Evryn felt it …the weight of him, the pull, the memory of their kiss flashing through her mind.
How hard it had been, the taste of his lips, how she had struggled to breathe when she finally pulled away.
Her throat tightened as she swallowed.
She realized suddenly this was a wrong move.
The wrong moment.
Auren broke the gaze first as something moved in the darkness.
He turned instantly, pulling her behind him, his body a shield…
figures emerged from the darkness.
Wolves, eyes glowing More than one.
A man stood among them, face hidden beneath a cloak.
“Kill her,” the man ordered.
Auren’s shock lasted only a breath.
In that breath, the bond in his chest flared so hard it felt like fire.
His body reacted faster than thought.
He pulled Evryn behind him sharply, his arm locking around her as if he could seal her into his ribs.
The cloaked man lifted his hand, and magic surged forward like a hook cutting through air.
Evryn’s body jerked violently as the force caught her waist and tried to rip her from Auren’s hold.
She gasped, fingers digging into his coat.
Auren’s arm locked around her instantly, muscles tightening with brutal strength.
The pull of the spell dragged at them both, tearing leaves from the ground.
Auren did not move.
He anchored himself into the earth as if his boots had roots.
“You will not touch her,” he said, and this time his voice was not calm.
It was command.
With his free hand, he seized the small blade still clenched in Evryn’s fingers and threw it without hesitation.
The blade cut through the air with deadly precision and struck the cloaked man directly at the throat.
The spell shattered mid-force as the man fell backward without another word.
The wolves did not hesitate.
They lunged together.
Auren shifted his stance and lifted Evryn into his arms in one clean motion, turning his body so every strike would meet him first.
One wolf leaped for his shoulder.
Auren caught it mid-air, fingers sinking into thick fur, and hurled it into a tree hard enough to crack bark.
Another snapped at his leg.
He kicked forward sharply, sending the beast rolling across the ground.
But there were too many to fight while holding her.
Auren leapt back over the wall into the forest without slowing.
He ran until the ground opened into a clearing where he could move freely.
His thoughts moved fast.
They were many.
He could fight, but not while she stood beside him and she is their target.
He stopped at a clearing and set her down
“They want me dead,” she said, fear finally breaking through.
“I don’t even know them.”
“I’m here.
No one will touch you.” said calmly, cupping her cheek.
She nodded, trusting him without question.
He took her scarf off her neck and knelt “up” he said
She hesitates only a heartbeat and climbed onto his back without question.
He used his black scarf and her lighter one, knotting them together around her and himself, securing her tight.
He adjusted her legs around his waist, her arms around his shoulders.
“Hold me tight” he said.
“And don’t look.”
She pressed her face into the back of his neck, breathing in his scent, fear trembling through her.
She held him tighter than she realized she could.
The wolves reached the clearing in moments.
“Do you follow the king?” Auren asked coldly.
“No,” one answered.
“We broke our bond.”
“Then you will die,” Auren replied.
This time, Auren did not restrain himself.
The first wolf reached him, and he stepped forward instead of back, catching its jaw and twisting sharply.
Bone cracked under his grip and the body collapsed instantly.
Another came from the side; he seized it by the throat and slammed it into the ground with enough force to end it before it could rise again.
They were strong, but not enough.
Auren moved through them like shadow ending each attack in moments.
He did not waste motion.
His strength was clean and absolute.
Evryn felt every impact through his body.
The sudden stops.
The shifts.
The way he braced before striking.
She heard the brief, sharp sounds of struggle, then silence.
Too fast.
Too decisive.
The last wolf tried to retreat.
Auren crossed the distance in an instant, catching the wolf before it could escape into the trees.
“Who sent you?” Auren asked coldly.
The wolf bared its teeth but did not struggle.
“Just kill me,” it growled.
Auren studied him for a moment, unimpressed.
“You are too loyal,” he said calmly.
“As you wish.”
And with one decisive strike, he ended his life.
He stood still for a long moment, listening, making sure nothing else moved.
When he was certain, his hand reached back to her arm gently.
“It’s over,” he said quietly.
“You can lift your head.”
She moved slowly, loosening her grip just enough to look.
