Page 10 of Chains of Love

"I trust you," he says softly. "Just calm down."

The words sink into my skin and I let go of the chaos, falling into his arms. Darak catches me against his chest, his good arm wrapping around me as I collapse. The scent of leather and pine fills my nose, and beneath it, the metallic tang of his blood.

"There we go," he sighs, taking both of us to the ground. "Is there something I can do to help you control your magic?"

I smile against his shoulder.

"Actually, there may be something… But I can't ask you to do that."

"Just tell me," he insists.

I pull back, looking at him. "I might be able to draw on some of your self-control, your strength, through the bond. But doing so could just solidify it more, and make it more difficult to remove."

He cocks his head to the side, regarding me studiously. "Well, it'll be more difficult to remove it if we can't even make it to this coven. Right?"

I shake my head. "I can't do that. I won't." He opens his mouth to argue with me, so I redirect. "But I can heal your arm. Let me see."

Showing me the bloody wound, he hisses in pain when I grab it. With practiced precision, I let the warm, healing light spread from my fingers to his skin. Soon enough, his pain is gone.

"Wow," he says, inspecting my work. "I've never seen a human do such a thing."

I shrug, finally feeling the tension leave my body. "I can show you a lot of things you've never seen."

His eyes meet mine, and my breath hitches for a moment. His eyes are… beautiful.

6

DARAK

Ipush aside another twisted branch, scanning the dark canopy above. The shadows here play tricks on my mind, shifting and dancing like living things. My fingers brush the hilt of my sword, ready for anything.

"Almost there," Lirien says, her voice soft. She keeps glancing over her shoulder, searching the undergrowth. I know she's looking for that creature – the one that fled when her magic exploded.

"It's not coming back." The words come out harsher than intended.

She wraps her arms around herself. "I know. I just... it was nice, having something that wasn't afraid of me."

"Better this way. That thing could've turned on us at any moment."

"Not everything is a threat, Darak."

I grunt, unconvinced. The memory of her magic display flashes through my mind – raw power crackling through the air, her silver hair whipping around her face, those green eyes blazing like emerald fire. Beautiful and terrifying all at once.

"You're staring again," she says, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Just making sure you don't lose control again."

"Liar." She taps the bond between us as though it's a physical tether. "I can feel your thoughts, you know."

Heat creeps up my neck. "Stay out of my head, demon."

"Then stop thinking so loudly." She grins, stepping over a fallen log. "And for what it's worth, you looked pretty impressive yourself, charging in like that."

"I was trying to stop you from killing us both."

"My hero." She rolls her eyes, but there's no malice in it.

The trees thin ahead, revealing patches of actual sky. Thank the gods – a few more days in this cursed forest and I might have gone mad.

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