Elara's POV
I explode.
Shadows burst from my body like a bomb going off. They slam into the shadow beasts, throwing them backward into trees. The creatures yelp and scatter, fleeing into the forest.
When the darkness clears, I'm standing at the cave entrance. My whole body glows with black light. Power hums under my skin.
And twenty feet away, Cassian lies motionless on the ground.
"No!" I run to him, the shadows following me like a cloak. "Cassian, wake up!"
He's covered in blood. Claw marks tear across his chest and arms. His face is too pale.
I press my hands to his wounds, and the shadows respond. They flow from my fingers into his injuries, stitching flesh back together. Healing him.
I don't know how I'm doing it. The ancient voices guide my hands, whisper instructions I follow without thinking.
Cassian's eyes flutter open. "Elara?"
"I'm here. You're okay. I've got you."
He stares at my hands—still glowing with shadow magic. "You came out of the cave."
"You were dying!"
"I told you to stay inside!" He tries to sit up and winces. "The wards were protecting you—"
"And you were bleeding out! I couldn't just—" My voice breaks. "I couldn't let you die."
His expression softens. "The beasts?"
"Gone. I scared them away." I look at my still-glowing hands. "Or the ancient Shadowborn did. I'm not sure anymore."
Cassian catches my wrists gently. "Look at me."
I meet his silver eyes.
"You're still you," he says firmly. "The power is part of you now, but it doesn't control you. You control it."
"I don't know how!"
"Then we learn. Together." He examines my hands, turning them over carefully. Tiny shadows dance around my fingers like living ribbons. "The bond is changing you faster than I expected. You're developing shadow magic that shouldn't be possible for humans."
"But the curse connects me to your power," I say, remembering what he explained before.
"Yes. But this..." He touches one of the shadow ribbons. It wraps around his finger playfully. "This is more than just my power transferring. You're creating new magic. Your Shadowborn blood is mixing with the curse bond."
The shadows grow bigger at his words. They spiral up my arms, excited.
I panic. "Make them stop!"
"Don't fight it. Fighting makes it worse." Cassian grabs my hands, holding them firmly. "Breathe, Elara. Just breathe."
"I can't—they're taking over—"
"Yes, you can. Look at me. Focus on my voice." His grip tightens. "Breathe in. Count to three. Breathe out."
I try. My breath comes in gasps, but I follow his count.
"Good. Again. In. One, two, three. Out."
The shadows slow their spiraling.
"Again."
I breathe. In. Out. In. Out.
The shadows settle. They don't disappear, but they stop trying to consume me.
Cassian's touch is warm against my cold hands. His presence is steady when everything else is chaos. I focus on that. On him.
The magic finally calms completely. The shadows fade back into my skin.
We're still holding hands. I can feel his pulse through his wrist—steady and strong. He can probably feel mine—racing and panicked.
"Better?" he asks quietly.
"Yeah." I realize we're very close. Close enough to see gold flecks in his silver eyes. "Thank you."
He pulls away quickly, dropping my hands like they burned him. "We need to keep moving. The beasts will report back to whoever sent them. They'll track us here by morning."
The moment breaks. He's back to being distant and practical.
I stand up, trying not to feel disappointed. What did I expect? We barely know each other. We're only together because of a curse.
But as we pack up and prepare to leave the cave, I feel something strange. A pull. Like a string tied between my chest and his.
I turn away from him, and the pull gets stronger. Turn toward him, and it relaxes.
"Cassian?"
"What?" He's already at the cave entrance, checking the forest.
"I can feel you. Like... I know exactly where you are without looking."
He goes still. "The bond."
"Is that normal?"
"For curse bonds? No. They connect life force, not location sense." He faces me, and I see concern in his expression. "But for mate bonds..."
He doesn't finish.
"Mate bonds?" I repeat. "Like... romantic mates?"
"No. Well. Not exactly." He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Mate bonds are rare magical connections between two people. They allow shared emotions, location tracking, sometimes even thoughts. But they only form between people who are..." He trails off.
"Who are what?"
"Compatible. On a deep level. Soul level." He won't look at me. "The curse was never supposed to create mate bonds. It just ties life forces together. This shouldn't be happening."
The string between us pulses. I feel his confusion through it. His worry. And underneath that, something warmer he's trying to hide.
