Page 93 of Bound to the Dreadlord

Just there.

Holding me.

And I realize something terrifying.

I wanted this fight.

I wanted to push him.

To see if he would finally break.

Instead, I’m the one breaking.

I dislike that he lets go first.

That when he finally steps back, dragging in a slow breath, I feel the absence.

His expression hardens. His mask slams back into place.

"Do not challenge me again."

He turns. Leaves me alone.

My chest heaves. My skin still burns.

There is no line between us anymore.

There never was.

34

SERA

The fortress is quiet.

Too quiet.

I shouldn’t be out here.

The corridors are empty, save for the flickering sconces lining the stone walls. Each step echoes, too loud, but I keep moving.

Veylan has avoided me since the fight. Since the moment he let me strike him and didn’t retaliate.

I loathe that I feel the absence of his gaze.

It shouldn’t matter.

I exhale slowly, pressing my back against the cold stone, eyes closing for just a second.

My chest is tight. My thoughts are a mess.

And without meaning to—I hum.

The melody is soft. A whisper. A breath. But it is a call.

It winds through the corridors like something alive, seeping into the cracks of the fortress, threading through the dark like silk.

I don’t realize what I’ve done until the air changes.

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