KAEL'S POV
She didn't sleep. Neither did I.
I kept her in my arms until the black fire went quiet, until her breathing evened out, until her lashes lowered against her cheeks. But even then, I knew better. I could feel it—the shadow curled beneath her skin, restless, patient. Waiting.
It hated me.
Every time my fire wrapped around hers, every time I forced it back, I felt its fury tear at me. Not as claws or fangs, but as a cold certainty. A promise whispered straight into my marrow: She is ours. You cannot hold her forever.
I wanted to crush it. Burn it. Tear it out of her with my bare hands. But when I looked at her face in the faint firelight—sweat streaking her temple, lips parted as though still caught between pain and relief—I knew the abyss had already sunk too deep.
She bore it for me.
