LOGINFor Eliara, the night had left her with a strange mixture of comfort and uncertainty. For a little while, she had been able to forget the questions that had been eating at her and the things she still didn't understand. Being close to Ronan had made her feel safe in a way she hadn't expected, and his words about loving her had stayed with her long after they had fallen asleep. Still, beneath that warmth was the quiet reminder that she hadn't told him everything. She hadn't told him about the dream, the strange woman who claimed to have the answers she was searching for, or the feeling that the witches' kingdom was somehow connected to her. She loved the way Ronan made her feel, but she wasn't ready to place every secret she carried in his hands. The next morning, Eliara woke beside him with the first sunlight coming through the curtains. For a few moments, she simply lay there, listening to his breathing and enjoying the rare quiet before the worries of the day returned. Eventually,
***adult content*** The silence that followed his confession was thick, charged with a tension that had been simmering between them for months. Eliara felt the warmth of Ronan’s hand still gripping hers, and as she looked up at him, the conflict in her mind began to blur, replaced by a sudden, sharp ache of longing. She didn’t know if she could trust him with every secret, but in this moment, she trusted the way he looked at her—as if she were the only thing in the world that mattered. She didn't speak; instead, she reached up, her fingers brushing the nape of his neck and pulling him down. When their lips finally met, it wasn't the gentle kiss of a promise. It was a collision of desperation and relief. Ronan groaned low in his throat, his hand sliding from her hand to the small of her back, pulling her flush against him. The heat of his body seeped through their clothes, a stark contrast to the cold uncertainty of the secrets she carried. Eliara let out a soft gasp as he shifted
Eliara didn't wait for Ronan to say anything else. The moment she realized he had nothing left to say, she turned around and walked back upstairs. She was still angry, and she didn't bother hiding it. She shut the door behind her harder than she intended and stood there for a moment, breathing heavily as she tried to calm herself down. She couldn't believe he had actually suggested sending her back to Velkaris. After everything that had happened, after everything she had seen and felt, he wanted her to go back and pretend she could simply return to the life she had before him. Eliara walked over to the bed and sat down, still fuming. But as the anger slowly settled, another thought came to her. The dream. She remembered the strange place she had seen while sleeping, the unfamiliar town filled with crystals and strange things, and then the woman who had appeared before her with that glowing crystal ball. She could still remember the woman's face, her unusual eyes, and the
By the time they returned to the hotel where they had been staying before the trip to the forest, Eliara had already begun to feel slightly better. She had cleaned herself up, changed into fresh clothes, and managed to get some rest, but the events of the day were still sitting heavily in her mind. The hotel was much quieter than it had been when they first arrived. The others had gone ahead into the main sitting area while Eliara remained in the room for a while. She eventually came out and found Ronan standing near one of the windows, looking outside. He turned when he heard her approaching. “You should sit,” he said. Eliara frowned slightly. “Why?” Ronan hesitated before answering. “Because we need to talk.” She already knew from his expression that she wasn't going to like what he had to say. She walked over and sat down, watching him carefully. “What happened?” Ronan remained standing for a moment before finally saying, “You're going back to Velkaris.” Eliara stared at h
Ronan stayed with Eliara until they reached her room. She was still covered in blood from the fight, some of it belonging to the rogues she had killed and some of it mixed with the dirt from the forest. Her clothes were stained, her hands were dirty, and there was dried blood against her skin that she hadn't even noticed anymore. “You need to rest for a while,” Ronan said as he helped her sit on the bed. “Freshen up first, then get some sleep. Liora will make something for you to eat when you're ready.” Eliara nodded quietly. “You've been through enough today. Don't worry about anything else right now.” Ronan pulled the blanket over her legs, then looked at her for a moment before standing. “I'll let you get cleaned up. If you need anything, call for me.” He walked toward the door, but Eliara stopped him before he could leave. “Ronan.” He turned around. She wanted to ask him so many things. She wanted to ask him about Kael, about the throne, about why Kael had spoken as thoug
“There was someone else.” Eliara said againRonan's attention immediately returned to her. “Someone else?”Eliara nodded. “A person was standing over there.”She pointed toward the trees where the stranger had been.“I couldn't see their face because they were completely covered in black. I couldn't even tell if they were a man or a woman.”“What did you see?” Kael asked.“Only their eyes.”Eliara frowned as she tried to remember them clearly. “I don't know how to explain it. They weren't a normal green. They were very bright, almost like they were glowing, but not exactly. I've never seen eyes like that before.” Ronan looked back at the bodies before turning to Eliara. “Did that person attack you?”“No.”“Did they speak to you?”“No.”“Then what were they doing?”Eliara looked toward the trees again, remembering the way the stranger had stood there and watched her fight. “They were just watching me.”Ronan's expression tightened.Eliara noticed it. “What?”“I don't know yet.”She fr







