Aurora wasn't ready for the next morning. Her body was sore in places she didn't know could ache, and not just from what she and Zayne had done. Something deeper burned—like her very soul was fraying at the edges.
She lay tangled in his sheets, watching golden light spill through the window. Zayne was already up, shirtless again, tattoos stretching as he poured coffee. He hadn't said much since last night's kiss had sparked another flare of power between them—one so strong the bedroom walls had cracked.
She hadn't even noticed until this morning.
"I'm fine, by the way," she said dryly, pushing the sheets off her.
Zayne looked over his shoulder. "I know." He handed her a cup. "Black. No sugar."
She blinked. "How did you—?"
"I listen," he said, and sat on the edge of the bed.
Aurora sipped. The silence between them wasn't awkward. It was charged. Heavy with things unsaid.
Finally, she asked, "Do you ever wish we hadn't met?"
Zayne didn't answer right away. He reached into the nightstand drawer, pulled out something wrapped in silk. He held it out to her.
She unwrapped it. A pendant. Gold, delicate, with an obsidian stone at the center.
"It belonged to Amara," he said quietly. "But it was never meant for her. It was meant for the witch who could survive me."
Aurora's heart fluttered. "You think I'm that witch?"
"I think," he murmured, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "you're the first person I've touched who didn't die from it."
She placed the pendant over her head, felt its warmth settle against her chest. Like it belonged there.
Royal Crest was quieter than usual when Aurora arrived on campus. Most students were still shaken by Professor Gray's breakdown, and the eerie message on the blackboard. Whispers followed her wherever she walked.
She ducked into the literature building, hoping to hide in the back of Dr. Khan's lecture, when a hand grabbed her arm.
Eira, the library assistant. Dark braids pulled back, eyes sharp.
"Come with me," Eira whispered.
"What—"
"No time."
Eira practically dragged her down a hallway, through a door marked ARCHIVES – STAFF ONLY, and into a dusty back room.
"There are things you need to know," she said, locking the door behind them.
Aurora frowned. "You're not just a librarian, are you?"
Eira crossed her arms. "I'm a witch. Like you. Well, half-witch. Quarter. It's complicated."
Aurora blinked. "You knew?"
"I saw the signs. The shimmer in your aura. The glass cracking when you're mad. The pendant." Eira pointed. "That's a blood-charm. Old magic."
"I thought it was just... jewelry."
"It is. And it's also a weapon."
Eira opened a book the size of a tombstone and flipped through pages covered in symbols.
"The curse that's latched onto Zayne—it's called the Binding Flame. It feeds off love. Off passion. The stronger your bond, the closer the curse gets to breaking... or consuming you both."
Aurora swallowed. "And Fiona?"
"She's being used. By the same thing that cursed Zayne. A spirit of vengeance. Envy. Ancient. Think of it like a parasite. It needs a host."
Aurora leaned in. "How do we stop it?"
"You can't stop it," Eira said. "But you can trap it. During the Blood Moon. Three nights from now."
"What do I need?"
"A witch's flame. A true sacrifice. And him."
Aurora's heart beat faster. "Zayne?"
Eira nodded. "You either burn together... or not at all."
That night, Aurora returned to Zayne's with her mind in a storm.
He greeted her with a small, crooked smile. "I missed you."
She didn't say anything. Just kissed him.
Hard.
Their bodies met again like flint and steel—sparks flying, hearts hammering. But it wasn't just about lust anymore. It was desperation. Clarity. Fear.
After, tangled in sheets, she whispered, "We have three days."
Zayne brushed her bare shoulder. "Until what?"
"Until everything either ends or begins again."
He didn't ask for more. He just pulled her closer.
Outside, the moon was already starting to stain red.
And across town, Fiona stood in a circle of bones, eyes black with shadow, whispering to something that wasn't entirely inside her.
"Soon," she crooned. "Soon she'll burn."
End of chapter 13.