19. Vera
19
VERA
I stare down at Aurel's broken form, my magic crackling around my fingertips. The raw power surges through my veins, demanding retribution. He deserves to die for what he did to me. For using me. For making me believe I was worth something, only to discard me like trash.
But my hand trembles. The magic flickers, weakening with my resolve. His words echo in my mind: "I love you." The same words I'd longed to hear my entire life. The same words I never thought anyone would say to me.
"You're lying again," I whisper, my voice cracking. "How can I trust anything you say?"
M magic pulses at my fingertips as I stare down at him, my heart a battlefield of conflicting emotions. Freedom. That's all I ever wanted. To break free from the chains that bound me, both physical and emotional. And then he came along, this powerful creature who promised me exactly that.
My chest tightens as memories flood through me - his gentle touches in our dreams, the way he taught me to stand tall, the electricity between us that night by the river. For the first time in my life, someone saw me. Really saw me. Not as a defect or a burden, but as someone worth teaching, worth touching, worth... loving?
But he left me. Just like everyone else.
The magic flares with my pain, and Aurel flinches. Good. Let him feel a fraction of what I felt when I woke up alone, when I realized I'd been nothing but a tool for his escape.
Yet here he is, offering himself to me completely. No pride, no manipulation, just raw vulnerability. The same vulnerability I showed him that night by the river. The same trust I placed in him when I helped him escape.
My hands shake. "I wanted someone to love me," I whisper, more to myself than to him. "Just once. To look at me and see something worth keeping."
The irony doesn't escape me. Now that I'm powerful, now that I'm strong enough to make my own choices, I'm faced with the hardest decision of all. Trust him again, or walk away forever.
Aurel doesn't move from his position on the ground, his eyes meeting mine with an intensity that makes my heart stutter. "Kill me then. End it. I won't stop you."
My chest tightens at his words. Even now, seeing him so vulnerable, so different from the proud, powerful being who first appeared in my dreams, something inside me yearns for him. The curse I placed on him binds us together, but it's more than that. It's the way he looks at me, the genuine pain in his eyes.
"I should kill you." The words taste bitter on my tongue. "You abandoned me. Left me to die."
"I know." His voice is rough with emotion. "And I'll spend eternity making it up to you, if you let me."
The magic at my fingertips pulses, ready to strike. One blast is all it would take. But my hand drops to my side, the power fading. "I hate that I still love you," I whisper, tears streaming down my face. "I hate that even after everything, I can't bring myself to end you."
My magic dissipates from my fingertips in a breath of purple smoke, leaving behind only the raw ache in my chest. My hand drops to my side, trembling. The power is still there, thrumming beneath my skin, but I can't bring myself to use it. Not on him. Not like this.
Aurel remains on the ground, his serpentine body coiled loosely around himself. Blood trickles from a cut above his eye where my magic struck him earlier. He makes no move to wipe it away, no attempt to rise. His eyes - those ancient, powerful eyes that once commanded my dreams - now look up at me with such naked vulnerability that it steals my breath.
"Get up," I whisper, my voice hoarse from screaming. "Fight back."
He doesn't move. "No."
"Damn you." My fingers curl into fists. "Why won't you fight?"
"Because you're right." His voice is rough, stripped of its usual smoothness. "I deserve your hatred. Your rage. All of it."
I take a step closer, my body vibrating with conflicting impulses - to strike him again, to run away, to collapse into his arms. The curse I placed on him pulses between us like a living thing, binding us together even as I try to pull away.
"I should have died in that mansion," I say, the words bitter on my tongue. "At least then I would have died believing someone cared."
Aurel flinches as if I'd struck him again, but still he doesn't rise. His eyes never leave mine, accepting whatever judgment I choose to pass.
"You hurt me," I whisper, my voice shaking as I take a step closer to his prone form. The magic still crackles beneath my skin, ready to strike. "You left me when I needed you most."
Aurel's face twists with guilt, his serpentine body coiled tight with tension. Blood trickles down his temple where my magic struck him earlier, but he makes no move to wipe it away. "I know. And I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
My chest tightens at his words. The raw honesty in his voice makes my heart ache. The curse I placed on him pulses between us, a constant reminder of our connection. But it's more than just the curse - it's the memory of his touch, the warmth of his embrace by the river, the way he made me feel seen for the first time in my life.
I take a deep, trembling breath, my hands clenching at my sides. I still love him. The realization hits me like a physical blow. Despite everything - the betrayal, the abandonment, the pain - my heart still yearns for him. But how can I trust him again?
"How do I know this isn't another trick?" My voice cracks. "Another manipulation?"
"It's not." He reaches out, then lets his hand fall back to his side. "I've never been more honest in my life."
The magic surges through me again, responding to my turmoil. I could end this now. One blast of power and it would all be over. But the thought of losing him forever makes my heart constrict painfully.
"I want to believe you," I whisper, tears sliding down my cheeks.
