Triple Temptation
Ash snapped, though his eyes were wet with a terror he only ever showed to her.
"Ash, look at me!" she commanded, her golden eyes flaring with a sudden, soft warmth.
He turned, his chest heaving. "What? What is it?"
"We don't need a Seal," Rhea said, a small, defiant smile playing on her lips. She reached out and touched the golden band that connected them—the bond forged not of old laws, but of shared trauma and stubborn love. "The Shadow King thinks the door is made of obsidian. He thinks the world is a machine that needs a bolt. But he’s wrong. The world is a heart. And hearts don't need to be sealed. They need to be fed."