18. Aurel
18
AUREL
I stir awake, my body screaming in agony from her magical assault. Every scale feels like it's been set ablaze, and my muscles protest even the slightest movement. Blood trickles from various wounds, staining the ground beneath me.
"Get up." Her voice cuts through the haze of pain.
I don't move. I won't fight back. This punishment - I deserve every bit of it.
Her footsteps echo deliberately slow against the rocky ground, each step measured and precise. Through my blurred vision, I can make out her approaching form, and my breath catches. Gone is the frail slave girl I once knew. In her place stands a woman transformed by power, her presence commanding and fierce. Her body has filled out, muscles defined where bones once protruded. She's grown taller, her stance proud and unwavering.
Her hazel eyes, once dim with hopelessness, now burn with fury as she glares down at me. The flush of anger colors her cheeks, a stark contrast to the sickly pallor she once bore. Magic crackles around her like a storm waiting to break.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you," she demands.
I force my head up, meeting her gaze. "You've changed."
"No thanks to you." Her lips curl into a sneer. "Did you think I'd stay that weak, pathetic creature you could use and discard?"
The words cut deeper than her magic ever could. "I was wrong."
"Wrong?" She laughs, but there's no warmth in it. "That doesn't begin to cover what you did."
Another surge of magic slams into my chest, and I welcome the searing pain. My scales crack under the assault, blood trickling down my torso. Still, I don't move. Won't move.
"I'm sorry, Vera. I'm so sorry." The words feel inadequate, but they're all I have. My voice cracks, raw with emotion I've kept buried for centuries.
Her magic crackles in the air between us, ready to strike again. The heat of it singes my skin, but her hand trembles. I can see the conflict in her eyes - fury warring with something deeper, more vulnerable.
"Sorry?" Her voice wavers. "You left me to die."
"I know." I meet her gaze, accepting whatever punishment she deems fit. "I was a coward."
The magic intensifies around her hand, crackling in purple thunder-bolts, but she hesitates. Tears stream down her face, though her jaw remains clenched in anger. "You used me. Made me trust you. Made me..." She chokes on the words.
"Love you?" I finish for her, and she flinches as if I've struck her. "I know. I didn't deserve it then. I don't deserve it now."
Her magic flickers, uncertainty crossing her features. "Why did you come back?"
"Because I realized I couldn't live without you." Simple truth, finally spoken. "Because I love you too."
The magic in her hand pulses erratically, mirroring her internal struggle. Her breath comes in short gasps, anger and hurt and confusion all fighting for dominance in her expression.
I force myself to look at her, each tear falling down her face another dagger in my heart. The magic crackling around her singes my scales, but the physical pain is nothing compared to the agony of seeing what I've done to her.
"I was afraid," I admit, my voice hoarse. "Not of the dark elves, not of death. I was afraid of what you made me feel."
She scoffs, magic flaring brighter. "Don't lie to me. Not again."
"I've spent centuries in darkness, Vera. Centuries plotting revenge, hardening my heart." My chest tightens as memories of our time together flood back. "Then you came along with your gentle touch and kind heart, and I..." I trail off, watching her face contort with fresh pain.
"And what?" Her magic pulses dangerously, gathering in a purple flickering storm. "You decided to use that kindness against me?"
"I told myself that's all it was. That you were just a means to an end." The admission tastes bitter on my tongue. "But every moment with you chipped away at my walls. Every smile, every touch..." I clench my fists, scales scraping against stone. "It terrified me."
"So you ran." Her voice cracks, magic flickering like her resolve.
"Like a coward." Blood drips from my wounds, but I barely notice it. "I convinced myself leaving you behind was the only way to stay true to my purpose. To my revenge." I laugh bitterly. "What a fool I was."
"You broke me," she whispers, tears falling faster now. "I trusted you. I gave you everything."
"I know." My voice breaks. "And I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it right, if you'll let me."
The magic around her hand wavers, uncertainty crossing her features. "How can I ever trust you again?"
I close my eyes, my chest tight with regret and pain. The wounds from her magic throb, but they're nothing compared to the ache in my heart. "I was a coward. I thought I could live without you. I thought my freedom was all that mattered."
The moment I left her, something inside me shattered. Each step away felt like walking through fire, my body rebelling against my decision. "And you put a curse on me." I laugh bitterly, wincing at the pain it causes. "I can never get away from you as we're mates. Mates that are tied by fate and magic."
Her magic flickers, uncertainty crossing her features. "What?"
"When you cursed me, it awakened something ancient. Something primal." I press a hand to my chest, where the bond pulses between us. "I tried to run, but the pain..." I shake my head, remembering the agony that drove me to my knees. "It was like my soul was being torn apart."
Her purple magic around her hands dims slightly. "You're lying."
"I wish I was." Blood drips from a wound on my shoulder, but I barely notice it. "Every moment away from you is torture. But you know what hurts more?" My voice cracks. "Knowing I deserve it."
