Kael had kissed women before,
He had known warmth in a lover's arms, the comfort of flesh, the sigh of pleasure in the night. But never like this. Never with fire crawling beneath his skin, with the taste of someone's soul still burning on his tongue.
When he stumbled back from Liora, the night around them didn't feel the same, The shadows were thicker, The air was heavier and even the stars above seemed to blink slower as if time itself had taken a breath
Liora stood still, her hands clasped gently in front of her, her dress dancing in the breeze that didn't touch her hair. Her lips—still glistening from their kiss—curved slightly.
"Something's changed," he said, breathing hard.
She tilted her head. "Yes. You."
Kael looked down at his hands again. The sparks were gone, but his skin still thrummed, like a melody vibrating beneath the surface.
"You awakened something," he said. "Magic. It's not possible."
"It was always there," she replied. "Buried beneath years of duty and silence."
He flinched. "I'm not… I'm not like you."
"No," she agreed "You're a soldier who's forgotten he was born with flame in his veins."
Kael turned away sharply "Magic is outlawed in Valcaria For a reason"
She walked to him, her bare feet soundless on the stone"Because men like you feared what they couldn't control"
"Magic ruins kingdoms"He said,
"No," she replied, stepping around to face him again. "Power without love ruins kingdoms Magic is only the echo of truth And yours, Kael..." Her fingers ghosted along his chest "Yours wants to be felt"
He stared down at her "You speak like temptation"
She smiled"I am"
---
The next day in the barracks, Kael couldn't focus
The younger recruits sparred in the courtyard Lieutenant Marek shouted orders Armor clanged, Swords clashed, But it all felt distant His mind—his body—was somewhere else.
Liora, yes liora
He could still feel her fingers on his skin, her lips against his, the power she had pulled from within him like a thread unraveled and worse… part of him wanted more
Not just the touch, Not just the kiss,
The unraveling and The letting go
It terrified him
He left training early claiming a headache though his head felt clearer than it ever had—and more dangerous. He wandered Valcaria's older streets, the ones where stones told secrets and walls remembered magic. The sun was low, casting golden light across red brick and ivy-covered balconies.
And then he saw her
Liora stood at the edge of the Moonmarket, her presence turning heads as she passed. A merchant spilled a tray of silks at her feet, his eyes wide with awe. A nobleman's wife gripped her husband's hand tighter, A dog whimpered and rolled onto its back
And Liora? She smiled through it all like none of it touched her—like none of it mattered
Until she saw Kael
Their eyes met across the square
She didn't smile
Not at first
She waited
And he walked toward her, as if the world narrowed to the space between them
---
They stood between stalls of exotic spices and velvet drapes. Perfumed air curled around them. Liora wore deep indigo today, a gown that clung to her like shadow and sapphire flame. Her hair was braided loosely over one shoulder, revealing a sliver of her neck that Kael's gaze betrayed him for studying too long.
"Did you follow me?" she asked.
"No"
"You came to find me"
"I didn't plan to"
"Most men don't," she said, stepping closer
"Until they do"
He hated how much sense she made
He hated that she made him feel weak and out of control
"I need answers," he said. "What did you do to me?"
Liora didn't speak right away She reached into her upper garment and pulled out a small glass orb, no larger than a pearl. Inside, a flicker of light pulsed—red, gold, and silver.
"This is what lives inside you," she said "It's what your ancestors once used to protect this realm before the crown turned fear into law"
Kael stared at it "You stole this from me?"
"No, I freed it"
He reached out, but she closed her fingers around the orb. Her skin brushed his, and the air between them stirred up again—hotter and thicker
"You still don't trust me" she said quietly
"I don't trust anyone who makes me feel out of control"
Liora looked up at him, her lashes heavy"Then you've never really loved"
Kael's breath caught"Is that what this is?"
Her hand slid up to his jaw "It could be Or it could be lust, magic, destiny or something far more dangerous"
He leaned in, caught between wanting to pull her close and needing to push her away
"Are you going to destroy me, Liora?"
She rose on her toes and whispered against his lips, "No, Kael I'm going to set you free"
And this time, when she kissed him, the world didn't tremble
It surrendered