Chapter 78 Stolen moments

Chapter 78 Stolen moments


The Training Grounds

"You've been at this training for days. You're not ready to take a break?"

Darion watched as Lyra executed another flawless strike against the training dummy, her movements sharp and precise. She'd been pushing herself relentlessly, and it showed not just in her improved technique, but in the exhaustion etched into her features.

"A break isn't going to make us stronger," Lyra replied, not pausing in her movements.

"Yes, but it will wear us out," Darion countered, stepping closer. "You can't fight if you collapse from exhaustion first."

Lyra finally stopped, turning to face him. Her red eyes studied him carefully. "You've been distant."

Darion's jaw tightened. "Well, I've been trying to figure out how to survive, thank you very much."

"We all are," Lyra said quietly. "But you've been avoiding me. Why?"

"I'm not avoiding you.."

"You are." She moved toward him, closing the distance between them. "Every time I get close, you pull away. Every time we're alone, you find an excuse to leave. What's going on, Darion?"

He looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "I told you I'll protect you, Lyra. You don't have to run away from me anymore."

"I'm not running away from you," Lyra said, her voice breaking slightly. "You're running away from me."

"Because I failed you!" Darion's voice exploded out of him, raw and desperate. "You couldn't protect me from the curse, Darion. Those are your words, not mine. And you're right. I couldn't. I watched Morgana take control of you, watched you suffer, and I couldn't do a damn thing to stop it."

"You turned me," Lyra reminded him gently. "You saved my life."

"I made you into this," Darion gestured at her the black hair, the red eyes, the hybrid nature she never asked for. "I took away your humanity because I was selfish. Because I couldn't let you go."

Lyra stepped closer, placing her hand on his chest. "Yes. But I want to try. Just let me try. Please."

Darion looked down at her, his blue eyes filled with pain and longing. "What do you want me to do?"

"Don't live like you're on the edge," Lyra said softly. "Don't treat every moment like it's our last. I know what's coming. I know we're in danger. But I don't want to spend whatever time we have left with you keeping me at arm's length."

"Then what do you want?" His voice was barely a whisper.

"I just want you to melt in my arms," Lyra said, her fingers curling into his shirt. "Like before. When you weren't afraid to touch me. When we weren't fighting a war every second of every day."

Darion's resolve crumbled. "I still want to. God, Lyra, I still want to."

"Then why.."

"But we don't have time," Darion finished, though the words felt hollow even as he said them. "Let's train."

Lyra opened her mouth to argue, but Darion reached out and cupped her face gently.

"Oh, you've been training for a while," he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Let's do something fun."

Before Lyra could respond, Darion pulled her close and kissed her.

It was gentle at first, tentative, like he was afraid she might push him away. But Lyra melted into him, her arms wrapping around his neck, her body pressing against his.

The kiss deepened, becoming more urgent, more desperate. All the distance, all the fear, all the unspoken words between them dissolved in that moment.

Darion's hands slid down to her waist, pulling her impossibly closer. Lyra's fingers tangled in his hair, and she made a soft sound against his mouth that made his heart race.

They broke apart only to breathe, their foreheads resting together.

"I've missed this," Lyra whispered. "I've missed you."

"I'm right here," Darion murmured, his thumb tracing her jawline. "I'm not going anywhere."

He kissed her again, slower this time, savoring it. His lips moved from her mouth to her jaw, then down to her neck, and Lyra's breath hitched.

"Darion," she breathed.

"Lyra," he replied against her skin, his voice rough with emotion.

They stood there, wrapped in each other, the world outside forgotten. For just a few stolen moments, there was no war. No threat. No curse.

Just them.

When they finally pulled apart, both breathless and flushed, Darion rested his forehead against hers again.

"We should probably get back," he said, though he made no move to let her go.

"Probably," Lyra agreed, equally reluctant.

They stayed like that for another moment, holding onto each other, before reality slowly crept back in.

"Come on," Darion said softly, taking her hand. "Before someone comes looking for us."

Lyra nodded, squeezing his hand.

As they walked back toward the estate together, fingers intertwined, something between them had shifted. The distance was gone. The fear was still there, but it no longer controlled them.

Whatever came next, they'd face it together.

Somewhere in the Shadows

The figure stood alone in a darkened corridor, phone pressed to their ear, hands trembling.

"I got you the book," they whispered urgently. "I don't want to do this anymore."

The voice on the other end was cold, amused. "You don't have a choice now. I have you at the tips of my fingers."

"We had a deal," the traitor hissed, desperation bleeding into their voice. "You said if I helped you, my family would be safe. I've done everything you asked. Let me go."

"And you will keep to it!" The voice sharpened, losing all pretense of civility. "One more task. That's all I need. And then, maybe, I'll consider releasing you."

"I can't"

"You will," the voice interrupted. "Or everyone you love dies. Slowly and painfully. While you watch."

The line went dead.

The traitor stood there in the darkness, phone clutched in shaking hands, tears streaming down their face.

They'd betrayed everything and everyone.

And there was no way out.

They slid down the wall, sitting on the cold stone floor, and buried their face in their hands.

"I'm sorry," they whispered to the empty corridor. "I'm so sorry."

But sorry wouldn't undo what they'd done.

And it wouldn't stop what was coming.