Unspeakable things I should never have allowed near you.
She pressed her cheek against his chest. “It’s alright. Now, I see…the truth of all you have endured…”
“Auryn—”
“Your guilt. Your pain. Even now, they weigh so heavy. I can feel them through the Bond, Kail.”
He couldn’t speak.
Didn’t know what to say.
“Please remember. The mask…is not you…” She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him. “Even if you don’t desire me like those Companions, I will stay. I’m not afraid.”
“Auryn, how could you ever think—”
“I’m not afraid,” she whispered again, softer this time, like a secret meant only for his heart.
Kailorien’s throat closed. “You should be,” he breathed into her hair, voice shredded. “Youshouldbe afraid. You saw the thing caged inside of me. The claws waiting to desecrate everything I love.”
She smiled, undaunted. “My heart sings when you touch me.”
He held her tighter.
“When you wore the mask,” she whispered. “I knew it wasn’t you. The sound was wrong. The shape. The silence under the rage.”
He shuddered.
“Ifeltit,” she continued, eyes fluttering shut. “Like screaming without sound. I thought… maybe if I reached deep enough, I’d find you again.”
Kailorien buried his nose into her hair.She had reached for him.Reached into the taint that was Vargrún—into the violence, the lust, the decay.
“You already did,” he whispered. “You found me.”
For a long time, neither of them moved.
The water stayed warm. Auryn’s fever hadn’t broken, but her shivering had softened. Her body, exhausted beyond measure, finally allowed itself to rest—if only in his arms.
“Let me finish washing you,” he said. “I’ll carry you back.”
She nodded.
He shifted, dipping the cloth again into the water, wringing it out with care. He washed her legs—just her calves and ankles, avoiding anythingthat might feel invasive. When he reached her knees, her hand caught his wrist.
He looked up, startled, but she didn’t pull away.
Her eyes were half-lidded, bright but focused. Aware.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered. “Please…don’t stop.”
His chest ached. “I won’t.”
She shook her head. Her fingers tightened. Her cheeks flushed dark.
“Touch me,” she whispered. “Not like before. Not like what that ritual made me feel. Touch me…the wayyoualways do. So I remember which hands are yours.”
He hesitated. “Auryn…”
“I need to remember,” she said, softer now, her lip trembling. “Please, Kailorien. Help me forget the fear.”
