Page 43 of Starlit Bargains

Chapter 10

The Line Between Us

Dawn light filtered through the broken ceiling of the ruins, painting the ancient stones in shades of gold and amber. Eliar had been awake for hours, keeping watch as Kai and Briar slept. The night had passed without incident—no shadow creatures had returned, no village Keepers had come searching. The unnatural quiet felt less like reprieve and more like the stillness before a storm.

His side still ached where the Void Feeder had touched him, but the herb poultice Kai had applied was working better than he'd expected. The corrupting tendrils had receded slightly, the translucent quality of his flesh returning to something closer to normal. His strength was coming back too, though not as quickly as he would have liked.

Across the small space, Kai slept curled on his side, one arm tucked beneath his head, the other outstretched as if reaching for something even in sleep. The sprite was nestled in the hood of his jacket, a tiny ball of pulsing light that rose and fell with each breath.

Eliar found his gaze lingering on Kai's face, softened by sleep and morning light. The cocky grin and sharp wit that definedhim while awake were absent now, replaced by a vulnerability that made something in Eliar's chest constrict. He noted the soft curve of Kai's mouth, the way his lashes fluttered when he stirred slightly, the faint scar above his right eyebrow that Eliar hadn't noticed before.

The ache in his chest intensified, and Eliar recognized it with a jolt of alarm. It had been so long—centuries—since he'd felt anything like this, he'd almost forgotten the sensation. Almost convinced himself he was incapable of it anymore.

Attachment. Connection. Desire.

Dangerous things for a being like him. Especially now, with the corruption spreading through his essence, with the veil between worlds growing thinner, with prophecy unfolding around them.

Eliar shifted, intending to put more distance between them, to reestablish the careful boundaries he'd maintained for so long. The slight movement was enough to disturb Kai, who stirred, mumbling something unintelligible before rolling closer to Eliar, his outstretched hand coming to rest against Eliar's knee.

Eliar froze, caught between opposing impulses. He should move away. Should wake Kai and insist they continue to his sanctuary. Should rebuild the walls that centuries of isolation had constructed around him.

But he didn't.

Instead, he remained perfectly still, watching the play of light across Kai's features, feeling the warmth of that casual touch like a brand against his skin. So easy, so unconscious—the way Kai reached for connection even in sleep. So unlike Eliar's carefully measured interactions, his deliberate distance.

It would be kinder to pull away now, before this fragile thing between them grew stronger. Kinder to them both. The prophecy hinted at choices to come, at balance restored orshattered. What it didn't mention was the cost of those choices, the pain of connections formed only to be broken.

Yet still, Eliar didn't move.

“You're staring,” came Briar's voice, startling him from his thoughts. The sprite had awakened and now hovered at eye level, her expression unreadable. “It's creepy.”

“I was... thinking,” Eliar defended, his voice low to avoid waking Kai.

“About him?” Briar nodded toward her still-sleeping companion.

Eliar considered denying it, but something told him the sprite would see through any lie. “Among other things.”

“Mmhmm.” Briar's tiny eyes narrowed. “Just so we're clear—he's been through a lot. More than he lets on. If you're planning to break his heart, I'll find a way to make your eternal existence very uncomfortable.”

The unexpected protectiveness caught Eliar off guard. “I don't...” he began, then stopped, unsure how to respond to an accusation that cut too close to his own fears. “It's not that simple.”

“It never is,” Briar agreed with surprising solemnity. “But he sees something in you. Something worth fighting shadow monsters for. Just... be careful with that.” She gestured vaguely toward Kai before adding, “I'm going to check the perimeter. Wake him up. We should move soon.”

She zipped away before Eliar could respond, leaving him alone with Kai and thoughts he'd rather not examine too closely. The hand on his knee twitched slightly, and Eliar looked down to find Kai's eyes open, sleepy but alert.

“Morning,” Kai mumbled, apparently unconcerned about the casual contact between them. “Or is it? Hard to tell in here.”

“Morning,” Eliar confirmed, fighting the urge to pull away now that Kai was awake. “Early still. The shadows haven't returned.”

“Yet,” Kai added, finally withdrawing his hand as he sat up and stretched. The movement exposed a strip of skin at his waist, and Eliar found himself looking away, uncomfortable with his own awareness.

“We should reach my sanctuary before they regroup,” he said, focusing on practical matters. “It's better protected than these ruins.”

Kai yawned, running a hand through his sleep-tousled hair. “Food first. I've got some travel rations in my pack.” He rummaged through his bag, producing dried fruit and a strip of jerky which he offered to share. “Not exactly a feast, but it'll keep us going.”

They ate in companionable silence, Briar returning from her scouting to steal a piece of dried apple from Kai's hand. The easy domesticity of the moment felt both foreign and achingly familiar to Eliar—a reminder of a time before his fall, when he had existed among others of his kind, when isolation had not been his constant companion.

“So,” Kai said finally, packing away the remaining food, “what's the plan? We get to your sanctuary, then what? Hide out until the shadow monsters give up and go home?”

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