Chapter 81 Chapter 81
Chapter 81 Chapter 81
Varian did not say another word as he bent down and lifted Elara into his arms, immediately registering how light she felt against his chest, far too light for someone who was supposed to be standing on her own two feet, while her body trembled uncontrollably and her weak fingers clutched desperately at the front of his shirt as though she feared he would vanish the moment she loosened her grip, her uneven breathing brushing softly against his skin as heat radiated from her flushed cheeks and glossy, unfocused eyes that could barely stay open.
Every step Varian took echoed through the now-quiet palace corridor, the distant festival noise, laughter, music, excited chatter, and floating lanterns, feeling like something that existed in another world entirely, because in this moment none of it mattered, none of it registered, none of it held any importance compared to the fragile girl in his arms and the violent rage boiling inside his chest like molten lava searching for release.
He reached an empty guest room and kicked the door open without slowing, the wood slamming harshly against the wall as he carried Elara inside and crossed the space in long strides before carefully, almost reverently, lowering her onto the bed, gentle in a way no one would ever expect from him, despite the fact that every dark instinct inside him screamed to destroy something, anything, to burn the entire kingdom if that was what it took to make her safe.
Elara whimpered softly as she turned onto her side and curled into herself, her fingers immediately reaching out again as though she could not bear to be alone for even a second longer, her lips parting as she murmured his name in a weak, broken whisper that made his jaw tighten painfully.
Varian sat on the edge of the bed, his hand hovering in the air for a brief moment as though he did not trust himself to touch her, before finally brushing the tangled strands of hair away from her face, feeling the unnatural heat of her skin beneath his fingers and muttering darkly under his breath that she had been drugged, the words tasting like poison in his mouth.
Elara shifted restlessly, her brows furrowing as tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, her voice trembling when she whispered that she felt strange, and Varian answered quietly, his voice low and tightly controlled as he slid one arm beneath her shoulders and pulled her into a sitting position, only for her head to immediately fall against his chest as though her body had been waiting for that contact, her arms wrapping around him instinctively, clinging to him like he was the only solid thing left in a world that no longer made sense.
Varian closed his eyes, and for a brief moment everything else ceased to exist not because the world had gone silent, but because his entire focus narrowed to her breathing, her heartbeat, and the chaotic energy pulsing inside her body before he placed his palm firmly against her upper back and allowed a faint, controlled current of his dark power to flow into her, slow and steady, not violent, not overwhelming, but carefully calibrated to counter whatever poison was crawling through her system.
Elara gasped softly, her fingers tightening in his shirt for a moment before slowly, very slowly, her breathing began to even out, her trembling eased, and the rigid tension in her shoulders started to melt away, leaving her warm but no longer burning, weak but no longer spiraling.
Varian kept his hand where it was, refusing to move, refusing to speak, staying like that for as long as it took, minutes blurring into something meaningless, until her weight sagged fully against him and her body finally stopped fighting itself, her eyelids fluttering weakly as she whispered for him not to go, the words tightening something deep inside his chest.
“I’m here,” he told her quietly, and when she tilted her face up slightly and asked if he would leave, his dark eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that could only be described as possession.
“Sleep,” he said.
After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded, and he gently eased her back onto the bed, pulling the blanket over her before she reached out again and caught his wrist with weak fingers, not demanding, not forceful, just needing reassurance, and Varian did not pull away.
Her grip loosened after a moment.
Her lashes fluttered.
Then she finally fell asleep.
Not restless.
Not shaking.
Just quiet.
Varian remained seated beside her, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest, memorizing every breath, listening for any sign that the poison was fighting back, and only when he was absolutely certain she was stable did he finally stand.
He leaned down and brushed his knuckles lightly against her cheek, a touch so impossibly soft that no one would ever believe it came from him.
“Anyone who touches you dies,” he murmured.
Then he vanished.
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\---The night air outside was cold and sharp, but it did nothing to cool the inferno raging inside Varian as he appeared on the rooftop of one of the palace towers, his eyes glowing faintly with a dark, focused light while he reached out with his senses and locked onto a familiar presence one that reeked of fear, guilt, and desperation.
Lynosse.
She was running.
A slow, dangerous smile curved Varian’s lips.
“Wrong direction,” he muttered.
And disappeared.
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