Chapter 26 Ashes Between Us
Elara's
The echo of that silken voice lingered in the cave long after the shadows had stilled. I clutched the Codex tight to my chest, but its glow had faded—the whispering was gone. What had moments ago felt alive now seemed nothing more than a dead weight of leather and ink.
I drew in a long breath, trying to steady my heart. “It’s quiet,” I murmured. “Like… whatever power it held is sleeping.”
Kael shifted where he sat, blood still seeping through his torn tunic. He gave a bitter chuckle, though his face was pale. “Then thank the gods for small mercies. I could do without that cursed voice in my head.”
I hurried to his side, my fingers trembling as I tore strips from my cloak. “Don’t talk,” I scolded softly. “You’ve lost too much blood already.”
His lips curved despite the pain. “And here I thought you liked when I talked.”
I ignored the jab, pressing fabric against his wound. My touch lingered longer than it should have, and I felt the heat of his skin beneath my hands. His breathing slowed, his golden eyes caught mine—raw, open, filled with something deeper than pain. For a moment the cave fell away, and all I could hear was the thunder of my own pulse.
“Elara…” he whispered, his voice rough, almost reverent.
My breath caught. I tore my gaze away, bowing my head into shadow. “You need rest, Kael. That’s all.”
The spell between us broke, though a faint smile remained on his lips as his eyes slipped shut.
Behind me, silence pressed like a storm. I didn’t have to turn to know Dorian was watching. He didn’t speak at first, but when he did, his voice was steady, calm, even as tension bled through it.
“The entrance is clear,” he said at last. “We’ll be safe here until dawn.” His eyes lingered on me, heavy with concern. “You need to rest too. You’re pale, Elara. If you collapse, neither of us can protect you.”
“I’m fine,” I began, but he cut me off with a look.
“Elara,” he said softly, with that low steadiness that always anchored me, “please. Let me watch over you tonight.”
Kael gave a dry laugh, though it ended in a grimace. “And what? Leave her in your noble hands while I bleed out? Don’t fool yourself, Dorian.” He forced himself upright despite my protests. “I heal faster than most. Once I can stand, we’ll take turns guarding her. She deserves more than one wolf wearing himself thin.”
The weight in the air was suffocating. I touched Kael’s shoulder, pressing him gently back down. “No more arguments. Both of you, stop. I’ll rest when you do.”
Neither of them answered, but their silence spoke louder than words.
The Codex lay dormant beside me, a sleeping serpent. Yet even in the hush of the cave, I could feel the threads binding tighter, Kael’s fire, Dorian’s unyielding strength. And the choice the book had whispered about still waited, silent and merciless.
Exhaustion dragged me down. My head leaned against the cool stone wall, lashes fluttering as sleep crept in. The Codex weighed heavy at my side, silent as stone.
I hovered in that fragile veil between waking and dreams, where voices blurred into whispers.
“Don’t strain yourself,” Dorian’s voice broke the quiet, clipped but not unkind. “You’ll tear the wound wider.”
Kael’s low laugh rasped through the cave. “Worry doesn’t suit you, brother.”
“I’m not your brother.”
“No,” Kael murmured, his eyes half-lidded, fire still burning there. “You’re her shield. Her shadow. The one who pretends he doesn’t want what I know burns in him.”
Silence pressed heavy, broken only by the ragged pull of Kael’s breath.
“You’re delirious,” Dorian muttered, though his voice was rougher, lower.
Kael’s smile was faint but sharp. “Am I? Then answer me this—if she reached for you, would you take her hand? Or would your damn honor chain you, even if it cost her heart?”
The words sliced through me. I wanted to open my eyes, to demand the truth, but my body betrayed me. I lay still, listening, my heart hammering.
When Dorian spoke, his voice was quiet, almost broken. “It isn’t my heart that matters. It’s hers. And I won’t let her drown in this curse just because I want…” His voice faltered before he forced it steady again. “She deserves more than blood and battle. More than either of us can give her.”
Kael gave a harsh, breathless chuckle. “Coward. At least I don’t hide what I feel. She’ll see it in me, even if she never chooses me.”
The silence after was heavier than stone.
My chest ached with the raw truth of their voices. I shut my eyes tighter, forcing myself to remain still. For now, I couldn’t face them. Not yet.
Outside, the night stretched on, the scent of ash and iron lingering. And in the hollow of the cave, our hearts beat against one another—bound by blood, longing, and the quiet threat of the Codex waiting to demand its price.
