CHAPTER 7 — THE TRUTH THEY FEAR
(Lira's POV)
There are two types of bad news. The kind that ruins your day. And the kind that quietly destroys your entire existence while you're still trying to process the first sentence. I was currently experiencing the second kind.
And naturally—Kael was involved. "You've been watching me for years." The words came out before I could stop them, sharp and accusing, cutting through the strange, heavy silence between us. Kael didn't deny it. He didn't confirm it either. He just stood there, completely still, like the question itself didn't deserve a reaction. Which, honestly, was worse.
"Say something," I snapped. "I already did." "No, you didn't. You said just enough to confuse me and then stopped like that's a normal way to communicate." "It works." "It's annoying." "That too." I stared at him. He stared back. Unbothered. Always unbothered. I folded my arms, trying very hard not to let the bond pull my attention back to him again. It was getting stronger. I hated that. "Start talking," I said. "About what?" I blinked slowly. "You cannot be serious." "I am."
"About the part where you've apparently been watching me like some kind of—" I waved my hand vaguely. "—shadow stalker?" "I prefer observer." "That is not better." "It's more accurate." "That is also not better!" A pause. Then—"You were never unprotected." The words landed strangely. Not threatening. Not comforting. Just… heavy. "What does that mean?" I asked. "It means," he said calmly, "you were never alone."
I let out a short laugh. "That's funny." "I'm not joking." "I know," I said, my voice dropping. "That's what makes it worse." Silence stretched between us again. But this time—it felt different. Tighter. Like something important was about to break through. "You don't understand what you are," Kael said. "That's becoming very clear," I muttered. "And that ignorance," he continued, ignoring me completely, "is the only reason you survived as long as you did."
I froze slightly. "Excuse me?" "If they had known—" "Known what?" His gaze sharpened. And for the first time since I'd met him—There was something in his eyes that wasn't control. It was caution. "They would have taken you long before I did." That sentence did not sit well with me. At all. "I don't like how that sounds." "You're not supposed to." "Great," I said flatly. "Love that for me."
He didn't react. Of course he didn't. I took a step closer anyway, narrowing my eyes. "Taken me why?" No answer. "Kael." Nothing. "KAEL." His gaze snapped back to mine. "Because you are not supposed to exist." Oh. Great. Fantastic. Amazing. "Of course I'm not," I said, throwing my hands up. "Why would I be normal? That would be too easy."
"This isn't a joke." "I know," I said quickly. "That's the problem." My heart had started racing again. Not because of the bond. Not this time. This was different. This was fear. Real fear. The kind that sits in your chest and refuses to move. "What do you mean I'm not supposed to exist?" I asked, quieter now. "You were never part of their design." "Their?" He didn't answer directly.
Instead, he said—"There are rules." "I figured." "You break them." I blinked. "I'm sorry—what?" "You exist outside of balance." I stared at him. Trying. Failing. To understand. "That doesn't make sense." "It doesn't have to." "Yes, it does!" I snapped. "You can't just say things like that and expect me to nod along like it's completely normal!"
"You're still alive, aren't you?" "That is not the point!" "It is exactly the point." I pressed my fingers to my temples again. This was too much. Way too much. "So let me get this straight," I said slowly. "I'm not supposed to exist, I somehow break the rules of reality, and now there are people—or things—who want me because of it?" "Yes." I blinked. "That's… not comforting." "It's not meant to be."
"Great. Again. Love that for me." A pause. Then—"They fear you." That made me stop. Completely. "Who does?" "Everyone who understands what you are." My stomach dropped. "I don't even understand what I am." "You will." That word again. I hated that word. "You really need new vocabulary," I muttered. He ignored that too. Of course.
"Your power isn't like theirs," he continued. "It doesn't follow rules. It doesn't belong to either side." "Either side?" I repeated. "Light and dark." I froze. "Okay… I feel like that's important information you should have led with." "It wouldn't have changed anything." "It would have changed my stress level!" "That's irrelevant." "It is very relevant to me!" Silence again.
Then—"You're reacting better than I expected." I blinked. "Better?" "Yes." "I'm one sentence away from a full breakdown." "You're still standing." "Barely!" "That's enough." I stared at him. Seriously considered throwing something at him. Unfortunately—There was nothing nearby. Unfortunate for him. Very unfortunate.
I turned away again, pacing slowly, trying to process everything he'd just said. Not supposed to exist. Breaks the rules. Feared. Wanted. Hunted. Great. Just great. "Why didn't you tell me before?" I asked. "Timing." "That's not an answer." "It is here." I groaned. "Everything is 'here' with you!" "Yes." I spun around. "Stop agreeing with me!" "No." I took a deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. "This is fine," I said. "Everything is fine."
"You don't believe that." "I absolutely do not." "Good." "Stop saying 'good'!" "No." I dropped my hands to my sides, staring at him again. "You said they would have taken me," I said. "Who exactly are 'they'?" A pause. Then—"Not something you're ready to face." "That's not reassuring." "It's not meant to be." "Why does everything you say sound like a warning?" "Because it is." I swallowed. Hard. "Are they stronger than you?"
Silence. That silence again. The kind I was starting to recognize. The kind that meant the answer wasn't simple. "…Kael." "Yes." My chest tightened. "That's not good." "No." "Wow. Short answers. Progress." He didn't react. Again. Of course. I exhaled slowly, forcing my thoughts to steady. "Okay," I said.
"New plan." He watched me. Silent. Waiting. "I stop being the confused girl," I continued. "And I start learning how not to die." "That would be wise." "I'm always wise." "No, you're not." "Okay, sometimes wise." "Rarely." "Wow." He didn't even try to deny it. Rude. Very rude.
"But seriously," I said, focusing again. "If I'm that dangerous… why keep me?" That question hung between us. Heavy. Important. Dangerous. And this time—He didn't avoid it. "Because," Kael said slowly, stepping closer, "if anyone is going to control that power…" My breath caught. "It will be me." Oh. That was—Not comforting. At all. "That doesn't sound reassuring," I said carefully. "It wasn't meant to be." "Of course it wasn't." The bond pulsed again. Stronger this time.
Almost like it was reacting to his words. To his claim. To me. And for the first time—I felt it clearly. Not just the connection. Not just the pull. But something deeper. Something dangerous. Something that didn't just link us—But tied our fates together. "You're serious," I whispered. "Yes." "That's… concerning." "For you." "Also for you," I pointed out. A pause. Then
—"We'll see." I stared at him. "I don't like how calm you are about all this." "I understand it." "I don't!" "You will."
"There it is again." Silence fell once more. But this time—It wasn't confusion. It wasn't frustration. It was something else. Something colder. Something sharper.
Something that felt like the beginning of something much bigger than me. Much bigger than him. Much bigger than anything I understood. And right in the center of it—Was me. Lucky me. "I'm not dying," I said suddenly. His gaze flickered slightly. "No?" "No," I said firmly. "If people are hunting me, fearing me, whateverI'm not going down without a fight." A pause.
Then—"Good." I narrowed my eyes. "You really need to stop saying that." "No." I sighed. Of course. Of course he wouldn't. But this time—I didn't argue. Because for once—We agreed. And somehow—That was even more dangerous than everything else.