Jayden's head throbbed; her body drenched in sweat despite the cold wind that drifted through the trees. Her skin felt like fire, her breath shallow, eyes unfocused. She barely registered Azrael's presence as he knelt beside her, the eerie glow of his golden eyes flickering with an emotion she couldn't name.
"Jayden," he whispered, brushing her damp hair away from her forehead. "Why didn't you call me? I would have left whatever I was doing and come to your aid right away."
She blinked up at him, her lips parting but no words came out. Her body was too weak, her limbs heavy. He didn't wait for a reply. Instead, he gathered her into his arms like she weighed nothing. The world tilted, but all she could feel was his touch—cool, strong, grounding.
"You're worse than yesterday, I don't like this." He said as he took her to their small cave they stayed ever since the royal guards incident, a secluded place cloaked by nature. There, he placed her gently on a pile of soft moss and summoned a basin of water with a flick of his hand. She was trembling, her skin hot, yet his touch didn't burn her.
"Foolish girl," he muttered under his breath, dipping a cloth into the water and pressing it to her neck. "You're mine to protect. Why must you test my patience like this?"
Her fevered eyes slowly moved to his face. "You... came," she whispered, voice barely audible.
"I always will."
He removed her outer cloak, then carefully unfastened the top layer of her tunic. She didn't protest, too exhausted to feel embarrassed. His fingers brushed her shoulder, the gentleness making her chest ache more than her illness. "You need to cool down," he said, not quite asking permission but watching her reaction. "I won't look, if that makes you feel better."
"I don't... mind," she murmured, cheeks flushed—not just from the fever now.
Azrael's hands stilled for a beat too long. Then, as he continued tending to her, his gaze fell on her lips. "You're so fragile like this," he said quietly, almost to himself. "But there's still fire in you. Even now, your soul fights."
"I had a dream," she mumbled, dazed. "Aurora... she was trying to tell me something."
Azrael froze. "Your nanny?"
Jayden nodded weakly. "I couldn't hear her clearly... but she said to remember the truth. That it wasn't my fault. And the dead—" her voice trembled, "—they listened to me again."
He didn't look surprised.
"You already knew, didn't you?" she asked, a flicker of betrayal in her fever-glazed eyes.
"I did," he admitted, wiping her brow with slow, deliberate strokes. "You commanded them once before. And you'll do it again. It's not something you can run from anymore."
She turned her head away, unsure if it was shame or fear—or both—that weighed in her chest.
Azrael leaned closer. "That power inside you… it's tied to your blood, to the curse your parents placed on you. But it's also your strength. Whether it's a gift or a burden will depend on how you choose to use it."
Jayden blinked at him, her lips trembling. "And what if I become something I can't control?"
He brushed a finger along the curve of her jaw. "Then I'll be there to pull you back."
His voice was a low promise, deep and commanding, laced with something darker than protection. Possession. His thumb lingered just beneath her lip, and she felt the air leave her lungs.
"I don't want to hurt anyone," she whispered.
"You won't," he said. "Because you're mine."
Jayden's breath hitched, her heart skipping. "You always say that," she murmured, the heat of the fever making her bold. "But I don't know what it means."
Azrael's eyes bored into hers. "It means no one touches you. No one hurts you. And no one claims you—except me."
The air shifted between them, thick with tension, electric. He leaned closer, brushing his forehead against hers. His scent wrapped around her—ancient, cold, and grounding.
"You're still burning up," he said softly.
"Then why does your touch feel... cold but safe?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
He smirked, his lips almost brushing hers. "Because I'm death, little flame. And you're the only thing I've ever wanted to burn for."
Her feverish heart beat like thunder in her chest. He leaned in, brushing a kiss to her cheek—just enough to leave her aching for more. Then, as quickly as it came, the moment passed. He settled beside her, pulling her into his arms so she could rest against his chest.
She sighed softly, sinking into his embrace.
Azrael held her through the night, as her fever slowly broke, the ruby necklace glowing faintly between them.