***
The night whispered lies.
I could feel it in the way the wind curled through the ancient temple corridors, how the flame-lit walls flickered just a little too violently. Something in the world had shifted—again.
Seraphine was asleep, her bare back pressed to my chest, one arm slung lazily across my waist. Her breathing was soft, slow, steady. The scent of her still clung to my skin: spice, sweat, sex, danger.
We had made love like we were trying to erase war. Like we didn't know a monster wearing my face was out there, watching.
But I couldn't sleep.
The rune on my wrist pulsed in irregular beats, growing hotter by the second. A warning. A heartbeat that didn't belong to me.
I slipped out of the bed silently, pulling on pants and boots. I didn't want to wake her. Not yet.
The cold air outside hit my bare chest like a curse. I stood at the edge of the monastery's sacred cliff, staring down at the black forest below. The moon hung low and red, as if bleeding from the sky.
And then I heard the voice again.
"My favorite view," it said smoothly. "Looking out over everything I will soon control."
I didn't have to turn to know who it was.
He looked exactly like me—every muscle, every scar, every mocking smirk. But darker. Sharper. His crown now glowed with crimson runes, and his eyes shimmered like bloodied gold.
"You found me," I said, gripping the hilt of the dagger tucked at my side.
He chuckled. "You called me. Every time you awaken a seal, our bond deepens. You think you're becoming stronger, but you're just opening the door wider."
I faced him fully, letting the magic burn in my bones. "Why are you really here?"
He smiled. "To offer you freedom."
I laughed once, dry and bitter. "That's rich, coming from the tyrant trying to kill me."
"I don't want to kill you," he said, stepping forward. "I want you to join me. Rule beside me. Two halves of the same king, united. You can have the power. The throne. The women. The world, Desmond."
"And all I have to do is what? Kill everything that stands in our way?"
He grinned. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"I'm not like you."
He moved fast—too fast. In a blink, his hand wrapped around my throat, lifting me off the ground.
"Yes, you are. You just haven't accepted it yet."
Flames curled around his fingertips, searing my skin. I struggled, gasped—but didn't beg.
Then a blade sliced through the air.
Seraphine.
She launched herself at him, a fury of steel and sparks. He released me just in time to block her strike, their weapons clashing like thunder. She moved with deadly grace, her body still glistening with sweat, her hair wild and her eyes burning with rage.
"Get away from him!" she roared.
They fought like gods in mortal skin. Steel sang, fire blazed. I scrambled up, blood on my lips, vision blurred.
"Stop!" I shouted.
They didn't.
And then—he touched her.
Just one hand on her chest.
Her scream pierced the night.
"No!" I ran to her, catching her as she collapsed, shivering violently.
Her skin was ice-cold, her lips turning pale. He'd marked her. Not with a wound—but with a curse.
"You're learning," my echo said with a twisted smile. "Always protect the heart to weaken the heir."
Then he vanished into smoke.
***
We carried Seraphine inside.
Kael appeared instantly, his runes glowing faintly under his robe. "She's been soul-branded," he murmured, brushing his fingers along her sternum. A black rune shimmered just beneath her skin, pulsing like a second heartbeat.
"Can you remove it?" I asked.
Kael's lips thinned. "Not without her bond-mate's essence."
"What does that mean?"
He looked at me. "You."
***
Kael prepared the ritual chamber.
I sat beside Seraphine, her body now feverish, hair clinging to her damp face. She stirred slightly, murmuring my name.
Kael placed a blade in my palm. "You'll need to bleed for her. But it must come from truth."
"Truth?" I frowned.
"You have to open more than your skin. You have to open yourself. No lies. No walls. Let her see you, and she may find her way back."
***
The circle glowed.
I knelt beside her, holding her hand, blade poised over my wrist. "I don't know if I'm ready to be a king," I said softly. "Hell, most days I'm not even sure I know how to be a man."
My voice cracked. "But I know this—you make me feel like I can be both."
I cut deep.
Blood spilled into the rune circle. The magic flared, white and wild. My memories flashed between us—our fights, our kisses, our shared battles, and the stolen heat of our nights.
Then her fingers tightened around mine.
Her eyes fluttered open.
"D-Desmond?" she whispered.
I kissed her forehead. "I'm here."
"You... bled for me."
"Always."
She smiled, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Then let's burn him together."
***
We spent the next day preparing.
Kael revealed the truth about the fractured soul: the more I grew, the more powerful my echo became. Killing him wasn't enough. I had to absorb him—to reclaim what was mine.
"But if he's stronger than you?" Kray asked.
Kael looked at me solemnly. "Then Desmond dies. And the world gets a new king… forged in shadow."
Seraphine gripped my hand. "That's not going to happen."
***
That night, before the final battle, we lay together in the sacred flame chamber.
The temple glowed soft around us, ancient energies curling through the air.
Seraphine straddled me slowly, her thighs gripping my waist, her eyes locked on mine. "One last time before war," she whispered.
"No," I murmured, brushing her cheek. "One first time... for forever."
She moaned as I slid into her, slow and deep. Our bodies moved like they were made for this—this rhythm, this heat, this fire that wasn't just lust anymore. It was love, raw and aching.
Her hips rolled, our gasps mixing, the runes on her spine lighting with every thrust. I gripped her waist, pulling her into me, deeper, harder.
"Say it," she gasped. "Say I'm yours."
"You're mine," I growled. "And I'm yours."
Our climax crashed like thunder. She collapsed on my chest, both of us trembling, spent, and whole.
***
But outside…
The sky tore open.
And the Shadow King returned.
Only this time, he brought everything.
Dragons made of smoke. Warlocks bound in iron. Creatures with no names.
And at the head of it all—myself, cloaked in darkness, crown burning, eyes wild.
"Come out, heir," he boomed. "It's time to end this."
I kissed Seraphine one last time.
And stepped into the fire.