Page 37 of Bound In Stone, Claimed In Fire

Behind me, Sariah’s voice quivers with protective fury. “Don’t listen to her. She’s playing mind games.” I feel her hand brush my wing, a fleeting contact that sends a spark through the tether, reminding me of the connection we share.

I snap out of my reverie, stepping back from Nerezza’s ghostly form. “Your illusions won’t sway me,” I declare, forcing conviction into my tone. “Go haunt someone else, or better yet, go crawl back to whatever void you crawled out of.”

Nerezza’s expression twists with disdain. “How you wound me, dear gargoyle.” She sighs, turning her attention back to Sariah. “You cling to him like a prized trophy. Do you really think you can hold his devotion? Do you know what darkness lurks in his heart? The guilt that weighs on him for failing to save me, for failing his own kind?”

Sariah stiffens. The brand on her wrist flares, silver lines shining. “Whatever guilt he carries, it’s not your business anymore.” She stands firm, though I sense her trembling.

Nerezza waves a hand dismissively. “So sure, little one? He’s a gargoyle bound to a purna, exactly the scenario that once drove me to madness. You think you won’t share my fate? Chaos can be seductive, especially when forced to juggle lethal synergy. You’re on that path already, Sariah—one slip, and you might outdo even my record.”

A chill crawls down my spine.She’s sowing seeds of fear.Sariah’s powers are vast, I know that. I also know she dreads turning into a monster.Nerezza senses that vulnerability.

A surge of protective rage slams through me. I lunge forward, summoning a pulse of gargoyle magic. “Enough,” I roar, unleashing a kinetic blast. It ripples the air, scattering dust. If she were physically present, the force would slam her. But Nerezza’s apparition merely flickers, intangible.

She smirks at my display. “Still so hot-tempered.” She drifts back, as if bored. “Very well. Continue your charade with your new purna.” Her gaze spears me. “Remember this: when your illusions shatter, I will be waiting with open arms. One day, you’ll beg me to fix what you and your little mortal toy cannot handle.”

With that, she dissipates in a black mist, shadows unraveling into the air. The sudden vacuum of her presence leaves the clearing eerily empty. My heart pounds so hard I feel it in my skull. My wings remain half-spread, adrenaline coursing through my veins.She’s gone.

Sariah exhales, shoulders slumping. “An apparition,” she breathes. “A projection of her power. But it felt so… real.”

I nod, chest tight with roiling emotion. My mind replays her final taunt:One day, you’ll beg me to fix what you and your mortal toy cannot handle.My fists clench, claws digging into my palms.I refuse to let that prophecy come true.

Sariah steps closer, brand still glowing with residual tension. “Kaelith, are you?—”

I jerk away from her touch, tail lashing. Panic tangles with my shame.I can’t let her see the cracks Nerezza reopened.My old guilt surges, images of the woman I once loved turned monstrous. The fear that Sariah might follow that path.I must keep her at arm’s length.

“Stay back,” I order, voice sharper than intended.

Hurt flickers in her eyes. “What?”

I turn, refusing to meet her gaze. The bond thrums painfully, but I force it away. “She’s right about one thing: I failed once to stop a purna from tipping into darkness. I can’t let that happen again.” My throat constricts, each word biting. “The more you cling to me, the more we risk a repeat of Nerezza’s story.”

Sariah’s face pales. “You… you think I’d become likeher?” Indignation wars with heartbreak in her tone.

I drag a clawed hand on my jaw, frustration burning in my gut. “I don’tknow,” I hiss. “I can’t ignore the possibility. I sense the potential for massive power in you, Sariah. That blast you unleashed against Drayveth… it was nearly catastrophic. Now Nerezza—she sees that potential too.”

She draws a shaky breath, tears glimmering at the corners of her eyes. “You’re pushing me away because you’re afraid I’ll morph into another Nyxari?”

Guilt stabs me.Yes. And no.“I’m trying to protect you—and myself,” I snap. “She wants you as a weapon, or maybe she just wants you out of the picture. Either way, it’s safer if you stay… at a distance.” My runes flicker with agitation, the bond throbbing as if protesting this logic.

She stares at me, lips pressed in a tight line. “I thought we agreed to face this together.” Her voice trembles with hurt. “Or was that a lie?”

My chest hurts, memories of our intimate union tangling with the image of Nerezza’s sneer. “I—no. I just—” I ball my fists, searching for the right words. “We can’t be reckless. I let my guard down once, and she nearly destroyed the world. I can’t let that happen again, Sariah. I can’t watch you slip into darkness.”

The tears in her eyes threaten to fall. Her brand pulses, silver lines fracturing the gloom. “So you’d rather keep me at arm’s length, treat me like a bomb about to go off?” She gives a hollow laugh, heartbreak lacing it. “That’s not fair.”

I exhale shakily. “Fairness has nothing to do with it. Nerezza is awake. She singled you out. That alone means we must be cautious.” My voice gentles, though I keep an edge of resolution. “I won’t let her corruption claim you, or me.”

She stands rigid, tears sliding down her cheeks. “You’re letting her words poison your faith in me. She wants exactly this outcome—planting seeds of distrust. She said she could sever our bond. Are you tempted by that?”

A surge of longing.A bondless existence, no risk of repeating my mistakes.But then the memory of how Sariah’s presence saved me from turning cynical, how her synergy with me might be our only shield…Confusion churns.“I—maybe,” I whisper, honesty tasting bitter. “I’m torn.”

She flinches, blinking away tears. “So I see.” The brand’s glow subsides, leaving her face etched with sorrow. “You’d cut away what we share, just in case I become another Nerezza. That’s what you think of me, then? A ticking time bomb?”

My gut twists. I can’t bear the devastation in her eyes. “I don’t want it,” I say quietly, “but Nerezza has a way of making nightmares real.”

Silence weighs between us, thick with unsaid apologies. The tether buzzes with a current of grief and anger. Sariah tears her gaze away, hugging herself. “Fine,” she manages, voice trembling. “Keep your distance if it helps you sleep at night. But you can’t push me out completely. We’re bound—physically, magically—and I… I won’t run.”

She swallows hard, tears glittering. “She’s already stolen so much from you. Don’t let her steal this too.”

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