Chapter 36 Chapter 36

Chapter 36 Chapter 36


Whispers followed Patrina and Nyxios as they moved through the crowd. Dark elf nobles leaned close to one another behind jeweled fans and crystal goblets, their musical voices carrying just enough for her human ears to catch fragments of conversation.

"House Keltos has outmaneuvered Maelis brilliantly," a female dark elf murmured, her lips curving into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "To think they've been searching for weeks for the scholar while she was here all along."

"Did you notice the collar?" her friend replied, casting a speculative glance at Patrina's throat. "Purple, but not yet fully lightened. Still training her, then."

"Mavros must be seething," the first woman said with undisguised delight. "Look at him. He can barely contain himself."

Patrina followed their gaze to where Mavros stood rigidly by a column, his face a mask of controlled fury. The beardless dwarf at his side appeared to be urging restraint, but Mavros's eyes never left Patrina, tracking her movements with an intensity that made her instinctively move closer to Nyxios.

A group of younger dark elves approached, bowing to Nyxios with the perfect formality that seemed second nature to their kind. One, taller than the rest, with silver threads woven through his braids, leaned in with a conspiratorial air.

His eyes traveled over Patrina with undisguised appreciation. "Lord Nyxios, your companion is exquisite. We've been speculating about your training methods. Tell me, does she respond better to discipline or reward? My father always suggested that they thrive on a careful balance of both."

Another joined in, "And the bonds, have you used them yet? I heard your family’s artifact is quite special. That it speeds the process considerably, especially with the more... stubborn types."

Patrina felt heat rise to her cheeks, anger and embarrassment mingling in equal measure. Before she could respond, Nyxios's arm tightened around her waist.

Nyxios’ voice snapped, "You forget yourselves! What passes between a dark elf and their companion is sacred and private. Or has your House abandoned all pretense of honor?"

The young elves stepped back, their smiles faltering at the rebuke. They bowed again, deeper this time, and melted back into the crowd.

"Forgive them," Nyxios murmured against her ear. "Youth and jealousy make for a volatile combination. I apologize for their crudeness."

Before Patrina could respond, a melodic voice called her name. She turned to see Thalana Lakae Armas approaching, resplendent in a gown of midnight blue that complemented her bob-cut black hair and tall figure. Beside her walked a slightly taller dark elf woman with long white hair and delicate features, her lilac-grey skin luminous in a gown of deep crimson.

"Patrina! How wonderful to see you in something other than servants' garb or marsh mud," Thalana greeted with genuine warmth, though her eyes glinted with mischief. She gestured to her companion. "This is my half-sister, Kaelara Armas."

Kaelara's bow was perfunctory, her assessment of Patrina swift and dismissive. "So this is the human everyone's discussing. Smaller than I expected."

"Yet capable of great things," Thalana countered, her smile never wavering despite the subtle barb. "Nyxios, might I borrow your companion for a moment? Girl talk, nothing nefarious."

Nyxios hesitated, his eyes flicking to where Mavros stood watching them. "Stay within sight," he instructed Patrina, before nodding his assent.

Thalana led Patrina a short distance away, near enough that Nyxios could see them but far enough for private conversation. Kaelara followed, her expression suggesting she'd rather be anywhere else.

"So," Thalana began, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "has he been treating you well? The collar is changing color faster than I anticipated."

Heat crept up Patrina's neck. "He's been... attentive."

Thalana repeated with a laugh, "Attentive. Such a dry word for so much more. Does he still wrap himself in shadows to watch you sleep? Has he shown you the pleasure that comes from surrender yet?"

"Thalana!" Patrina hissed, mortified.

"What my sister means to ask," Kaelara interjected with acid sweetness, "is whether you've fallen for the trap all humans do, mistaking possession for affection."

Thalana rolled her eyes. "Ignore her bitterness. She's jealous because she wanted a human companion of her own. But tell me, are you beginning to feel something for him? I've known Nyxios since we were children. He's never looked at anyone the way he looks at you."

Patrina's fingers rose unconsciously to touch the collar at her throat. "I don't know what I feel. Sometimes I hate him for taking my freedom, and other times..."

"Other times you can't imagine being anywhere else," Thalana finished for her, nodding sagely. "The collar doesn't lie, Patrina. It responds to truth, not pretense."

A hand closed around her arm, spinning her into an embrace. Mavros Vex Maelis smiled down at her, though the expression never reached his eyes.

"At last, a moment without your keeper," he muttered, guiding her onto the dance floor with a forceful grace that left her no choice but to follow. "You're even lovelier than the dwarves described. Perhaps this is fortuitous, now I can assess you directly."

"Let go of me," Patrina said, trying to pull away, but his grip tightened.

Mavros chided, "Don't be difficult. I can be generous, you know. Much more so than Keltos. My companion would want for nothing: jewels, fine clothes, the best of everything."

