23. Kai’rin
23
KAI’RIN
I swing my blade in a vicious arc, the metal whistling through the morning air. Vhex side steps with none of his usual aggression, his movements careful and measured. Wrong. All wrong.
"What the fuck is this?" My wings flare wide, casting shadows across the training grounds. "If I wanted to dance, I'd find better partners."
Mykael circles to my left, his green eyes darting to Vhex for the tenth time since we started. Another silent exchange passes between them.
My magic surges, violet light crackling along my arms. The practice sword glows with it as I advance on Vhex. "Fight me properly or get the fuck out."
Vhex's amber eyes narrow, but his usual sneer lacks its edge. He blocks my strike with his blade, the impact too soft. Too controlled.
"What is your fucking problem?" I bare my teeth, pressing forward. "Getting scared?"
"Scared?" Vhex barks out a laugh, but it rings hollow. "Of your ugly face maybe."
Mykael's calculated footwork brings him closer, those sharp features arranged in careful neutrality. "Perhaps we should-"
"Perhaps you should stop treating me like I'm a fucking idiot." I spin, my wing catching Vhex across the chest. He stumbles back, finally showing a flash of real aggression.
"There's the bastard I know." I press my advantage, driving him toward the wall. "Now tell me what's got you both acting like worried mothers."
Another look passes between them. My blade slams into the stone beside Vhex's head, magic scorching the surface.
"Enough." Mykael's voice cuts through the tension. "We're concerned about your... current preoccupation."
"With the human," Vhex adds, straightening to his full height. "You're different since she arrived."
My grip tightens on the sword. "My business is my own."
"When it affects your judgment, it becomes ours. Especially when your fixation gets to this level," Mykael says, those calculating eyes studying my reaction. "We've known you too long to stay silent."
"Fixation?" The word tastes like ash. "You think I can't control my own property?"
"Property doesn't change you." Vhex spits blood from where my wing caught his lip. "Property doesn't scramble your thoughts and make you snarl at everyone who comes near. But that little human-"
My magic explodes outward, violet light searing through the air. The practice sword melts in my grip as I slam Vhex against the wall, forearm crushing his throat. "Choose your next words carefully."
"She's manipulating you." He wheezes but doesn't back down. "You can't see it but-"
The rage burns white-hot. My magic wraps around his throat, lifting him off his feet. His wings beat uselessly against the stone as dark spots appear in his vision.
"Kai." Mykael's voice seems distant through the roaring in my ears. "Think about what you're doing."
But all I can see is Aren kneeling in prayer, her dark hair falling like silk around her shoulders. The quiet strength in those brown eyes. The way she has slowly torn down my walls. But she couldn't be doing that as a ploy, right? She isn't… She wouldn't manipulate me, would she?
Vhex's face turns purple, his struggles weakening.
"She's beneath you," he chokes out. "Just a human whore playing at-"
My magic surges again, crackling across his skin like lightning. His scream echoes across the training grounds as I dig deeper, past flesh and bone to where his own magic pulses. One twist and I could tear it out by the roots.
Mykael's blade presses against my throat, drawing blood. "Release him. Now."
The cold steel brings clarity, but the rage remains. I drop Vhex, watching him crumple to the ground gasping.
"Touch her. Speak of her. Think of her." My voice comes out guttural, nearly animalistic. "And I'll finish what I started."
Blood trickles down my neck as Mykael keeps his sword steady. "This is exactly what we mean. You'd kill your own friend over a human?"
"I'd kill anyone who threatens what's mine."
I stalk back, trying to get my bearings as magic still crackles beneath my skin. Their words echo in my mind, forcing me to examine habits I've been avoiding. When did I start cutting my training short just so I could be with her? When did I start letting anyone see my weaknesses like I do with her?
My wings snap out in frustration. I've memorized the quiet hum she makes while folding linens, the same melody every time. The careful way she arranges my chambers, ensuring everything sits exactly where I prefer. Even now, I know she'll have my bath ready, the water steaming at precisely the temperature I favor.
Part of me wants to just go home. I can imagine Aren now, waiting for me in the dining room where she always makes sure I eat after training.
The memory of her slight weight in my lap sends heat through my blood. Each night she parts her lips for morsels from my fingers, those brown eyes lowered in perfect submission.
When did I start craving these small moments? The way that she anticipates my needs. The way that she is always ready to take whatever I give her and ease these feelings that I don't know how to manage.
A warrior obsessing over a human's habits. Pathetic. But I can't deny the satisfaction of watching her kneel before me, offering prayers to her new god. The peace it brings, something I've never found in battle or victory.
My magic pulses, remembering Vhex's accusations. But there's no manipulation in the way she trembles under my touch. No deception in how she melts against me when I pull her closer at night or how she's always finding ways to be close to me.
She's carved herself into my daily rhythms without me noticing. And now... now I can't imagine my chambers without her quiet presence, her subtle ways of always being there for me.
The realization burns worse than any blade.
I've become dependent on her.
"You're thinking about it, aren't you?" Vhex calls behind me. I whirl around, my eyes narrowed on him. "You know we're right."
I bite back my anger because…they are. I am distracted. Fixated. Obsessed. And I never should have let myself get that way. I never should have let her become a weakness or get under my skin so deep that the idea of anything happening to her kills me.
My magic still crackles beneath my skin as I pace the training grounds. Vhex's words burrow deep, feeding the doubts I've tried to ignore. A human. I let a human become my weakness.
"Send her away." Mykael's voice carries that tactical precision I usually respect. "There are plenty of temples that would take her. Let her serve her gods instead of becoming your downfall."
The thought of Aren kneeling before anyone else makes my magic flare. But that right there proves he's right. I need to end this before it destroys everything I've built.
"The compound has holdings farther out of the city." Vhex rubs his throat, voice rough. "Far enough that you'll forget her existence."
My wings snap out, casting darker shadows across the grounds. "I know what needs to be done."
The words taste like poison. I picture my chambers without her presence, the silence where her prayers should be. No more quiet footsteps arranging everything just as I like. No warmth in my home.
"I'll make the arrangements." Mykael steps forward, ever efficient. "There's a temple caravan leaving at dawn-"
"No." The word escapes before I can stop it. My magic surges again, violet light crawling up the walls. "I'll handle it myself."
Their skeptical looks burn into my back as I stalk away. I should send her far from here. Should tear out this weakness before it roots deeper. A warrior can't afford attachments, especially to a human.
But the thought of anyone else touching her, commanding her, hearing her prayers... Blood pounds in my ears. My magic responds, crackling along my skin as possessiveness wars with logic.
I'll send her away. Tomorrow. Or the next day. When I'm stronger. When I can bear the thought of my little flame burning for someone else.
The lie settles heavy in my chest as I head out of the compound, already seeking her presence like an addict chasing his next fix.