Page 12 of The Beautiful Blade

She was everything I wanted—everything I would never have. None of that mattered. I would give her anything. I would be anything. I would sacrifice everything just to see her happy.

“Of course I'll go with you. I'll follow wherever you lead."

It happened so fast there was nothing I could do. One moment, she was sitting an arm's distance away, her fists clenched and her eyes fierce. The next, she launched herself at me. Her arms wrapped around my neck. Her lips crashed into mine.

She was soft petals. I was brittle bones. Together we were forged steel—unyielding, unbreakable, fire and desperation.

I felt the first rays of the returning moonlight shining in through the cracks of the stables. The Eclipse was ending. Avarix was watching. He would punish us both.

I couldn't find the strength to care. Not when the object of my every waking desire was this close to me. Not when her warmth sank into my weary bones.

I had said I wouldn't kiss her. Let Avarix try and pull me away from her now. I wouldn't go. Not unless Charlotte pulled away from me.

She did not. She deepened the kiss, and I opened my soul to her. My heart was already hers; my entire existence might as well follow too.

When she pulled back, her breath came in soft, uneven gasps. Her face was so close I could still feel the heat of her skin against mine. Her blue eyes searched mine, wide and unguarded.

"You're mine."

The weight of her words settled deep in my bones, down into the marrow and reworking the cartilage. I could've moved a mountain if she'd asked. That kiss had changed everything. The trajectory of my life had shifted, tilting irrevocably toward her.

CHAPTER SIX

CHARLOTTE

The forest whispered around me, alive with the murmurs of the night. The leaves above rustled like secretive voices. The occasional chirp of nocturnal insects was interrupted by the sharp crack of a twig in the distance. Slick with sweat, my palms pressed against the rough bark of the tree I hid behind as a faint light pierced the darkness.

I crouched lower. The hem of my cloak skimmed the forest floor, catching on roots and damp leaves. The soft glow grew stronger. Lanterns swayed as a carriage rolled into view. Its light cut swaths through the deepshadows. My eyes landed on the sigil emblazoned on the carriage door—a blazing sun cradled by a crescent moon.

It was his emblem: Kael Drakos. The champion of the Sun and Moon Gauntlet.

For years, I had sat transfixed before a crystal viewer, watching Kael overcome every trial, outwit every opponent, and emerge victorious where so many fell. He was a force of nature. A legend. A symbol of resilience and triumph. And now, impossibly, he was here, not as a flickering image on a crystal screen but flesh and blood.

“Why are we stopping here?” Kael's voice was sharp, impatient, and entirely at odds with the steady, commanding presence I had imagined. He stumbled as he stepped down from the carriage, his footing unsteady. “Do you plan to have me stumble in the dark like some common fool?”

One of the servants, a thin, hunched man with trembling hands, scrambled to light another lantern. Kael’s gaze landed on him like a predator zeroing in on wounded prey. The servant murmured an apology, his voice barely audible over the rustling leaves.

“Useless.” Kael scoffed, the sound heavy with contempt. He took an unsteady step forward, his movements lacking the grace I had come to associate withhim. “Get out of my sight before I decide you’re not worth feeding tonight.”

The servant scurried away, his head bowed. Kael turned toward another servant, who was adjusting the harnesses on the unicorns. Their shimmering horns were dimmed, their coats dull and dusky as though someone had stripped away their magic. Their heads hung low, their movements sluggish, a far cry from the vibrant, untamable creatures I had seen depicted in paintings.

Unicorns were prized for their speed, their hooves barely touching the ground as they streaked across open fields like shooting stars. But these creatures bore none of that legendary swiftness. Their legs trembled with each step, as though one more burden might send them to their knees. Their ribs pressed sharply against their hides, their once-proud manes tangled and limp. Someone had driven them too hard, drained them of their spirit. Another mile, another step, and they might stumble, too broken to rise again.

“If you take any longer, I’ll harness you instead.”

The servant flinched but worked quicker, his hands fumbling as Kael swayed slightly where he stood.

Was he drunk? This wasn’t the champion who had faced down fire and shadow with unwavering determination. This wasn’t the hero I had cheered for in the Games.

I took a step back, the movement small but enough to rustle the leaves beneath my foot. My heart lurched as the sound echoed louder than it should have, cutting through the night like a scream. Something cold and sharp pressed against my back.

“Step forward,” a voice hissed in my ear.

I obeyed, my pulse pounding as I moved out of the shadows and into the faint glow of the lanterns. The champion’s gaze snapped to me immediately, his dark eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Who’s this?” Kael demanded, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword.

My captor didn’t answer. Their grip on me firmed as they pushed me farther into the light. The weight of Kael’s stare was heavy, and… wrong. It felt like his eyes were roaming my body, particularly my breasts.

---