DANGEROUS ATTRACTION (AND VERY POOR DECISIONS)
(Lira's POV)
If anyone had told me that one day I'd be standing in a shadow dimension, emotionally unstable, magically bonded to a terrifying man who looked like he could end worlds before breakfast—I would have laughed. Loudly. Possibly while calling security. But here I was. Not laughing. Definitely not calling security. And unfortunately… staring. Again. "You're doing it again," Kael said. I blinked. "Doing what?" "Staring." "I'm not staring," I said immediately, folding my arms like that would somehow make me less obvious.
"You are." "I'm observing." His brows lifted slightly. "Observing." "Yes," I said confidently. "It's different." "How?" "It's more… intellectual." A pause. Then—"You were staring at my mouth." My face went hot. "I was not!" "You were." "I was analyzing your… facial structure."
"Mm." "Don't 'mm' me like that!" Another pause. Then, very calmly: "You're still staring." I looked away so fast I almost gave myself whiplash. "This is your fault," I muttered. "My fault." "Yes! You're… you're standing there… all—" I gestured vaguely, frustrated that words were failing me.
—intimidating and… shadowy." "That's new," he said dryly. "You know what I mean!" "I do." "And you're doing it on purpose." "I'm not." "You are." "I'm not." "You're literally built like a problem." That made him pause. Actually pause.
Which, for Kael, felt like winning a small but meaningful battle. "A problem," he repeated. "Yes," I said firmly. "A very dangerous, very unnecessary problem." "And yet," he stepped closer, slow and deliberate, "you're the one who won't stop looking." My heart betrayed me immediately.
It sped up. Loudly. Rudely. Like it had no respect for my dignity whatsoever. "I'm just trying to understand the situation," I said quickly. "You mean me." "No—I mean everything." "You're a terrible liar." "I'm not lying!" "You are." "I'm not!"
"Then don't look at me." I opened my mouth—and immediately realized I couldn't. Not fully. Not convincingly. Because every time I tried to ignore him—that pull came back. Subtle. But persistent. Like gravity. Or bad decisions. "See?" he murmured.
"I hate you," I said. "No, you don't." "I do." "You don't." "I strongly dislike you." "That's closer." I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're enjoying this." "A little." "A little?" I scoffed. "You're enjoying this way too much."
"You're entertaining." "I am not entertaining!" "You are when you pretend not to be affected." "I'm not affected!" The words came out too fast. Too loud. Too obvious. And the look he gave me? That slow, knowing look? Yeah. I regretted everything immediately.
"You are," he said simply. "I am not." "You are." "I'm just… adjusting." "To me." "To the situation!" "To me." I sighed dramatically. "You're impossible." "And yet here I am." "That's the problem!"
He stepped closer again. Of course he did. Because apparently, personal space didn't exist in his world. "Say it," he said. "Say what?" "That you feel it." My heart skipped. "No." "Say it." "I'm not saying anything."
"Lira." That tone. Low. Commanding. Dangerous. My body reacted before my brain could catch up. Annoying. Very annoying. "I feel something," I admitted quickly. "But it's probably just stress." "Stress."
"Yes. You know—near-death experiences, weird shadow dimension, emotionally unavailable shadow king—normal stress." "I'm not emotionally unavailable." I blinked. "You literally threatened to let me die yesterday." "I saved you."
"You also said I don't get choices." "You don't." "Exactly my point!" A pause. Then—"That doesn't make me emotionally unavailable." "That makes you worse." He almost smiled. Almost. I saw it. And that somehow made everything worse.
I turned away, walking a few steps just to create space. Or at least attempt to. The bond didn't like that. Of course it didn't. A faint pull tightened in my chest. Not painful. Just… there. Persistent. Annoying.
I stopped. Took a breath. "Okay," I said to myself. "We're not doing this." "What are you doing?" Kael asked from behind me. "Trying to function like a normal person." "You're not normal." "I KNOW THAT," I snapped, spinning around.
"You don't have to keep reminding me!" Silence. Then—"You're frustrated." "Wow, really?" I said flatly. "What gave it away?" "You're pacing." "I am not pacing." "You are." I looked down. I was pacing.
"Okay, maybe I am pacing," I admitted. "But that's not the point." "What is the point?" "The point is—this whole thing is ridiculous!" He didn't respond. Which somehow made it worse. "You, this place, the bond… none of this makes sense!"
"It doesn't need to." "Yes, it does!" "Not to exist." "Well it needs to make sense to me!" He tilted his head slightly. "Why?" "Because I'm the one living it!" A pause. Then—"You're adapting." "I'm struggling!"
"The same thing." "No, it's not!" "It is here." I threw my hands up. "Everything is 'here' with you!" "Because you are here." "I didn't choose to be here!" "And yet," he said calmly, "you stayed."
I turned away, walking a few steps just to create space. Or at least attempt to. The bond didn't like that. Of course it didn't. A faint pull tightened in my chest.
Not painful. Just… there. Persistent. Annoying. I stopped. Took a breath. "Okay," I said to myself. "We're not doing this."
"What are you doing?" Kael asked from behind me. "Trying to function like a normal person." "You're not normal." "I KNOW THAT," I snapped, spinning around.
"You don't have to keep reminding me!" Silence. Then—"You're frustrated." "Wow, really?" I said flatly. "What gave it away?" "You're pacing."
"I am not pacing." "You are." I looked down. I was pacing. "Okay, maybe I am pacing," I admitted. "But that's not the point."
"What is the point?" "The point is—this whole thing is ridiculous!" He didn't respond. Which somehow made it worse.
"You, this place, the bond, the whole 'you're mine' situation—none of this makes sense!" "It doesn't need to." "Yes, it does!"
"Not to exist." "Well it needs to make sense to me!" He tilted his head slightly. "Why?" "Because I'm the one living it!"
A pause. Then—"You're adapting." "I'm struggling!" "The same thing." "No, it's not!" "It is here."
I threw my hands up. "Everything is 'here' with you!" "Because you are here." "I didn't choose to be here!"
"And yet," he said calmly, "you stayed." My mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. No words came out.
Because again—he was right. And I hated that. I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair.
"Okay," I said. "Fine. Let's say I stayed." "You did." "That doesn't mean I'm okay with it." "I never said you were."
"Good." Silence stretched between us. Then—"Are you going to keep arguing with me," he asked, "or are you going to learn?"
I frowned slightly. "Learn what?" "How to survive." "I'm already surviving." "Barely." "That's rude." "That's accurate."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're very confident for someone who almost lost a fight yesterday." That did it. That got a reaction.
Subtle. But there. "You noticed," he said. "I'm not blind." "Most would have missed it." "I'm not 'most.'"
A pause. Then—"No," he said quietly. "You're not." Something about the way he said that… felt different.
Not mocking. Not dismissive. Almost serious. It made my chest tighten. Just slightly.
"Good," I said, looking away. "Because I don't plan on staying weak." "You won't." "You keep saying that."
"Because it's true." "How do you know?" Silence. Then—"Because I've seen what you become."
My breath caught. "What does that mean?" He didn't answer. Of course he didn't.
"You can't just say things like that and not explain!" "I can." "That's illegal where I'm from."
"This isn't where you're from." "Clearly!" I crossed my arms, trying to ignore the pull of the bond again.
It was like trying not to look at something bright. Or dangerous. Or both.