Chapter 14
Rynlee’s POV
Dark smoke burst from Aiden, swallowing the field like a rolling storm cloud and blotting out everything, including Firebeard.
I coughed, eyes burning as the world dissolved into swirling black.
Then-whoosh. An ice spike tore through the haze.
I barely dodged, twisting aside as it sliced past my cheek, cold air grazing my skin.
I retaliated instantly, hurling fire toward where I sensed him.
The flames ignited the smoke in a flash of gold and orange, but he was already moving.
He came at me from the right. Fast. Relentless.
Heat surged up my veins. I thrust my hands forward and shot fire again, catching him in the shoulder.
He staggered half a step, just enough. I ripped a dagger free, balanced it between my fingers, and threw it.
Aiden tilted his head at the last second, but I knew I’d clipped him when a sharp sting flared along my right ear. The bond pulsed in confirmation.
“Oh, you are playing a dangerous game, Ruin,” Aiden growled, his jade eyes bleeding into black. I rolled my eyes and charged him, pulling two more daggers free. I went to slash—he vanished.
Cold shadows rushed behind me. An arm wrapped around my waist, hauling me back against his chest. His body was solid, unyielding. I spun a blade in my hand and aimed for his leg; shadows snapped around my wrist, ripping the dagger away.
“You really want to take this further, Ruin?” Aiden whispered against my ear. I drove my elbow hard into his ribs. He grunted, his grip loosening just enough for me to twist free. I spun around…gone.
“What the—” He hit me from the side, tackling me to the ground. We rolled across the grass. I tried to shift my weight, but he flipped us smoothly, pinning me beneath him. “Get off of me!” I shouted, striking him right in the jaw. Anger flashed in his eyes.
“No, you wanted this,” he snapped, glaring down at me. He seized both of my wrists in one hand and slammed them above my head. His other hand formed a jagged spike of ice, the tip hovering at my ribs.
“You can’t hurt me,” I growled through clenched teeth. “You’d feel it, too. Remember?”
“You think I’m afraid of a little pain, Ruin?
” His voice was low. Dangerous. His breath was warm against my face despite the cold magic gathering in his palm.
It sent an involuntary shiver down my spine beneath the armor.
I twisted, trying to break free. He pressed the spike harder.
Pain detonated beneath my ribs. I gasped as the sharp point pierced below my ribcage.
Then he dragged it. Slowly. Deliberately.
Ice burned through me as blood soaked into my leathers, the cold fire spreading outward in jagged waves.
“I told you,” he growled, “you didn’t want to do this. But you never listen.” His jaw tightened. “You keep pushing. Testing my fucking buttons.”
I screamed, thrashing beneath him as the frost carved deeper, my body trembling violently. My legs kicked uselessly, desperation clawing its way up my throat.
“Stop!” I cried. “Please! Stop!” His eyes locked onto mine, furious and unreadable. Something in them made my stomach drop.
“You’re still weak, Ruin,” he said coldly.
“Challenge me again…” His voice dropped to a hiss.
“And I won’t hesitate to make you bleed more.
” The cold spread like venom through my veins.
My chest heaved as I struggled to breathe.
Still, beneath the fury, I caught something else in his gaze.
Something fractured. Something I didn’t understand. “Got it?”
“Yes,” I whispered. The word tasted like defeat.
Like fire drowned in ice. His grip loosened.
He stood and stepped off me as if I were nothing.
Relief crashed over me, sharp and dizzying, but my body wouldn’t stop shaking.
The dark smoke dissipated, the field suddenly coming back into focus as Firebeard came storming toward us, fury radiating off him.
“What in the hells just happened?” he barked, eyes sweeping over the blood staining my armor and the tension snapping between us.
“Simply teaching Ruin a lesson,” Aiden replied flatly, cold and unapologetic. Then he turned and walked away. I stared after him, humiliation and rage burning hot in my chest. He’d hurt me. Really hurt me and didn’t even flinch. Part of me was scared of him. The other part wanted answers.
What had I ever done to make him hate me like this?
“Professor, I’m sorry,” I said quickly, not meeting Firebeard’s eyes.
I turned away, clutching my ribs as I stumbled off the field.
I summoned the light, warm, golden, and pressed it to my side.