The bodies of the wolves were nothing more than dark shapes in the tall grass, neutralized by a force they never stood a chance against.
Auren worked with a focused intensity, his fingers steady as he untied the scarves binding her.
As soon as she was free, he lowered her gently to the solid earth.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice low and raspy.
He didn’t wait for an answer before pulling off his ruined, blood-stained shirt.
He used the clean side of the fabric to wipe the dark essence of the wolves from his hands, his muscles rippling under the moonlight.
He looked less like a servant and more like a primordial force of nature.
Evryn couldn’t speak.
Shock had locked her joints, her eyes wide as she looked at the carnage, then back at the man who had ended it so effortlessly.
Auren stepped into her space, his hand cupping her cheek.
His skin was warm, his touch firm but remarkably careful.
“Evryn.
Look at me.”
She looked up at him, her hazel eyes wide and trembling as the sheer gravity of what she had just escaped finally crashed down on her.
The reality of her near-death experience flooded her mind, turning her breathing shallow and panicked.
“Auren…” she whispered, her voice cracking as tears blurred her vision.
“I’m scared.
I am so afraid…
nothing like this has ever happened to me before.” She gripped his arm, her hands shaking violently.
“Oh my god…
what if you hadn’t come for me?
What if you didn’t follow me into the dark?
I would be dead right now.
I would be completely gone!”
Without another word, Auren reached out and pulled her tightly against his bare chest, cutting off her spiraling panic.
He held her with a fierce, crushing grip, as if he could shield her from the very memory of the night.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply.
The scent of her…sunlight, herbs, and life…grounded him, pulling him back from the edge of the dark, cold rage that usually consumed him after a fight.
Evryn didn’t pull away, she simply wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging to his solid, warm back.
She pressed her face into his chest, letting the steady thrum of his heartbeat drown out the echoes of the wolves’ snarls.
Auren rested his chin against the top of her head, closing his eyes.
She was here.
She was safe.
“Why would they want to kill me?” she asked.
“I am far from politics, far from power.
I have nothing to do with wars or kings.”
Auren studied her carefully.
He already knew the answer was worse than ignorance.
There were only two possibilities.
Either the enemy was his…someone who understood the spell and wanted to kill him through her …or the enemy belonged to the one who had cast the spell in the first place.
Either way, it meant knowledge, and whoever knew would not stop.
“I am here.
I will keep you safe,” Auren said, his voice deep and steady.
Evryn looked at him, completely unconvinced by his mysterious act.
She could tell he was hiding something big under that calm expression.
“You can’t stay with me forever, Auren!
You could be transformed to the other side of the world, or I could be!
And damn it, I need to know why they are hunting me!
What if this is all a huge misunderstanding?
What if they have the wrong girl?” Her eyes widened in genuine panic as she gestured wildly.
“I’m going to die, and I am way too young and beautiful for this!”
Auren bit the inside of his cheek, utterly failing to hide the amused smile spreading across his face.
It was completely the wrong moment but listening to her dramatic rant about her youth while facing dark, ancient forces was hilarious.
She was absolutely terrified, and he supposed it was only natural for a fragile, dramatic human girl in over her head.
His smile softened as he stepped in and firmly grabbed her frantic, waving hand, anchoring her in place.
“I am not going anywhere, and neither are you,” he chuckled, his silver eyes locking onto hers.
“We are stuck together in this mess, little bird.”
Suddenly, a long, mournful howl echoed through the dark trees.
A wolf.
Evryn froze, her grip on his hand turning into an absolute death grip.
“Did you hear that?!” she hissed, her voice rising an octave as she stared into the bushes.
“They are still here!
The monsters are back!”
Auren let out a low laugh, completely relaxed.
“Evryn, steady yourself.
It’s just a normal, ordinary wolf.”
Let’s go back!”
Without giving him a chance to argue, she aggressively yanked his hand, dragging the towering, powerful vampire behind her like a stubborn toddler.
Auren just grinned and let himself be pulled along as she marched ahead, her head violently whipping left and right to check every single bush for hidden dangers.
He walked beside her until she was safely back at her quarters, but even after the door closed, Auren found himself lingering right under her window.
