Chapter 20 #4
Derek nodded. “And Celetian wasn’t just a source of power. It was a prison. Something dark was sealed there, bound in the stone and the runes and now, whatever it was… it’s out.”
“Fuck,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair as I leaned back. My heart was already racing. Rynlee was right.
“We need a plan,” Derek continued. “A fallback. If this shit hits the fan, we can’t be caught scrambling.”
I nodded slowly. “You remember that old castle we used to sneak off to as kids?”
He raised a brow. “Of course.”
“It’s secluded. Hidden. Structurally sound, even after all these years. If I can get in there, I could start rebuilding it, reinforcing the defenses. The Blood Assassins could help.”
“Renovate an entire keep? How?”
“Shadow teleportation,” I replied simply. “Keiran and I both have it. We can move materials in, clear debris. Slowly. Quietly. No one would suspect.”
Derek nodded, eyes sharpening. “I’ll speak to Keiran. See what we can do.”
“Thanks, Derek. Be careful. If the High King’s tightening his grip, things are going to get worse before they get better.”
He rose, finishing his drink with one last gulp. “You too, brother. We’ll be in touch.” As I stepped out into the cold night air, the shadows curled tighter around me. The war wasn’t just coming. It was already here. And I had no idea which side I’d be on when the darkness finally fell.
The next morning, I went out onto the training field.
The cold didn’t bother me anymore, not with my powers, but today, it actually felt good.
Snow drifted softly through the air, and I tilted my head back, letting the flakes melt against my skin.
The sky was heavy and gray, a perfect match for the weight sitting in my chest. I sensed her before I saw her. That warmth in the air.
The hum beneath the surface. Rynlee. She approached quietly, but the tension she carried radiated off her like heat. Firebeard wasn’t here yet. I exhaled slowly. Now or never.
“Hey.” She looked up at me, and for a moment the words stuck in my throat. “I’m… sorry.”
Her brows shot up as she crossed her arms, arching one in clear disbelief. “Sorry for what?” Of course she wouldn’t make this easy.
“For pushing you away that night,” I said. “For telling you to stop looking. It wasn’t right. I think… we should work together on this.”
She scoffed. “Now you want to work together? Aiden, I can’t keep going back and forth with you. You made it very clear I should drop it. So, which is it?”
“I know, okay?” I threw my hands up in exasperation, frustration crawling up my spine. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m trying here.”
“Well, I don’t need your help,” she snapped. “I’m going to figure this out on my own.”
“Oh really?” Bitterness slipped into my tone before I could stop it. “And you think some book in the library is going to solve everything?” She shrugged. That infuriating, careless shrug. “We should work together, Ruin.”
Her eyes sparked, fire flashing sharp and bright. “How can I even trust you? You were so hell-bent on making me stop my search, and now you want to help?”
“Yeah, I do!” I snapped. “You can trust me. I only pushed you away because I was trying to protect you.”
She barked out a laugh. “Protect me? Since when have you ever protected me, Aiden?” My jaw clenched. Gods, she made this impossible.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Ruin.”
“I’m not making it hard,” she shot back. “You’re the one who hates me so much.”
“I don’t hate you,” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I resent you.”
Her anger faltered, just for a second. “Resent me?” Her brows knit together. “Why?”
“Drop it,” I said sharply. “Forget about this.”
“No. No way.” She stepped closer. “Why do you resent me, Aiden?” Before I could respond, Firebeard approached, his orange gaze flicking between us like he’d just walked in on a brewing storm.
“Well,” he drawled, arms crossed. “You two seem tense. What happened?”
“Nothing,” I said flatly. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“No,” Rynlee cut in. “I want him to tell me why he resents me.”
I glared at her. “Too bad. That’s not happening.”
“Why not?” she demanded. “I think I deserve to know.” She turned fully toward me now, blue eyes practically glowing with frustration.
“Drop it, Ruin,” I growled, stepping closer.
“No, tell me!”
Firebeard cleared his throat. Loudly.
“Enough,” he said. “You clearly have unresolved tension. So, you’re going to fight. Like your lives depend on it.” With a flick of his wrist, stone walls erupted around us, sealing us into another stone box, though this one was wider like a combat ring.
I rolled my shoulders as shadows curled instinctively around me. “You ready, Ruin?” She didn’t hesitate.
“Stop talking and fight me. And when I win, you’ll tell me why you resent me, Aiden.
” Power surged through her, golden veins lighting beneath her skin, her eyes molten with fire.
A smirk tugged at my mouth. Gods, she was beautiful when she was about to try and kill me.
We charged at the same time. Light and shadow collided, two forces crashing together in the storm we’d both been trying to outrun.