The wound closed beneath my palm, the pain receding.
But something was wrong. I pulled back the torn leather.
Etched faintly into my skin, like a brand burned into frost, was a symbol.
A rose. Frozen. Perfect. Unyielding. It shimmered even beneath the healing glow.
I tried again. And again. The mark didn’t fade.
“What the hell did you do to me, Aiden?” I whispered.
Later that afternoon, the sun hung low on the horizon, casting a golden hue over the training field.
It had been another long day filled with potions, magic, and history, yet none of it dulled the memory of Aiden carving that rose into my side.
Even now, I swore I could feel it beneath my armor.
Cold. Permanent. But when I spotted Alaric standing near the sparring dummies, the warm light haloing around him like he’d stepped out of a memory, something inside me softened.
My heart fluttered in my chest. And everything else faded.
“Hey,” I said softly, stepping up to him.
He turned, his face lighting up with that familiar, easy smile. “Hey.”
“So… ready to spar?” I asked, shifting on my feet, the tension coiling in my stomach.
“Yeah,” he replied with a chuckle. “Let’s do it.
” We began, and just like that, the tension faded.
Our familiar rhythm took over: his easy laugh, my focused determination, the sound of our blades clashing like it had a dozen times before.
It felt like coming home. I spotted an opening, hooked my leg behind his, and swept him to the ground.
I landed on top of him with a soft thud, my knees braced on either side of his hips, dagger at his throat.
“You’re getting better with every fight,” he comments, breathless, smiling up at me.
It hit me then his hands were resting on my hips, warm and steady.
My heart stuttered. In a swift motion, he flipped us, reversing our positions until he hovered above me.
One of his thighs slotted between mine, and he pinned my wrist to the grass, the dagger forgotten.
“Is it wrong that I want to kiss you again?” he whispered, his lips were just a breath from mine.
His eyes dropped to my mouth, and my pulse roared in my ears.
“No,” I breathed. He didn’t wait another second.
His lips crashed into mine, and I responded instantly, clinging to him like he was air and I was drowning.
The kiss was deep and tender, soft and full of everything we’d never said aloud.
Maybe I didn’t feel the spark, the mate bond, but I felt something.
I felt alive. Alaric’s hands moved to my curves, his touch sending shivers through my body.
I moaned against his mouth, threading my fingers through his hair and tugging him closer.
His tongue slid against mine, and the world faded until it was only us, the heat between our bodies, the taste of him on my lips, and the ache of wanting him for so long.
He pulled back, breathless, his forehead pressing gently against mine. Our chests rose and fell in unison.
“We should stop, Ryn,” he comments softly, his tone hoarse with restraint. “You belong to my brother.”
I stiffened. “I don’t belong to anyone,” I replied fiercely. “I don’t love him. I want you.”
I gripped his leather armor tighter, my fingers trembling slightly.
Desperate. Pleading. His gaze softened. “The gods know I want you, too.” His voice cracked at the edges, and there was something in his eyes: desire, yes, but also…
tenderness. Real, steady affection. “But if we do this,” he continued, “it has to stay between us. No one can know.”
“I know. And they won’t, Al,” I whispered. “I promise.” I leaned into him, clinging to him as though the world might fall apart if I let go. My heart thudded against my ribs.
He smiled just a little. “Then it’s settled. You’re my girlfriend, Ryn.” A laugh escaped me, soft and breathless as the tension unraveled in my chest. He kissed me again, this time slow and sweet, like the beginning of something fragile and forbidden.
The next morning, I practically floated into the sparring room, my chest still warm from last night. Alaric and I were official, something I never thought would actually happen. I could still feel the ghost of his lips on mine, the way his hands had held me like I was something precious.
My cheeks burned at the memory. Today, our unit was paired with Athena’s for training again.
Aiden and Jasmine stood at the center of the room, his expression unreadable, while Jasmine leaned casually at his side.
I took my usual place next to Ryan, who threw me a grin.
Gia stepped in on my other side, tugging her hair into a tighter braid.
“Good morning, ladies,” Ryan greeted with a cheeky smile, his brown eyes bright.
“Hey, Ry,” I replied, still smiling, and Gia gave a lazy wave. Aiden’s sharp voice cut through the room like a blade, snapping us all to attention.