.
He reaches up, wiping the tear away with a gentleness that almost unravels me. His hand lingers against my cheek, warm and hesitant, as if he’s waiting to see if I’ll pull back.
I don’t. Not right away.
The moment stretches, and once again, I find myself caught in the depth of his golden gaze.
“I should get back,” I say softly. “Before Torin loses his mind again.”
I pull away before he can respond, standing and gathering my heels.
------------? ? ? ? ?------------
Koen
I can feel her presence, pulling at me. Stronger than it should be, given how little time we have shared. For weeks now, she has haunted my dreams, my thoughts, every pulse of my heart. In sleep, I have held her, kissed her, felt her laughter in my arms as though it were real.
Some mornings, it takes too long to remember thatnone of it actually happened.
There is a constant heaviness in my chest now, one I have not been able to shake, no matter how many times I tell myself it’s all in my head.
And now she is here.
Standing beside me in the cave that we were both drawn to tonight…the place she shared so many memories with him. It’s as if the world is playing some kind of cruel joke. The ache deepens, turning restless and demanding. Every instinct in me wants to reach for her, to touch her, just to be sure she is real.
We rise and begin walking toward the palace.
My eyes catch on the ink on her back. Fire and shadow twist across her skin. I know it. Every line. I have seen it countless times in dreams so vivid they left me disoriented when I woke.
It’s real.
My heart stutters as the questions crash through me.How could I know this? How could my mind invent something so exact?
“Koen…”
Her voice pulls me back. Quiet and soft. “Sorry,” I murmur. That's all I can manage. Words feel useless against the storm in my chest.
I keep my hands at my sides, curling and uncurling. I notice everything as we walk. The brush of her hair across her neck, the rhythm of her breathing, the way she nervously chews her bottom lip. I fight for each breath, as if wanting her takes all my strength.
