Page 30 of Chains of Nightshade

"I'm keeping us alive," I reply, not meeting her eyes. My tail coils restlessly beneath me. "The dark elves are still hunting us."

"That's not what I meant." Her voice carries a hint of steel I've never heard before. "We need to talk about what happened."

"Nothing happened." The words taste like ash in my mouth. "You were cold. I was there. That's all."

She flinches as if I've struck her. Good. Let her think it meant nothing. Let her hate me. It's better this way.

"You're lying." Vera's slender fingers brush my arm, and I jerk away, my body betraying me with its response to her touch.

"Don't." The word comes out as a growl. "You were a means to an end, nothing more. Don't make it something it's not."

I slither past her, heading deeper into the forest. Behind me, I hear her sharp intake of breath, but I don't look back. Can't look back. The forest swallows me whole, and I welcome its darkness.

Hours pass as I gather wood, hunt for food, anything to keep my mind off her. But her scent lingers on my skin, her taste on my tongue. The memory of her warmth threatens to drive me mad.

"Fool," I mutter to myself, snapping a branch with more force than necessary. "She's human. Weak. Beneath you."

But the words ring hollow, even to my own ears.

Later that night, under the star-flecked sky, I pace near our makeshift camp, my tail dragging patterns in the dirt. The memory of last night burns through my mind - her soft skin, her warmth, the way she whispered my name. I clench my fists. This weakness, this... humanity she stirs in me, it has to end.

Vera sits by the fire, stirring the remnants of our dinner. The flames cast shadows across her face, making her look ethereal. Dangerous. I force myself to look away.

"You've barely touched your food," she says, breaking the suffocating silence between us.

I grunt in response, keeping my distance. The further away I stay, the easier this will be. But she stands, moving closer, and my body tenses.

"Aurel, about what happened…” Her voice is soft, hopeful, filled with an innocence that makes my chest ache.

"It meant nothing." The words come out harsh, cold. Final. I keep my gaze fixed on the horizon, watching the sun bleed into darkness. If I look at her now, I might break.

"It... it didn't feel like nothing." Her voice cracks slightly, and I dig my nails into my palms to keep from reaching for her.

The memory of her body against mine flashes through my mind again. The way she fit perfectly in my arms, how shetrusted me completely. Fool. She's just a means to an end. Nothing more. I can't afford to forget that.

I coil tighter around myself, watching Vera's silhouette through the flames. Her presence gnaws at me like a persistent ache. The way she moves, how she breathes - everything about her has become a distraction I can't afford.

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what?" I sneer, letting centuries of practiced cruelty seep into my voice. "Like the monster I am? Did you forget what I am, little human?"

But even as the words leave my mouth, I catch myself wanting to take them back. And that terrifies me more than any dark elf ever could.

Vera's eyes glisten, and I know my words have cut her deep.

I turn away from her, my jaw clenching so hard it hurts. The warmth of her skin still lingers on mine, a constant reminder of my weakness. My tail coils restlessly beneath me, scraping against the forest floor.

"You're a burden, Vera." The words taste like poison on my tongue. "I should have left you behind back in that mansion."

Her sharp intake of breath cuts through the silence. I refuse to look at her face, knowing what I'll see there. Knowing it'll break my resolve.

"Aurel, don't say that..." Her voice cracks, and something inside me cracks with it.

I slither away before she can say more, pushing deeper into the forest. The branches whip against my skin, but I welcome the pain. It's better than the ache in my chest.

Hours pass as I hunt, gathering food we don't need. Each time I return to camp, I drop the provisions near the fire without a word. Vera tries to catch my eye, but I keep my gaze fixed on the ground, the trees, anywhere but her.

"We need more firewood," I mutter, already turning away again.

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