Aurel slithers forward on his knees, his massive form somehow making the gesture more striking. His serpentine lower body coils beneath him, and blood still trickles down his temple from my earlier attack. The sight of him - this proud, ancient creature - prostrating himself before me sends a shiver down my spine.
"I swear to you, Vera. I will never leave you again. I'll be your slave." His voice drops lower, taking on a dangerous edge that makes my breath catch. "I'll destroy everything that stands in your way. I'll gut them dead. I'll drain their blood and deliver their heads at your feet."
My magic pulses in response to his words, and suddenly, visions flood my mind - crystal clear images of my enemies falling one by one. I see the dark elves who tormented me, who called me worthless, crumpling to the ground. Blood pools beneath their bodies, their eyes wide with terror as Aurel's massive form looms over them. Their heads roll at my feet, a grotesque offering of devotion.
I gasp, stumbling back a step. The visions are so vivid, so real, that for a moment I can almost smell the copper tang of blood in the air. My newfound power thrums beneath my skin, responding to the violent promise in his words.
"You would do that?" I whisper, my voice trembling. "Kill for me?"
His eyes meet mine, and there's something ancient and predatory in his gaze. "I would tear apart anyone who dares harm you. Anyone who ever made you feel worthless."
The power of his words, combined with the intensity of his stare, makes me shiver. This is no empty promise - this is the vow of an ancient being who has killed countless times before. And he's offering this power, this devotion, to me.
Without speaking another word, Aurel closes his eyes and bows his head. Strange words flow from his lips, each syllable thrumming with ancient power. The language is foreign to my ears, yet something deep within me - perhaps my newly awakened magic - understands their weight. Their meaning.
"I bind myself to you," he translates, his voice raw and desperate. "My life, my death, my very soul - they're yours to command."
The air between us hums with invisible energy. My magic responds to his oath, surging beneath my skin like lightning seeking ground. The curse I placed on him earlier pulses, intertwining with his words, creating something deeper, more permanent.
"What are you doing?" I whisper, watching as golden threads of magic materialize around us, weaving intricate patterns in the air.
"Making sure you know this isn't another deception." His eyes meet mine, fierce and determined. "I can never leave you again, Vera. Not by choice, not by force. Your magic, your curse - they've bound us together. But this..." He gestures to the shimmering threads surrounding us. "This is my choice. My oath."
The magic settles into our skin, burning like brands but leaving no marks. I gasp at the sensation, at the sudden awareness of him in my mind - not thoughts, but presence. Connection.
"Even if you walk away," he continues, "even if you never forgive me, I'll remain bound to you. Your servant. Your protector. Your weapon."
The ancient words still echo in the air, carrying power that makes my newfound abilities sing in response. I don't understand the language, but my soul recognizes their truth. Their finality.
Aurel has given himself to me completely, irrevocably. The choice is now mine alone - to accept or reject, to forgive or condemn.
I look down at Aurel, my heart pounding against my ribs. The magic still crackles beneath my skin, ready to strike, but something holds me back. His blood trickles down his temple where I struck him earlier, yet he makes no move to wipe it away.
My fingers twitch at my sides. "You'll do it for me alone?" The words come out barely above a whisper, thick with disbelief.
His serpentine body shifts slightly, but he doesn't rise from his position. Blood drips onto his bare chest, creating crimson trails that make my stomach clench. His eyes - those ancient, powerful eyes that once commanded my dreams - never leave mine.
"I will." His voice carries the weight of his oath, deep and resolute. "For as long as you want me." A dangerous smile curves his lips, sending a shiver down my spine. "I'll burn the world if you want me to."
The raw honesty in his voice makes my chest tight. The golden threads of his oath still shimmer around us, pulsing in time with my heartbeat. My newfound power responds to his words, to the violence and devotion threaded through them.
I reach out, my fingers hovering inches from his face, not quite touching. "The mighty Aurel," I whisper, "offering to burn the world for a former slave."
"For you," he corrects, his eyes darkening. "Only you."
"Then prove it." The words slip from my lips, heavy with challenge. My magic crackles around my fingertips, responding to the tension in the air.
Aurel's eyes darken, and his serpentine body uncoils slowly. Blood still trickles down his temple, but there's a dangerous grace to his movements as he rises. "How?"
"Show me." My voice trembles slightly, but I force myself to stand taller. "Show me that you mean what you say. That this isn't another manipulation."
He moves closer, and despite everything, my heart races at his proximity. "Name it. Anything."
"The dark elves who kept me as a slave." The words taste bitter on my tongue. "The ones who called me worthless. Make them pay."
A slow, predatory smile spreads across his face.
The golden threads of his oath pulse between us, and I feel the truth in his words. The connection thrums with anticipation, with promise. My newfound power responds to his darkness, to his willingness to destroy for me.
"Together," I say, and his eyes light up with a mix of relief and savage joy. "But remember - you're mine now. My weapon. My slave."
"Yours," he agrees, and the word carries the weight of his ancient oath. "Always yours."