“Yes.”
The admission should feel like weakness. Instead, it feels like clarity.
I protect her because the thought of not protecting her triggers an instinct I can’t override. I eliminate threats to herbecause her existence has become the axis around which my world now rotates. I kill anyone who attempts to separate us because separation has become synonymous with a loss I won’t permit.
“This is what obsession looks like.” Her voice is soft, but her eyes remain steady on mine. “This is what happens when a dragon starts claiming.”
“You have read the literature.”
“I’ve survived by knowing what predators are capable of.” She still hasn’t released my arm. Her thumb traces small patterns against my sleeve, movements I suspect she doesn’t consciously register. “Is this what you want? To kill everyone who looks at me wrong?”
“I want you safe.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
I feel her pulse through the contact—steady, controlled, faster than it should be. I see the slight dilation of her pupils, the flush along her throat that has nothing to do with exertion. I smell the shift in her scent, the undertone of arousal that her body produces even as her mind maintains distance.
She wants me. The signs are unmistakable.
I want her with a force that threatens to override every barrier I’ve built.
“We should complete the mission.” Her voice has roughened. “Clear the remaining infrastructure. Verify there are no survivors who might report our position.”
Her hand slides up my arm, fingers curving around my bicep with pressure that suggests intent rather than accident. After a moment, she releases me slowly. The absence of her touch leaves an imprint that won’t fade.
We clear the remaining infrastructure in silence. I erase ritual frameworks and communication equipment with deliberate precision. She ends the corrupted enchantmentswoven into the building’s structure. When we finish, the warehouse is empty—not destroyed, but ended. A shell that will never again serve the purposes it was designed for.
Outside, the cursed district has gone quiet. The walls still whisper, but their voices seem diminished, their reaching spells less aggressive. Whether this is a response to the lieutenant’s death or simply my perception shifting, I can’t determine.
We walk out, side by side.
The forward campreceives our report with the efficiency I expect from Vaelrix’s operation. Intelligence officers document the eliminated infrastructure. Tactical analysts update their maps with the node’s removal. Medical personnel examine Tanith for injuries she doesn’t have and me for damage I wouldn’t acknowledge if I did.
Through it all, I remain close enough to touch her.
Vaelrix notices. I see her gaze tracking the distance between us, measuring the positioning I maintain regardless of where operational requirements place me. She doesn’t comment. She doesn’t need to. We both know what she observes.
“The cursed district elimination exceeded expectations.” Approval surfaces in her tone—rare from Vaelrix. “The eastern network will require weeks to rebuild coordination capacity. The precision strikes against the anchor sites can proceed on schedule.”
“Good.”
“Rest tonight. Tomorrow’s operations require full capability from both of you.”
Tanith acknowledges the dismissal with a nod. I follow her from the command tent, through the camp’s organized activity, toward the quarters we share.
Inside, she removes her weapons and outer clothing with the practiced ease of long habit. I maintain my position near the entrance, watching, waiting, uncertain what protocols apply to a situation I’ve never encountered.
She crosses the small space to stand before me, close enough that I feel the heat radiating from her skin. Close enough that her scent fills my awareness, blocking out the camp’s ambient odors. Close enough that reaching out and touching her would require no conscious decision.
“The ones who tried to flank us.” Her voice has dropped, private in a way that excludes the world beyond these walls. “You killed them all. Even the ones who were already retreating.”
“They attempted to separate us.”
“You tortured the lieutenant.”
“He threatened you.”
“And the runner? The one you chased through hostile territory?”
