They kept moving fast qThe lost map made everything harder. Trees looked the same in every direction. Lucien stayed ahead, face cold and closed. He had not spoken since their argument. Elara followed, still angry inside. His words kept repeating in her head — "You are a means to an end. Nothing more."
But he did just save her.
The path suddenly ended at a dead point. She could hear the Assassin's closing in.
They stood at the edge of a steep cliff. Below them was a dark river rushing over sharp rocks. The drop looked long and deadly.
Lucien stopped and looked down. His face stayed calm, like he was checking the weather. "We jump."
Elara stared at him like he had lost his mind. "Jump? From here? That is suicide!"
He turned to her with the same cold, calm face. "We have no other way. The assassins are coming from the front. We go back, they catch us. We stay here, they kill us. Jump or die."
Elara looked at the cliff again. Her stomach twisted. "I cannot jump from a cliff! That is crazy. I will break every bone in my body!"
Lucien did not blink. "Make up your mind, Elara. Jump and maybe live. Or stay and definitely die. Your choice."
She mumbled under her breath, nerves making her voice shaky. "Yes… no… yes… no…"
Just then, a knife came swinging out of the trees straight toward her head again.
What the hell did this people have against her!
In the same second, Lucien grabbed her around the waist, pulled her tight against him, and jumped off the cliff.
The world dropped away.
Wind rushed past them as they fell. Elara's scream got stuck in her throat. She clung to Lucien, eyes squeezed shut. His body stayed solid and steady even as they dropped fast toward the dark water below.
They hit the river hard. Cold water swallowed them. The current pulled and twisted, but Lucien kept one arm locked around her. He kicked hard, fighting to bring them both up.
They broke the surface gasping for air. The river carried them downstream, away from the cliff and the assassins. Lucien dragged her toward the rocky bank, still holding her tight.
When they finally crawled onto the mud, both of them were soaked and breathing hard. Lucien let go of her immediately and moved a few steps away. His face went back to cold and distant, like the jump had been nothing.
Elara sat there, shaking, water dripping from her hair. She looked at him, heart still pounding. He had jumped without hesitation. Grabbed her. Saved her again.
But holy fucking Cow! They had just been attacked by Assassins, why? Isn't this supposed to be a safe ground? And why did he risk his life to save her?
But now he acts like she was nothing.
She wanted to ask why he was like this. Why he shut everyone out. Why he protected her one moment and treated her like a tool the next.
But the words would not come.
Lucien stood up and scanned the trees above the cliff. His voice was flat. "Get up. We keep moving. They will not stop."
Elara pushed herself to her feet, legs still weak. The forest felt darker now. More dangerous.
And somewhere above them, the assassins were still hunting.
For a brief second she felt dizzy then moments later everything turned dark.
_____
Elara woke up with a start.
Her clothes were gone. She was lying on a dry patch of ground inside a small cave, wearing only her bra and panties. A fire crackled nearby, built neatly with branches and stones. The warm light danced on the rock walls.
But Lucien was nowhere to be seen.
Her heart leaped into her throat. Panic flooded her chest. He left me. The thought hit hard. Maybe he decided she would slow him down. Maybe he had pushed her toward the assassins on purpose so he could escape and buy himself time. After all, he had said it himself — she was just a tool. A means to an end. Nothing more.
Tears stung her eyes. She didn't know why it hurt so much. She hated him. She hated how cold he was. But the idea that he had abandoned her here, alone, made her chest ache in a way she couldn't explain.
She sat up, hugging her knees, trying to stop the tears.
Then a figure appeared at the cave entrance.
Lucien stepped inside, carrying more dry branches. His shirt was completely off, his hair still damp and messy from the river. Water droplets ran down his chest and abs, catching the firelight. This was the first time she had seen him shirtless. His body was hard, sculpted from years of danger and control. Scars marked his skin like stories he would never tell.
Elara bit her inner lip hard. Heat rushed to her face.
Lucien dropped the wood beside the fire and glanced at her. His gray eyes were as cold as ever, but one corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"Was the dip in the river enough to make you cry, little wife?"
Elara quickly wiped her tears away before he could see them clearly. "I'm not crying. Something just got in my eyes, that's all."
Lucien said nothing. He crouched by the fire and added more branches. The muscles in his back and shoulders moved under his skin as he worked. Elara couldn't stop staring. Her eyes traced the lines of his body, the way water still clung to his skin.
He noticed.
Without looking up, he asked in that flat, calm voice, "Are you sick? Your face is turning red, Wife."
Elara jerked her gaze away and pulled her knees tighter to her chest. "I'm fine."
Lucien added one more branch. His trousers were still on, dark and damp but not soaked through like her clothes had been. He looked at her for a long moment, eyes moving over her bare skin.
"I thought you would catch a cold, I would have left you in your wet clothes," he said dryly. "But you were shivering. So I took them off."
Elara's face burned hotter. She finally realized she was sitting there in nothing but her bra and panties. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to cover herself. "You took my clothes off without asking?"
Lucien gave a small, sarcastic shrug. "You would have caught a cold. I was being practical."
She felt stupid. Of course that was why he was shirtless too — his jacket and shirt must have been soaked. But he had kept his trousers on.
Why?
"Why did you take my clothes off but not your trousers?" she asked, voice quieter than she wanted.
He didn't answer right away. He kept tending the fire. Then he stood up straight and met her eyes.
"The trousers are leather. They dry faster. And I was trying to be considerate. I didn't think you would want to wake up to a completely naked man." His voice stayed cold, but there was a faint edge of something else. "But if you're so worried about me catching a cold, I can strip those off too."
"No!" Elara said quickly, cheeks flaming. "Don't."
Lucien's mouth twitched again — almost like he was amused. "I won't catch a cold so easily, I'm more resistant,"
He sat down across from her, one leg bent up, resting his arm on his knee. The firelight made the scars on his chest stand out. "I checked the area. No sign of the assassins. They probably think we died in the fall. That gives us time. The main problem is finding a way out of this section. It's not on any map."
Elara blinked, surprised. "You memorized the whole map?"
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cave wall. "Rest more. When the clothes are dry, we move."
He stayed like that — eyes closed, body relaxed but still somehow alert. Elara found her gaze drifting back to his face. When his eyes were closed, he looked almost… human. A small part of her wondered if he had done it on purpose, to make her feel less exposed. But another part reminded her who he was. Lucien Volkov did not do considerate things. He did not have a heart for that.
Time passed. The fire crackled softly. Elara's eyelids grew heavy. She didn't know when she drifted off again.
When she woke up the second time, Lucien was still in the same position. At first she thought he was sleeping. Then she saw the slight frown on his face, the tightness around his mouth.
The fire was dying.
She got up quietly and added more wood. "Lucien?" she called softly. No answer.
She called again. Still nothing.
Worried, she moved closer and reached out to shake his arm. The moment her fingers touched his skin, she froze.
He was burning hot.
His temperature was way too high. Fever.
Elara's heart dropped. "Lucien?"
He didn't respond.