LOGINDanny lowered his gaze to the neat grid lines stretched across the soil, forcing his focus on the ordered squares. The discoveries unfolding here—the urn, the counting sticks, the seal—echoed through his thoughts. Maybe Kaelan was right. This was what I always wanted: to chase artifacts, to unearth truths buried in the earth.But Mahisar’s voice clung to him like a shadow, infecting his mind, twisting his thoughts, bending his body to his will.The training sessions came back in fragments—brutal, consuming. They had been crushing and yet intoxicating. Mahisar never relented, never accepted enough. He pushed Danny until he was raw, breaking him down with sharp words: You’re holding back. You’re weak. You don’t deserve this power. And just when Danny was certain he would shatter—when his body twisted, tore, and reformed into something new, something more—Mahisar’s voice changed. It dripped with awe, with reverence. Magnificent. Divine. A god among mortals.Danny craved that cycle. It ha
Dr. Kaelan arrived back in Harappa just as the first traces of dawn brushed the horizon. Dust clung to his jacket from the overnight journey, and the faint whir of a ceiling fan barely stirred the stifling air of his rented room. He lowered himself onto the narrow bed, balancing his laptop across his knees, the screen’s pale glow carving sharp shadows across the walls.His inbox was cluttered with reports, but one subject line stopped him cold.From: Field OperativeSubject: Concerning activity – Dig SiteHe clicked.Fyfe,Disturbing movements from Danny. Spending most of his time with M. M hasn’t left the country yet as he said he would. Danny showing concerning signs.Kaelan’s brows knitted, the muscles in his jaw tightening. This was not part of the plan. Mahisar’s name had floated on the Directorate’s radar for years, his obsession with the prophecy making him a persistent—if eccentric—figure to monitor. Until now, he had seemed harmless, an academic buried in theory.But if Danny
“That piece you wear,” she said softly, “it carries its own story, does it not?”The change of direction made Jaiyana’s hand tighten around her teacup. The air between them thickened with unspoken tension.Kaplan drew a breath. “It was with me when I was found abandoned at a fire station as a newborn. I’ve never been without it. Somehow it feels like my only thread back to the family I never knew.” The words slipped out more freely than he intended, startling even him.Padma’s lips curved in a faint smile, though her eyes never softened. “Power hides itself well. In trinkets. In bloodlines. Even in children left at fire stations.” She let the last words hang pointedly before taking a slow sip of tea.Her gaze held him when she lowered her cup. “Tigers are not mere animals in our tradition. They are the guardians of warriors, the ones who test the worth of those they protect. Some even say they choose their barer. Tell me, Kaplan—do you wear it, or does it wear you?”Jaiyana’s breath c
As the night progressed, they slipped from sleep to ecstasy several more times, never letting the other be out of reach for long. The jewel at Jaiyana’s neck had warmed and glowed at each meeting, sharing her desire and intensifying it—as if it knew Kaplan was her mate and approved of their pairings. Kaplan had even shared his presence with Shan, letting him take over when the relentless commentary grew too much for him to bare.When the first light of dawn spread its glory across the room, the necklace stirred, its internal fire swirling, catching the rays and sending them back to their source of power. Jaiyana shifted against Kaplan’s chest, the weight of the night’s passion still woven into her muscles, her skin damp with the memory of his touch. The intimacy of the moment had not faded with sleep; it lingered in the air between them, heavy and alive.Kaplan stirred awake, brushing a strand of hair from her face. His voice was low, still thick with sleep. “That jewel… it reacts to
Kaplan took Jaiyana’s hand and guided her toward the window. With the city spread out in glittering patterns below, he slipped his arm around her waist and drew her close. The quiet between them was full, weighted with everything words could never capture.Jaiyana let her head rest against his shoulder, her voice soft as a sigh. “The city lights really are beautiful.”But Kaplan wasn’t looking at the skyline. He lifted his hand to her chin, tilting her face toward his. Slowly, he bent to kiss her. His lips brushed hers with a gentleness that carried no urgency—only devotion. The kiss was not a question, not even a declaration, but a vow: a sacred promise that they would stand beside one another, no matter what was to come.She was magnificent, her bronze skin glowing in the soft light of the room. He reached out as though afraid she might vanish if he touched her too quickly, his fingers brushing across her arm in a slow, reverent caress. He slid his hands to the silk of her dress, g
“Are you hungry? Have you eaten?” Jaiyana asked, her eyes scanning his face for the smallest sign of fatigue.His grin widened at her instinct to care for him. “I am famished. Is there still time for dinner in the restaurant?”Jaiyana shook her head and turned to the concierge. “Can you please send up tonight’s special and some champagne?”“Of course, miss,” he said, tapping the order into his computer. His gaze flicked to Kaplan with a knowing glimmer that made Kaplan’s ears burn.Jaiyana laced her fingers through his and tugged him toward the waiting elevator. Neither spoke, neither dared to look too long at the other, as if acknowledging the gravity of this moment would only set fire to it sooner.The elevator doors slid shut with a hushed sigh. The silence was thick, humming with unspoken longing. Then, as if released from invisible restraint, they collided. Kaplan’s mouth crushed against hers, fierce and desperate, tasting the truth of how much he had missed her. His hands swept







