The Edge of Darkness
"Stay with me, Zyra."
Kieran's voice was hoarse, frantic. His hands pressed against her wound, but the abyssal energy was still spreading.
It wasn't just an injury—it was a curse.
Zyra's body felt like it was freezing from the inside out, the dark power sinking into her very bones. She tried to fight it, to hold on, but her limbs were too heavy, her vision fading.
Kieran's grip on her tightened.
"Don't you dare slip away."
The battlefield around them was chaos. Their warriors were still standing, still fighting, but the tide had shifted. Vael's remaining forces had retreated, leaving only the echoes of their destruction behind.
But Zyra knew—this wasn't a victory.
It was only the beginning of something worse.
And she was losing time.
---
The Desperate Gamble
Kieran's flames flickered unsteadily around them. His control over his power had always been absolute, but now—it was slipping.
Because Zyra was slipping.
And he could feel her leaving him.
"Hold on," he whispered, his voice raw. "You're not leaving me. I won't let you."
She was barely conscious, her breathing shallow, her heartbeat weak. The abyssal wound wasn't just killing her. It was claiming her.
He had to do something.
"Think, damn it."
A curse like this—it wasn't natural. It wasn't just a wound. It was a mark of Vael's abyssal magic.
And that meant—there had to be a way to stop it.
His gaze snapped to the ruins of the stronghold, where the remnants of the battlefield still smoldered. Somewhere in there—there had to be something.
A relic. A spell. A way to break this curse.
Kieran gritted his teeth.
They didn't have time to search.
But they did have someone who knew.
And that someone was Vael.
---
The Hunt Begins
"Stay with her," Kieran commanded, turning to Riven, his most trusted warrior.
Riven's expression was grim, his sharp features set in a rare display of concern. "Where the hell are you going?"
Kieran's golden eyes burned.
"To find Vael."
Riven stiffened. "You can't just—"
"I can and I will," Kieran snarled. "He did this. And he knows how to undo it."
"But—"
Kieran didn't wait for an argument.
He turned on his heel and strode toward the battlefield's edge, his fire flaring around him like a second skin.
And then—he vanished.
His speed was inhuman, fueled by desperation, by fury, by something deeper than rage.
He had fought too hard, lost too much, to let Zyra be taken from him now.
Vael wasn't getting away.
Not this time.
---
Shadows and Fire
Kieran found him at the edge of the ruins.
Vael stood waiting, as if he had expected this.
The abyssal prince's expression was calm.
"That was fast," Vael mused, tilting his head. "I thought you'd stay by her side a little longer before chasing me down."
Kieran didn't slow.
The fire in his veins exploded outward, a golden inferno that scorched the very air as he lunged.
Vael moved—but not fast enough.
Kieran's blade slashed through the shadows, slicing deep into Vael's side. A hiss of pain escaped the prince's lips, but he didn't fall.
Instead, he smirked.
"As desperate as ever," Vael said, pressing a hand to his wound. "But you're too late, Kieran."
Kieran's grip on his sword tightened.
"Fix it," he growled. "Now."
Vael chuckled. "Oh, you misunderstand. This isn't something you can 'fix' with a spell or an antidote. The abyss doesn't work that way."
Kieran's patience snapped.
His fire surged forward, a blazing inferno meant to consume—
But before it could reach Vael—
The prince vanished.
And his voice, taunting, whispered through the ruins.
"If you want to save her… you already know what you have to do."
Then—silence.
Vael was gone.
And Kieran—
Kieran understood.
---
The Forbidden Path
When Kieran returned to Zyra's side, his expression was unreadable.
Riven looked up, tense. "Did you get anything out of him?"
Kieran knelt beside Zyra. His hand brushed her cheek, his fire carefully contained so it wouldn't burn her.
Her skin was colder now. Too cold.
He exhaled slowly.
"Yes," he murmured.
Riven frowned. "And?"
Kieran lifted his gaze—and there was something dangerous in his eyes.
"I know how to save her."
Riven hesitated. "Then why do you look like you're about to do something incredibly reckless?"
Kieran's lips curved into a humorless smile.
"Because I am."
---
The Choice That Changes Everything
There was only one way to stop the abyss from consuming Zyra.
He would have to bind their souls.
Not just as mates.
But as something more.
A bond deeper than fate. Stronger than life or death.
A bond that would rewrite destiny itself.
And once he did it—
There would be no undoing it.
No second chances.
They would be one.
Forever.
Kieran looked down at Zyra, his thumb brushing against her lips. She was slipping further every second.
There was no time left to hesitate.
He took a shaking breath.
And then—he made his choice.
---