Chapter 65: I’ll Burn With You

The castle was silent as Lyra walked through the halls, her footsteps echoing off the stone walls. The tension from the night before still hang in the air like a heavy fog.

Riven's kiss still lingered on her lips, and the weight of his words pressed against her chest. But there was no escaping it. No matter how hard she tried to push him out of her mind, she couldn’t forget what he had said. The prophecy. The curse. Kael’s bloodline.

She could still hear Riven’s voice in her head: You won’t survive him. Not with what’s coming.

A cold shiver ran down her spine. She had thought she knew where she stood with Kael. She had believed, with everything in her, that their bond was meant to be. But now, as the truth of what they were up against settled in her bones, she wasn’t so sure.

The footsteps behind her broke her out of her thoughts. She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The heavy, deliberate tread. The presence that always seemed to demand attention. Kael.

“Lyra.”

His voice was a low growl, filled with something she couldn’t place. Not anger. Not fear. But something inevitable.

She turned slowly, meeting his gaze as he stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. He was watching her like a predator, but there was something more in his eyes. Something almost... desperate.

“You’re still here,” she said, her voice softer than she’d meant it to be. She didn’t want to sound relieved. She didn’t want him to see how much it hurt when he wasn’t around.

Kael didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took a step toward her.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he finally said, his voice rough. “I know what you’re feeling.”

Lyra met his gaze. “Do you?”

Kael nodded. “I know you’re afraid. You’re afraid of what we are. Afraid of what’s coming.”

“Then why are you still here?” Lyra asked, the words slipping out before she could stop them. She instantly regretted it, but it was too late.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he closed the gap between them in two long strides, his presence consuming her, until there was no space left between them. She could feel the heat radiating off his body.

“Because I can’t leave you,” he said, his voice low, dangerous. “No matter what the future holds, I can’t walk away from you.”

Lyra’s breath caught in her throat, her heart stumbling in her chest. She wanted to pull away, to push him out of her life before things got even more complicated, but she couldn’t. She was rooted to the spot, her feet planted in the thickening storm between them.

“I’ve tried,” he continued, his words like a confession, a weight on his tongue. “I’ve tried to keep my distance. I’ve tried to keep you safe. But I can’t. I can’t protect you from what’s coming.”

His voice dropped to a whisper. “I can’t protect you from me.”

Her chest tightened at his words. The pain in his voice was real. She could feel it, curling around her heart, squeezing tighter with every beat. But she couldn’t—she couldn’t let herself be swallowed by him, not when the truth of what he was, what he carried inside him, had the power to destroy them both.

“You’re not the only one who’s afraid,” she said, her voice barely a whisper, but the words felt like a dagger in the silence between them.

Kael’s eyes softened, just for a moment, before they hardened again. He was fighting something inside of him. Something wild and dangerous. She could see it in the way his fists clenched at his sides, in the way his chest rose and fell with every breath.

“I know,” he murmured. “I know what this is doing to you, Lyra. To us.”

“You don’t know anything about me,” she snapped, her anger flaring for just a moment before she swallowed it down. “You don’t know what it’s like to be torn apart by something you can’t control.”

Kael stepped closer, his hand lifting to her face. His fingers brushed over her cheek, his touch surprisingly gentle, given the storm swirling beneath the surface.

“I know more than you think,” he said softly. “I know what it’s like to be cursed, to carry something inside you that will eventually destroy you. I’ve lived with it for years, Lyra. And now, I’m asking you to carry it with me.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t know how to answer him, didn’t know how to deal with the torrent of emotions rising inside of her.

“You’re not the only one who’s afraid,” she repeated, her voice stronger now, more certain. “But I’m not running from this. I’m not running from you, Kael. Not anymore.”

His eyes searched hers for a long moment, as if he were trying to see through her, into the very depths of her soul. And then, finally, he spoke again.

“I know you’re not afraid of me,” he said quietly. “I know you’re afraid of what I am. What I’ll become. But Lyra… I’m not afraid of you. Not anymore. I’m not afraid of the goddess. Or the curse. Or anything else that’s coming.”

His voice dropped to a whisper, and his eyes hardened with something she couldn’t quite place.

“I’m afraid of losing you.”

Lyra’s heart stopped for a moment. The words, simple as they were, cut through her like a blade. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Instead, she simply stood there, trapped between the man she loved and the man she feared, her body trembling as the weight of his confession sank in.

Kael took a deep breath, his expression shifting from raw emotion to something darker, something resigned. He reached up and cupped her face in his hands, pulling her toward him with a force she didn’t expect.

“I know the curse will take me in the end,” he whispered against her lips. “I know it’ll turn me into a monster. But I’m not going to fight it. Not anymore.”

His lips brushed against hers, a soft, lingering kiss that sent shivers through her entire body.

“I’ll burn with you, Lyra. I’ll burn with you and never look back.”

As Kael’s words echoed in her mind, Lyra could feel the weight of everything shifting between them. She could feel the finality in his tone, the dark acceptance in his eyes. But just as she was about to speak, the howl of a wolf echoed from the distance, cutting through the tension.

Kael’s eyes snapped to the window, his expression hardening once again. Lyra felt it—the change in the air, the pulse of something dangerous closing in. And in that moment, she realized they were no longer just running from the curse. They were running from something much worse.