Her magic flickers, and I watch the conflict play across her face. The raw power emanating from her makes my scales tingle, but it's nothing compared to the ache in my chest. My mate. The word echoes in my mind, a bitter reminder of my failure.
"You're not fighting back," she says, her voice wavering.
"No." Blood drips from my wounds, but I remain still. "I won't."
Her magic pulses erratically, matching her uneven breathing. "Why?"
"Because I deserve this." My voice breaks. "I defiled something sacred. Our bond..." I press a hand to my chest where the mating bond throbs like an open wound. "I knew what you were to me, and I still left."
"What do you mean?" Her magic dims slightly, confusion crossing her features.
"Nagas mate for life, Vera. One partner, bound by magic and fate." I laugh bitterly, wincing at the pain. "I felt it the moment we connected in those dreams. But I was too proud, too focused on revenge to accept it."
"Stop." Her hands tremble. "Just stop."
"I've lived for centuries, but I've never felt anything like this." My voice drops to a whisper. "And I threw it away. Threw you away."
Her magic falters further, tears streaming down her face. "You're begging."
"Yes." I meet her gaze, letting her see the truth in my eyes. "I would crawl through fire for you, Vera. I would spend eternity making amends."
The magic around her hands flickers and dies. She stares at me, her expression a mix of anger and confusion. "The great and powerful Aurel, begging a former slave."
"No." I shake my head. "Begging my mate. The woman I love. The woman I betrayed."
I reach out toward her, my voice raw and broken. "If you want to kill me, I won't stop you. I deserve it." Blood trickles down my chin as I speak. "But please... I would happily die in the abyss if you forgive me. Just once. You're the only hand I'm willing to die at."
My body trembles from the wounds she's inflicted, but I keep my gaze steady on hers. The pain is nothing compared to the agony of watching tears stream down her face.
"You think it's that easy?" Her voice cracks. "That I'll just kill you and be done with it?"
"No." I cough, tasting copper. "Nothing about this is easy. But I won't run anymore. Won't hide." My scales scrape against the ground as I shift closer. "Do what you need to."
Magic crackles around her hands again, but her fingers shake. "Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like I'm still..." She chokes on the words. "Like you actually care."
"I do care." The mating bond pulses between us, a constant reminder of what I threw away. "More than I ever thought possible."
Her magic flares brighter, but I don't flinch. If death comes by her hand, I'll welcome it. The curse of the mate bond means I'll never escape her anyway - nor do I want to.
"Please," I whisper, extending my hand toward her. "End it if you must. But know that I love you. That I'll always love you."
My heart pounds against my ribs as I look at her - my mate, my everything. The woman who now holds my life in her hands.
I take a shuddering breath. Centuries of pride dissolve in an instant. All those years plotting revenge, dreaming of freedom - and now I'm willingly offering myself into a different kind of bondage. But this prison... this one I choose.
"I know I don't deserve it. I know I've hurt you beyond measure. But I..." I swallow hard, tasting copper. "I love you, Vera. I'll serve you. I'll be yours forever, if you'll have me."
Her eyes widen, magic flickering uncertainly around her hands.
She says nothing, a war of emotions roaring to the surface behind her eyes. Before she can speak, I continue.
"I'll bind myself to you. Willingly." I press a hand to my chest where the mating bond pulses. "Not just by fate's curse, but by choice. I'll be your slave, your servant, whatever you need. Just... let me stay by your side."
The last of my pride crumbles as I look up at her. "I spent centuries searching for freedom, only to realize it means nothing without you."
For a heartbeat, I see it - a flicker of softening in her eyes, a slight lowering of her magical defenses. My heart leaps, daring to hope. But then her expression twists, morphing into something that cuts deeper than any blade.
Pure revulsion contorts her features. The loathing in her eyes hits me like a physical blow, making me recoil. Each emotion that crosses her face - hatred, disgust, betrayal - strikes me with the force of her magic.
"You dare speak of bonds?" Her voice trembles with rage. "When you were too blind to see what was right in front of you?"
The truth of her words pierces my chest. That pull I felt through the dreamscape, the electric connection every time we touched - it was the mating bond all along, trying to snap into place. And I, in my arrogance, ignored it.
"I should have known," I whisper, my voice raw. "Every dream, every moment we shared... the magic was trying to tell me."
"Shut up!" Her magic snaps. "You don't get to act like you care now."
I press a hand to my chest where the bond pulses, mocking me with what could have been. What should have been. If I hadn't been such a fool, so focused on revenge that I missed what fate was trying to tell me.
"I hate myself," I admit, the words clang through me. "For not recognizing it sooner. For fighting against what my soul knew all along."
Her lip curls in disgust. "Your soul? You don't have one."
Each word lands like another blow, and I welcome the pain. I deserve every bit of her hatred, every ounce of her loathing. I failed her. Failed us both.
I lower my head into submission before her waiting for the final blow. Let my mate be the one to end me.