Page 29 of Second

“And the fourth vow,” she finished, her voice softer, “is duty. You don’t abandon it. No matter what. The warrior code is everything.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Zar’Ryn’s hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white against his bronzed skin. His gaze dropped again, but not before she saw the storm swirling in his eyes. It wasn’t just guilt. It was conflict, layered and deep, as if he were fighting a battle within himself that he didn’t know how towin.

“Do you believe you’ve broken them?” she asked quietly. “Any of them? All of them?”

His head jerked up, his expression hardening into something unreadable. “It is not that simple.”

“Isn’t it?” Elara pressed. “Zar’Ryn, we’ve made love. More than once. No protection, no distance, no boundaries. Do you really think the Council wouldn’t see that as breaking the first vow?”

The words hung in the air like a challenge, but Zar’Ryn didn’t rise to meet it. Instead, he exhaled slowly, the sound heavy with the weight of everything he wasn’t saying.

“And the second vow,” she continued, softer now. “The apples. The seeds. You ate those. According to Jo’Nay and Winn, they’ve altered your genetics. Have you experienced any heat flashes like Tor’Vek?”

“I did not know when I ate the apples and their seeds that it would end my Final Flight,” Zar’Ryn said finally, his voice low and controlled. “

“Considering how difficult you’re finding it dealing with the results, Ibelieve you. But you’re conflicted. Ican feel it. The bond makes sure of that.” She leaned closer, her voice growing softer, gentler. “You’re fighting it. And if I were to guess it’s not because you don’t want more time, but because you think it would make you something you don’t recognize. Someone you don’t respect. Unanchored and adrift.”

Zar’Ryn’s jaw worked silently, his hands tightening against his thighs. He didn’t denyit.

“And the third vow,” she said, her voice steady. “Children. Maybe it’s too soon to know if that’s even possible. But we both know it’s not impossible, considering Winn’s condition and our… activities.”

Zar’Ryn’s head snapped up at that, his eyes narrowing. “You think I have not considered the consequences of what we’ve done? Of what we might have done?”

Elara’s breath caught at the raw emotion in his voice, the tight control fraying at the edges. “I think,” she said carefully, “that you’ve considered it so much, it’s tearing you apart. Ithink you need to stop seeing this as something you’ve failed at andstart figuring out what it means for us. For you. For me. For whatever this bond is between us. And our future.”

He flinched at the word “failed,” his expression darkening. She pressed on, undeterred.

“And the fourth vow,” she said, her voice soft but firm. “Abandoning your duty. Iknow you haven’t. Iknow you won’t. But what happens if it comes to that? What happens if choosing me means giving that up?”

The question lingered, heavy and unspoken, as Zar’Ryn’s gaze bore into hers. She could feel his conflict through the bond, raw and unrelenting. But beneath it, there was something else—something fierce and undeniable.

“I need to know, Zar’Ryn,” she said, her voice trembling just slightly. “Where do we go from here?”

Zar’Ryn held Elara’s gaze, his amethyst eyes burning with an intensity that made her stomach tighten. For a moment, he didn’t speak. The silence stretched between them, thick with the weight of her words and the truth she’d laid bare. He wasn’t just struggling with her questions. He was struggling with himself.

Finally, he exhaled, the sound low and rough, as if he were releasing more than just air. “I have spent my entire life—four hundred years—protecting the Nine Galaxies. Following the code. Upholding my vows. Every decision I have made, every breath I have taken, has been in service to that purpose.”

His voice remained steady, but with a faint edge of bitterness that surprised her. She stayed silent, letting him speak.

“I believed in it,” he continued, his tone softening. “Even when it cost me. Even when it meant sacrifice. Ibelieved init because it gave me… meaning. Purpose. Ithought that was enough.”

“And now?”

He didn’t avoid her gaze. “And now—” He broke off, his jaw tightening as he wrestled with the words. “Now, everything feels different.Youfeel different.”

Elara’s breath hitched, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. “Is that because of the bond?”

He looked up sharply, his eyes narrowing. “Does it matter?”

The question startled her, and she blinked, unsure how to respond. He didn’t wait for her answer.

“Maybe it is the bond,” he admitted, his voice low and rough. “Maybe it is something else. All I know is that I cannot stop wanting you. Icannot stop thinking about you. Even when I try to tell myself it is the bracelets, that it is not real, it does not change how I feel. It does not change what I want.”

He leaned forward, his gaze boring into hers. “And I want you, Elara. More than I have wanted anything in my entire existence. Do you understand that?”

Elara felt her throat tighten, emotion welling up inside her. She nodded, unable to find her voice. The bond pulsed strongly, astrong reverberation of the emotions swirling betweenthem.

“But wanting you—having you—it is not just about me,” Zar’Ryn said, his voice softer now. “It is about what it means for you. For us. For everything I have spent centuries trying to protect. And that is what I cannot stop thinking about. That is what keeps me… cautious.”

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