"Except freedom," Patrina countered.

Mavros laughed, the sound cold and brittle. His fingers dug into her waist possessively. "You don’t even have freedom with Nyxios Keltos! What you need is proper guidance, proper training. Keltos is too soft, too sentimental. I could make you truly magnificent. It's not too late. The collar can be transferred if you truly desire it. If you hate him enough."

"I don't hate him," Patrina said, the truth of it settling into her bones as she spoke.

Nyxios’ hand gripped Mavros's shoulder, making him wince.

"The dance is over," Nyxios said, his voice deadly quiet.

Mavros released Patrina, turning to face Nyxios with a sneer. "We were just getting acquainted."

He stepped between them, his posture radiating controlled violence. "Were you? Strange, I could have sworn I heard my companion declining your company. Touch her again, and our houses will have more to worry about than social rivalry."

Mavros raised his voice, “You stole what was rightfully mine! I had arranged for that human's purchase before you interfered."

"Arranged with whom? A dwarven merchant with no claim to her? Patrina is not a bolt of silk to be bartered for, Mavros."

Mavros sneered. "She's a human, Keltos. And whatever human magic she possesses will be added to my noble bloodline. My house had first claim."

Nyxios's demeanor hardened. "Your house had nothing but an arrangement with a thief. I found her drowning in the waters of Limdrion! Where were any of your men? No. She and I now share love. The collar doesn’t lie."

"Love?" Mavros scoffed.

Nyxios stepped close to Mavros. "Yes, I love her. And I will never, not for any price or threat, give her up to another. Especially not to you."

Patrina, returning from her conversation with Thalana, froze as Nyxios's words reached her. The conviction in his voice, the simple declaration: "I love her" struck her with unexpected force. Not "I want her" or "I own her," but love. The collar at her throat lightened.

Before she could process this revelation, the music shifted to a formal waltz. Nyxios appeared at her side, his hand extended in invitation.

"Dance with me," he said, his eyes never leaving hers.

"This isn't finished, Keltos!"

Mavros moved as if to follow but Skotos appeared at his side, restraining him. "Enough, Mavros. Don’t draw any more attention to our house tonight."

Mavros huffed, “Of course my cousin would side with his friend over his family!”

The ballroom floor cleared slightly as the couple of honor took their positions. Nyxios's hand settled at the small of her back, warm and secure, while his other clasped hers with unexpected gentleness. He led her through steps she'd hastily learned over the past three days.

"You heard what I said to Mavros," he murmured, not a question but a statement.

"Yes," she admitted, meeting his gaze.

"It's true." His fingers tightened slightly at her waist. "I've known it since I pulled you from the canal and saw your cute ears. Since I watched you defy me despite your fear. Since I watched your eyes light up while reading books in the house library."

The music swelled around them as he guided her through a turn, her gown blooming with the turn. For a moment, there was only his eyes, his touch, the rhythm that bound them together.

When the dance ended, Nyxios bowed formally. "Allow me to bring you refreshment," he offered. "Don't move from this spot."

Patrina nodded, watching as he made his way toward a servant carrying a tray of drinks. The moment he was out of reach, a strong hand closed around her wrist.

They moved swiftly through side passages until they reached a secluded balcony overlooking the canals of Limdrion. The night air was cool against Patrina's flushed skin, the sounds of the ball muted by distance.

"I'm sorry you had to dance with Mavros," Nyxios said, his voice tight with controlled anger. "I shouldn't have left you alone, even for a moment."

"He said I could transfer the collar if I hated you enough," Patrina said quietly.

Nyxios stiffened. "That's true. Hate is the one emotion that can break the bond once established." He turned to her, vulnerability naked in his eyes. "Do you? Hate me?"

The question hung between them, weighted with everything that had passed since that first day in the canal. The humiliation of the dog ears and tail, the comfort of his arms in the marsh, the revelation of the Bonds of Submission, the tiara that declared her not property but an equal.

"I should," Patrina whispered. "But I don't."

She stepped closer, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Kiss me," she said, the words escaping before she could reconsider.

"Finally!" Nyxios breathed, the single word filled with such longing that it made her tremble.

His hands cradled her face as if she were precious, his cool lips meeting hers with unexpected tenderness. The kiss deepened slowly, his arms encircling her waist to draw her closer. Patrina felt herself surrendering not to force or magic, but to the truth she'd been fighting for weeks.

At her throat, the collar warmed like a brand, its color shifting from purple to a brilliant violet that seemed to glow in the darkness. Nyxios broke the kiss to stare at it, wonder and triumph mingling in his expression.

"You see?" he murmured against her lips. "The collar never lies."

Patrina leaned into him, no longer fighting the current that had been drawing her to him since the beginning. "Neither do I," she whispered, pulling him down for another kiss as the sounds of the ball faded into insignificance behind them.