Page 25 of Bound in Flames

"The clan will not ask you to send your mate to certain death. Sometimes, the strongest path forward isn’t the one we planned, Chieftain. It’s the one we adapt to. Just make sure you’re not too blind to see it."

Gornak clapped me on the shoulder before standing and walking away. His words lingered, weaving themselves into the tangle of my thoughts.

Cleo wasn’t just the key to our salvation. She was the chaos I hadn’t seen coming. Wild, and utterly consuming. For years, I had thrived on control, on calculated decisions and unshakable resolve, but Cleo unraveled it all within days of knowing her. And for now, I wasn’t sure I wanted to find control. I wasn’t sure I could.

Chapter 14

Cleo

Iwoke to the sensation of warmth, a steady, pulsing heat that radiated from the body beside mine. My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, and I wasn’t sure where I was. Everything felt distant, muffled, as if I were submerged in water. My body ached, every muscle weak and trembling like I’d been torn apart and pieced back together.

Slowly, my senses returned, and with them came the memory of what had happened. The figure. The darkness. It all came flooding back in a rush, and with it, the overwhelming exhaustion that had dragged me under. I remembered pushing myself too far, the blood that had poured from my eyes and nose as I funneled the magic to protect the them. The pain had been unbearable, the magic too wild to control.

I struggled to move, but my limbs were leaden and unresponsive. Every part of me felt weighed down, like I was trapped beneath layers of stone. The warmth beside me shifted, and I felt a strong hand close around mine, steadying me. The familiar heat of that touch sent a wave of relief through me, quietening the rising panic, and I turned my head toward it, managing to pry my eyes open.

Dex sat beside me, his gaze piercing, and there was a tightness in his expression that I hadn’t seen before. His hand was warm and solid around mine, his grip firm but gentle, like he was afraid I might break if he held on too tightly. I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his muscles were coiled like springs, ready to snap.

“Cleo.” His voice was low and rough, a thread of worry woven through it. "You’re finally awake."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry and raw. "What happened?"

His grip tightened before he released me, running a hand roughly through his hair. “You nearly killed yourself. You channeled too much power, more than your body could handle.”

I shuddered, the memories rushing back. The figure’s darkness had been unlike anything I had felt. It had reached for their lifeforce, sucking the very existence from their veins. It had taken everything to keep myself—and them—alive.

"Where is everyone?” My voice cracked, breaking on the words. “Are they okay?”

Dex glanced toward the fire on the other side of the clearing, his brow furrowing. "My warriors are tired but otherwise fine. Some are scouting the area. The others are resting. You have been unconscious for a full day."

A shuddering breath escaped me, relief loosening the tightness in my chest. "Wait… a whole day?" I tried to sit up, but the world tilted, spinning violently, and I sank back into the blankets with a groan.

Dex was immediately there, his hand resting gently on my shoulder, his touch steadying me. "Easy," he said, his voice soft. "You’re not ready to be up. You need rest.”

I closed my eyes, fighting the wave of dizziness that threatened to pull me under again. "I’m fine," I muttered, though the tremble in my voice betrayed me. "I just... I didn’t realize it would take so much out of me."

Dex let out a soft, humorless laugh. "You think? You nearly bled out from your eyes, Cleo. That’s not fine. You think you’re invincible, don’t you?”

The edge in his voice surprised me. I opened my eyes again and turned to face him, but his gaze was distant. His jaw was clenched, his muscles tight with barely restrained frustration. “Why are you so angry?” My whisper barely reached him.

Dex’s eyes snapped back to mine, and he looked as though he might argue, might deflect. But then he let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging as he shook his head.

"I’m not angry," he said quietly. "I’m..." He trailed off, running a hand over his face. " I don’t know what I feel. Watching you out there, seeing what you did, knowing how close you came to..." His composure cracked, worry etched into every line of his face. "It scared me."

His words struck me, stealing the air from my lungs.Dex was scared?

I didn’t think Dex could be scared of anything. He was the definition of control, always calm and steadfast, no matter the dangers we had faced. But now, seeing the way his eyes roamed my face, I realized that I wasn’t the only one shaken by what had happened.

"Dex," I murmured, reaching out to touch his hand. He flinched, but didn’t pull away. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to?—"

"Don’t," he cut me off, his voice sharper than before. "No more apologies. You did what had to be done and you saved all of us. But you have to stop risking yourself. Your life as a shaman is more important than ours.”

"I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.” My voice was instantly defensive, a plea for understanding. “If I hadn’t done something, they would have died. That thing was trying to suck the life out of them! I had to stop it."

His brow furrowed. “What do you mean. Could you feel it?”

I hesitated, unsure how to explain it—how to put into words the terrifying sensations I had felt. I wasn’t even sure I understood them myself. But Dex deserved to know. And more than that, I needed him to know. I trusted him, and I needed to say it out loud, to make sense of it.

I lowered my gaze, my fingers nervously twisting the edge of the blanket. "I... I don’t fully understand it yet," I admitted, my voice small. "But every time those shadows appear I can feel something dark.” I glanced up at him, my heart racing in my chest. "It’s like... like the air changes. Everything gets colder, and there’s this... smell. It’s the smell of death, of decay. I can feel it crawling through the air, reaching for everything with an energy source. It’s like I can see it—this darkness seeping into them, pulling the very essence of life out of their bodies."

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