Page 4 of Chains of Love

The third raider raises his rusty sword with trembling hands, sweat beading on his dirt-streaked forehead. I sidestep his clumsy swing with practiced ease, feeling the whoosh of stale air as his blade cuts emptiness, and drive my blade through his throat. Blood sprays across my armor in a crimson mist, and I twist away from the arterial fountain, my boots sliding slightly in the growing puddle beneath him.

The last one tries to run, stumbling over exposed roots in his panic, his whimpers echoing through the darkening forest, but I'm already there, my sword finding his spine with surgical precision. The crack of bone and parting flesh sends a familiar shiver through my arm, a sensation I've grown to anticipate like an old friend's greeting.

The entire fight lasts less than thirty seconds - barely enough time for my blood to quicken, barely enough time for them to realize their fatal mistake. Four bodies cooling in the dirt, theirlife essence seeping into hungry soil, and I haven't even broken a sweat. It would almost be disappointing if I hadn't learned long ago not to expect much from such encounters.

I turn to Lirien, still chuckling at the delicious irony of the situation. "The mighty Purna, bound by rope. How embarrassing." The coarse hemp binds her wrists and ankles with satisfying tightness - a far cry from her usual commanding presence.

Her eyes narrow, green fire dancing in their depths like witch-light on a moonless night. "Untie me. Now." Each word drips with barely contained fury.

"I don't think I will." I clean my blade on one of the corpses' shirts, taking my time as I drag the steel across the fabric, watching the blood seep into the worn cotton. "The view is rather entertaining." And it is - seeing her brought so low feeds something dark and pleased inside me.

"You insufferable bastard! When I get free, I'll?—"

"You'll what?"

I close the distance between us in two strides, gripping her jaw with my free hand. Her skin burns hot against my palm like a fever, and those strange eyes of hers lock onto mine, glowing with an otherworldly intensity. The air between us crackles with something dangerous and electric, a tension that makes the hair on my arms stand on end. I can feel her pulse racing beneath my fingers, matching the quickening of my own heartbeat.

Her breath catches, just slightly, a soft hitch that sends a shiver down my spine. The pulse in her throat quickens beneath my fingers, fluttering like a trapped bird. For a moment, we stay frozen like that, neither willing to break first, locked in this dangerous dance of dominance and desire.

Her lips part, and my gaze is immediately drawn. So plump, stained a deep rose from where she's been biting them. Fuck. The urge to close that final distance between us, to claim thatmouth with my own, hits me with an intensity that leaves me reeling. I force myself to remain still, even as every muscle in my body screams to move.

I release her jaw and step back, cutting through her bonds with a quick slash. "There. Try not to get captured by children next time."

3

LIRIEN

Ipush my way through the thick undergrowth, branches catching at my robes. Every step forward feels heavier than the last. The weight of Darak's stare burns into my back, and my cheek still tingles where his fingers gripped my jaw last night.

Reaching up, I gather my hair, twisting it away from my neck. The silver ribbon slides through my fingers as I secure it, but my hands shake slightly. That moment by the tree replays in my mind—the heat of his palm, the intensity in those crimson eyes, the way his gaze dropped to my mouth. The bond pulses between us, stronger than it should be this early. Each beat matches my quickening heart.

The forest grows denser, shadows deepening unnaturally. Branches twist overhead, blocking out more light with each step. The air grows thick, almost syrupy.

"Stop." Darak's command cuts through the heavy silence. "What game are you playing? The sun's still high—this darkness isn't natural."

I turn to face him, careful to keep my expression neutral despite the flutter in my stomach. "Very observant."

"Don't patronize me. Answer the question."

"We're entering Kanturak." I gesture to the darkening woods. "It's a cursed forest."

His hand tightens on his sword hilt. "And why exactly are we entering somewhere that is cursed?"

I turn around, fixing him with a glare. "Do you want to get rid of this bond or not?"

But something aches as I say the words.

His silence weighs heavier than any curse. I push forward, leaves crunching beneath my feet, trying to ignore the void where his response should be. The bond thrums between us, a constant reminder of his presence—and his distrust.

My arms wrap around my middle, fighting off the creeping cold that has nothing to do with the forest's unnatural darkness. Each step feels like walking through molasses, the air thick with ancient magic that sets my teeth on edge.

A shadow darts across the path—too fast, too fluid to be natural. I stumble backward, colliding with solid leather armor. My breath catches as Darak's warmth seeps through my robes, his chest rising and falling against my back.

"Don't move," he whispers, his breath stirring my hair.

My heart pounds against my ribs, and I'm not sure if it's from the creature or his proximity. His hand grips my shoulder, steadying me, and for a moment, I let myself lean into his touch.

The bonded sensation intensifies, stronger now with the contact, and I sense his confusion mingling with my own longing. Electric tingles race across my skin where we touch, a sensation both foreign and achingly familiar. He releases me as if burned, and the loss of his touch stings more than it should, leaving a hollow ache in its wake.

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