Chapter Twenty Five – I just needed his help!

Chapter Twenty Five – I just needed his help!
He stared at her, expression unreadable, eyes wide as if caught off guard by her presence… or something else.

“O-oh, hi…” she mumbled awkwardly, realizing how close they were. “Rylan.”

That seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he was in.

He released her immediately as if her touch burned, cleared his throat, and turned away so quickly it made her blink.

“For the love of God..” he muttered under his breath, barely audible. “What is wrong with me? I really don’t want to die…”

Taliya stared at his back, confused by his sudden flustered retreat. She opened her mouth, then hesitated. But she couldn’t let him walk away—not yet.

“Wait, Rylan.” she called, her voice firmer now as she took a few steps after him.

He stopped, shoulders tense, but didn’t turn around. She walked until she stood in front of him, blocking his path.

“P-please move.” he said, voice polite but clipped. His gaze refused to meet hers.

He stared past her, lips pressed tight, every part of his body taut like a bowstring.

Taliya frowned. “Why won’t you look at me?”

“I shouldn’t be talking to you.” he said quickly, voice barely above a whisper. “And I definitely shouldn’t be alone with you.”

“Why?” she asked, confused and curious. “Because of Kaidon?”

Rylan inhaled sharply but didn’t reply.

Taliya tilted her head, stepping closer. “I need to ask you something.”

His eyes finally met hers—and there was fear in them. Not for himself… but for her.

“Taliya.” he said lowly, almost like a warning. “Don’t go looking for answers in this castle. Some truths… will hurt you more than lies ever could.”

Taliya swallowed the knot rising in her throat, her voice barely steady.

“I just wanted to know how Javen was, that’s all. I didn’t get to ask you the last time… with the whole Kaidon thing.” 

Rylan stiffened. He averted his eyes, stepping back as if the question alone was dangerous. 

“He… he’s fine.” he said quickly, almost too quickly, and turned to walk away again.

But she couldn’t let him go. Not yet. Not without answers.

She reached forward, her fingers curling gently around his wrist.

“Wait. Please.” she said, desperation breaking through. “Is there… is there any way I can leave this place?”

The question hung in the air—raw, trembling, and real.

Suddenly, a deep growl thundered from the shadows behind them.

Taliya’s breath caught in her chest. Rylan flinched like he’d been struck.

They both looked up.

Kaidon.

He was walking down the hall toward them like a storm. His coat billowed behind him, and his eyes… they burned. Red. Bright and wild.

They locked on the point where Taliya’s hand still gripped Rylan’s wrist, and something inside him snapped.

Taliya took a step back instinctively, but Kaidon’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. 
“Come. Here.”

It wasn’t a request. It was control barely leashed.

Taliya shook her head, a whisper of defiance.

Rylan gently pulled his wrist free and glanced at her with quiet urgency. “Go to him, Taliya,” he murmured. “You’ll be fine. Just… go.”

But she didn’t move.

She didn’t want to move.

Kaidon’s fury flared. He reached them in two strides, grabbed Taliya by the waist, and yanked her to his side. His grip was possessive, burning.

Taliya gasped, struggling against the sudden heat radiating off him. Her gaze flickered between his clenched jaw and the crimson storm swirling in his eyes.

“I told you to stay away from her.” Kaidon snarled at Rylan, voice dripping with venom.

“I… I’m sorry.” Rylan said, lowering his eyes. “It was my mistake.”

Taliya’s heart pounded. “Stop this! It’s not his fault, okay?” she snapped. “I was the one who stopped him. I needed to ask him something.”

Kaidon turned to her, jaw tightening, nostrils flaring. 
“I told you to stay away from him.” he growled.

“And I told you I needed answers!” she snapped back, eyes flashing in fury. “You can’t control everything I do!”

“I will give you anything you want. Everything. I will tell you anything you need to know.” Kaidon said, his voice rough but strained, like he was holding himself back from exploding.

But Taliya glared up at him, her voice sharp with challenge.

“No. Rylan will do a fine job at that.”

Kaidon’s body trembled.

His skin began to heat, pulsing with a power just beneath the surface.

The air between them thickened, warping from the energy radiating off of him. Rylan stepped back, wisely silent, while Kaidon’s eyes never left Taliya’s face.

“You belong to me.” he whispered darkly, and the hallway seemed to shrink around them.

Taliya didn’t flinch this time.

“I don’t belong to anyone.”

Kaidon’s fury deepened—mixed now with something else. A flicker of hurt. Of fear. Of obsession that could no longer be caged.

“Then I’ll make you.” he said quietly, dangerously. “One way or another.”

Taliya’s chest rose and fell rapidly. She could see it in his eyes—he wasn’t threatening her. He was begging. In his own twisted, possessive way.

But she wouldn’t break.