His mind was spinning.
He couldn’t sleep.
He was terrified that if he went back to his own room, he’d be too far away if someone tried to finish what they started.
As he stood there drowning in his thoughts, the window creaked open, and Evryn’s face appeared.
“I can’t sleep,” she sighed, resting her chin on her hands.
Auren tilted his head up, a slow smirk tugging at his lips.
“You should.
You need your beauty rest, go back to bed, I’m right here.
Don’t worry.”
“It’s easy for you to say,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.
“You fought those off like you were just swatting flies.
It was like the most natural thing in the world to you.
Meanwhile, I’ve never been attacked in my life.
I’m still vibrating from the shock.”
“Well, look at the bright side,” Auren shrugged, his silver eyes gleaming with mischief.
“You learned a valuable life lesson today.
Congratulations, you’re growing up.”
“Stop teasing me!” Evryn snapped.
Leaning dangerously far out the window, she reached down and snagged the collar of his shirt, giving it a sharp yank.
“I swear, I will kill you, Auren.”
“I’d love to see you try,” he chuckled.
But as he spoke, he noticed her weight shifting too far forward.
Her balance slipped on the stone ledge.
Before she could even gasp, Auren’s hands shot up.
He caught her by the arms and smoothly hauled her entirely out of the window, pulling her down until she landed right on his arms.
One of his hands slid firmly behind her back while the other locked beneath her thighs, securing her against him.
Evryn froze, her breath catching as she found herself entirely trapped in his embrace.
Auren didn’t miss a beat.
His gaze deliberately drifted down the length of her fully covered, modest nightgown.
He let out a dramatic, disappointed sigh.
“Ah, what a tragedy.
You’re not in the mood for that scandalous black nightdress tonight, are you?”
“Ah!
Auren, give me a break!” Evryn groaned, shoving her palms against his chest, her face burning.
“There is literally a stalker out there trying to end my life, and your single remaining brain cell is thinking about that?
Your total lack of seriousness makes my blood boil!”
“Good.
Better to have you angry than scared,” he murmured.
With an effortless lift, he hoisted her back up, setting her feet gently onto the floor of her room.
He leaned against the windowsill, his playful smirk softening into something intensely protective.
“Go to sleep, little bird.
I need you to trust me.”
Before she could answer, he reached up to close the window, flashing one last wicked grin.
“And for the love of God, close the curtains.”
When the bells rings, the house moved busy as usual, but Evryn was different.
she worked in the kitchen, but her mind was elsewhere.
She was thinking.
Auren did not act like a servant; he did not fight like a man.
Everything in her life had changed since he arrived.
Her wedding was cancelled.
Wolves had attacked her.
Magic was everywhere.
She realized the truth: They tried to kill me because I am near him.
The life she wanted…a quiet home and a family…now felt impossible.
She was part of a dangerous world she didn’t choose.
By noon, she couldn’t take it anymore.
She retreated to her room and closed the door, the heavy silence of the house pressing in on her.
She lay on her bed and cried quietly, her shoulders shaking with the weight of everything she couldn’t control.
She had never felt so small or so hunted, like a bird caught in a net that was slowly tightening.
Outside, Auren stood in the shadows of the corridor, his body rigid.
He could feel her pain through the bond, a sharp, cold ache that radiated from her heart and settled into his own chest.
Every instinct he possessed screamed at him to break down the door, to pull her into his arms and silence her fears with the sheer force of his presence.
But he couldn’t face her.
He remained frozen, his hand hovering inches from the wood of the door.
She would have questions…terrible, honest questions about the magic, the dangers, and why he was truly there…and he had no answers for her.
He didn’t want to lie to her anymore, but the truth was a weapon that would only shatter her further.
With a jaw tightened in silent frustration, he forced himself to step away.
He let her face the fear alone, hauntingly aware of the vast difference between them.
To him, she was a human…fragile, beautiful, and desperately mortal…a woman whose world was breaking while he could only watch from the dark.
Evryn stared at the ceiling and made a choice.
If Auren was the reason for the danger, she had to go.
To stay safe, she had to leave him behind.