Kaelen and Aurelia slipped from shadow to shadow, timing their breaths between the footsteps of the patrolling guards.
The first guard turned the corner.
Kaelen's hand shot out, gripping Aurelia's wrist, and he pulled her sharply behind a pillar—so close she felt his armor brush her arm. She held her breath, heart hammering.
Another guard passed.
Kaelen tugged her lower, both of them crouching. His cloak fell over her like a shield. She could feel the tension in his body, every muscle ready to fight if they were discovered.
A third guard appeared ahead, lantern raised.
Kaelen didn't hesitate—he pressed Aurelia back into the wall, covering her with his body. His palm covered her shoulder firmly, silently telling her don't move.
The guard paused, looking around. Aurelia could hear her own heartbeat in her ears.
Tub-dub.
Tub-dub.
Finally, the guard walked past.
Kaelen exhaled slowly. "Come on," he whispered, fingers brushing her hand before he grabbed it again and pulled her forward.
They moved faster now, slipping out a narrow side gate Aurelia hadn't even noticed before. The cold morning air slapped her face the moment they stepped outside.
A brown horse waited under a bare tree, tied loosely as if Kaelen expected to leave quickly.
He swung onto the saddle in one fluid movement.
She stared up at him, breath clouding in the air.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked, voice low, uncertain.
"Get in," he said simply. Not a request. A command.
He reached his hand toward her—large, warm, steady.
Aurelia hesitated.
But his fingers closed around hers, pulling her up with surprising strength. She landed in front of him, his arm immediately circling her waist to steady her.
The horse jolted forward.
She gasped—the speed was too sudden, the ground blurring beneath them. Kaelen's arm tightened around her instinctively, pulling her back against his chest so she wouldn't fall.
Wind whipped her hair across her face, but he didn't slow down.
"Hold on," he muttered, voice close to her ear, firm and certain.
She had no choice.
She grabbed the horse's mane—and felt his hand cover hers, anchoring her with him as they rode deeper into the unknown.
They passed mountains, forests, long empty stretches of land where the wind stung Aurelia's cheeks.
Each breath she took came out in small clouds, disappearing behind them as the horse raced forward.
The world became streaks of green and grey—trees bending, rocks blurring—while Kaelen's arm held her firmly in place every time the horse jerked or leapt over roots.
Sometimes the road dipped so sharply her stomach rose, and his hand would tighten around her waist, steadying her without a word.
His touch was cold, as if the frost in his veins seeped into his skin, but strangely gentle.
After what felt like hours, a massive estate finally rose ahead.
Not grand like Tenebrarum's shadow-wrapped estate.
Not intimidating or carved with ancient symbols.
This one was quiet.
Sturdy stone walls, dark sloping roofs, tall windows catching the morning light.
A place built for breath rather than fear.
Kaelen brought the horse to a halt.
Dust and frost drifted from its hooves as he jumped down, boots hitting the earth with a soft thud.
He looked up at her, reaching his hand—palm steady, fingers cool, eyes waiting.
"Come."
Aurelia stared at the estate, at him, at the hand held out for her.
Her chest tightened with a strange hesitation.
"Why are we here?"
"You'll see."
She took his hand.
He didn't tug—only guided—as she slid off the horse.
The cold followed him in a faint swirl, brushing against her gown like pale mist.
He led her through a wide entrance hall where sunlight spilled across polished floors.
Every room they passed was quiet, almost untouched, as if the house held its breath for their arrival.
Then Kaelen opened a chamber door.
A soft blue glow met her.
Blue flames drifted gently in lanterns along the walls, casting light like frozen moonshine.
And in the center of the room—
A sculpture.
Ice.
Clear, smooth, impossibly detailed.
Aurelia froze.
It was them.
Kaelen and Aurelia, dancing.
The sculpture captured movement as if the ice remembered it.
Her dress lifted mid-spin, every fold carved perfectly.
Her hair swept behind her, each strand frozen mid-air.
Her head tilted with laughter—the exact moment she had smiled during their turn.
Her breath stilled.
Her fingers hovered near the ice but didn't touch; the cold radiating from it brushed her skin anyway.
"You… made this?"
Kaelen watched her carefully, shoulders rising and falling with slow, controlled breaths.
His eyes—blue, deep, stormlike—never left her face.
"I did."
He stepped closer, close enough that she felt the faint drop in temperature around him.
"I wanted you to see how you looked last night. Beautiful."
Aurelia's fingers tightened around the soft folds of her black gown, her knuckles whitening.
She felt the weight of his gaze, cold yet intimate, tracing every curve and angle of her body as if memorizing her all over again. A soft smile quivered at the corners of her lips.
Kaelen's jaw tightened imperceptibly—a rare crack in the fortress of calm he always wore.
"I have something else."
Before she could even form a question, he turned, moving with smooth precision through the crisp morning air.
A low whistle cut through the silence, sharp and commanding.
A white horse emerged, stepping onto the frost-kissed path with graceful confidence. Its mane shimmered like moonlight on snow, hooves clicking softly against the stone.
"For me?" Aurelia's voice trembled, disbelief mingling with excitement.
She had only met him yesterday, and already he was offering her a gift that felt impossibly generous, impossibly intimate.
Kaelen's expression softened just enough for her to notice, the storm in his eyes replaced by something gentler, almost tender.
He is really different from Tenebrarum.
Why do I feel this kind of connection with him.
His kind.
Thoughts flew into her head as she stared right at his blue eyes.
This was a dark creature who truly saw her, and yet made her feel both safe and charged with anticipation.
Was she loving him too?
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To be continued...