"What does this mean for us?" I whisper.
"It means breaking the curse just got a lot more complicated." He starts walking into the forest. "Come on. We need to put distance between us and this place."
I follow him. With each step, I'm aware of exactly where he is. Twenty feet ahead. Fifteen. Ten.
The bond hums between us like a living thing.
"Cassian?" I call out.
He stops but doesn't turn around. "What?"
"Can you feel it too? The bond?"
Long silence. Then: "Yes."
"What does it feel like to you?"
He's quiet for so long I think he won't answer. Finally: "Like having someone else's heartbeat inside my chest. Like I'd know if something happened to you even if you were on the other side of the world." He pauses. "Like I'm not alone for the first time in 237 years."
The honesty in his voice makes my throat tight.
"That's terrifying," I say.
"Yes."
"But also kind of..."
"I know."
We walk in silence. The bond pulses between us with each step. Growing stronger. Deeper.
After an hour of walking, Cassian stops suddenly. His hand goes to his sword.
"What's wrong?" I whisper.
"Someone's following us. Has been for the last ten minutes."
I don't hear anything. Don't see anyone. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Multiple people. Moving parallel to us through the trees." His eyes scan the darkness. "They're good. Professional. Not Sanctum soldiers."
"Then who—"
A figure drops from the trees, landing silently in front of us.
A man. Tall. Muscular. Dressed in black combat gear. He has dark eyes and a scar across his jaw.
Cassian moves in front of me immediately. "Kieran."
"Cassian." The man—Kieran—smiles. "You're a hard man to track down."
"I'm supposed to be." Cassian doesn't relax. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving your life. Again." Kieran's eyes shift to me. His expression changes. "Is this her? The fifth bond?"
"Her name is Elara."
Kieran studies me intently. Too intently. Like he's seeing something impossible. "She's still alive. After how long?"
"Six days."
"Six days and she's..." Kieran tilts his head. "She's glowing with shadow magic. That's not possible."
"I know."
"Cassian, what did you do?"
"Nothing! The curse did this. She's—" Cassian stops. "It's complicated."
"I bet it is." Kieran signals behind him, and more figures emerge from the trees. Five people. All armed. All watching us carefully. "We need to talk. Somewhere safe. Because the Sanctum isn't the only group hunting you anymore."
My blood runs cold. "Who else?"
Kieran's expression is grim. "Everyone. The Sanctum. The rebellion. The dark guilds. Even the neutral territories." He looks at me. "Word spread fast about a Shadowborn returning. About the Shadow Lord's bond mate developing impossible powers. There's a bounty on both your heads now."
"How much?" Cassian asks flatly.
"Fifty thousand gold for her. Dead or alive." Kieran pauses. "One hundred thousand for both of you together."
The forest suddenly feels very small. Very exposed.
"Why together?" I ask.
Kieran's smile is humorless. "Because whoever kills you both breaks the curse bond. And rumor is, breaking a mate bond that strong releases enough magical energy to power a city for a year. Or destroy one. Depending on who catches it."
The bond between Cassian and me pulses. I feel his shock through it. His fear.
We're not just hunted because we're dangerous.
We're hunted because our deaths are valuable.
"Where can we go?" Cassian asks quietly.
"My territory. The resistance controls it. You'll have protection there." Kieran extends his hand. "But we need to leave now. There are hunter groups closing in. They'll be here by dawn."
Cassian looks at me. Through the bond, I feel him asking a question without words: Do you trust him?
I look at Kieran. At his soldiers. They could kill us right now if they wanted. Could claim the bounty easily.
But they're not attacking. They're offering help.
I nod to Cassian. "Yes."
Cassian takes Kieran's hand. "Lead the way."
As we follow Kieran and his people deeper into the forest, the bond between Cassian and me grows even stronger.
I can feel his thoughts now. Not words, but emotions. Fear. Determination. And something else.
Protectiveness. Not just duty. Real, fierce protectiveness.
For me.
And I realize with a start—I feel the same way about him.
We've known each other less than a week. We're bound by a curse neither of us wanted.
But somewhere between running for our lives and learning to control impossible magic, something changed.
This isn't just a survival bond anymore.
It's becoming something real.