east, swallowing Auren whole. The air inside was thick, heavy with the sc

ts chandelier dripping crystals that caught the torchlight like tears frozen in time. Shadows clung to the walls, shifting as if alive, and Auren's magic hummed

right behind you. Wouldn't want to miss the party." But her bravado was a thin veil. Her heart thundere

e, its banister carved with thorns that seemed to writhe in the flickering light. Portraits lined the walls-pale faces with hollow eyes, their gazes

topped at a set of double doors, their wood blackened as if scorched. The stranger knocked once, then pushed them open, revealing a chamber that stole Auren's breath. It was a study, vast and cav

expected, his frame lean but coiled, like a predator poised to strike. His black hair fell in waves, brushing a jaw sharp enough to cut glass. A

healer," Kael said, his voice low, velvet over steel. It wasn't a question. He stepped closer, and the air seemed to thicken, the fire dimming as if bowing to him. "Auren Lyselle."Her name in his mouth was a spark, igniting something s

o my door, healer? Gold? Glory? Or something... darker?"Auren's pulse raced, but she matched his gaze, her amber eyes blazing. "Ten crowns and a chance to get out of this storm. That's my story, Lord Thorne. What's yours?" She stepped forward

gaze like a candle in the wind. "My condition," he repeated, the words bitter as ash. "Very well. Let's see if you're as gifted as they claim."He extended his hand, palm up, and

you," Kael replied, his voice softer now, almost human. "Touch me, Auren. Or walk away. The choice is yours."Her magic surged, a tide pulling her toward him, and she cursed herself for listening. She'd killed with her touch once-her lover, his

s voice screaming his name. Then warmth, his hand in hers, a garden blooming under a blood-red moon. Auren gasped, yanking her hand back, but Kael's fingers closed around hers, holding tight.

agic was a storm now, wild and unbound, and she felt him-his essence, like a song she'd forgotten. "What are you?"Kael stepped back, his face shuttering, the warmth go

choed like a coffin lid.Auren's breath came fast, her mind spinning. She should run, should flee this cursed place and its cursed lord. But

ssed to the desk, pouring wine from a decanter, the liquid red as blood. "You're alive because you're... different,"

cream. "Sounds lonely," she said, softer than she meant, her voice a thread of vulnerability she couldn't reel back.Kael's eyes met hers, and for a moment, the walls between them crumbled. "It is," he said, the words a confess

heek."Nothing," she lied, straightening, her walls slamming back up. "Just... dizziness. Long day." But her heart raced, and she knew he saw through her. The vision wasn't just a memory-it was a warning. Her magic was tied to him, to this place,

Pray it doesn't," he said, his voice a whisper that lingered like smoke.As Auren stepped into the hall, the doors closing behind her, her magic flared one last time, and a new vision burned through her: a locket, engraved w