The wind howled through the skeletal trees, whispering secrets only the night could understand. Selena stood at the edge of the forest, her cloak whipping around her like wings made of shadow. Her breath formed clouds in the chilled air, but her heart burned with questions—most of them unanswered, all of them dangerous.
She hadn't spoken to Dante since the night Alara appeared. His silence weighed heavier than any curse. But tonight, the silence would break.
Behind her, the cabin loomed dark and still. Inside, Dante paced like a caged beast, his fury smoldering just beneath the surface. He hadn't slept. Neither had she.
The moment Selena stepped through the door, she felt it—the tension, coiled tight in the air.
"You should be resting," Dante said without turning.
"I should be a lot of things," she replied, voice cool. "Like free. Uncursed. Unclaimed."
He faced her slowly, golden eyes glowing faintly in the dark. "You're still angry."
"Should I be grateful instead?" she snapped. "For dragging me into a war I never asked for? For hiding the truth until it was too late?"
Dante's jaw clenched. "I was trying to protect you."
"By lying?"
"By giving you time!" he thundered. "Time to trust me. Time to choose me—without the bond forcing your hand."
Selena blinked, momentarily stunned by the raw vulnerability in his voice.
"I didn't want you to love me because you had to," he said, softer now. "I wanted you to love me because you chose to."
Her anger faltered, but the pain remained. "But you never gave me that choice, did you?"
A long silence stretched between them.
Finally, Dante spoke, voice low. "Alara's return changes everything."
"I gathered," she said. "Especially the part where she claimed I'm hers now, too."
"She's lying," Dante said quickly.
"But she said—"
"She twisted the truth. The bond doesn't connect enemies. But it does create echoes—emotional shadows, reflections of each other's pain and power."
Selena crossed her arms. "So if she's connected to you, and I'm connected to you…"
Dante nodded grimly. "She can exploit it. Use your emotions to weaken you. Or worse—control them."
Selena's throat tightened. "Then we're already too late."
"No," Dante said, stepping closer. "Not if we break her hold first."
"And how do we do that?" she asked.
He hesitated. "With blood."
Selena stiffened. "You want to kill her?"
"I want to protect you," he said. "At any cost."
Before she could respond, a gust of wind slammed the windows open. The fire guttered.
Then they heard it—soft laughter, like silver bells over broken glass.
"She's here," Dante growled, pulling Selena behind him.
The air grew colder.
Alara stepped out of the shadows, her presence warping the very light around her. "Oh Dante," she sighed, eyes gleaming. "Still playing the protector."
"Get out," he snarled.
She tilted her head. "Is that any way to greet an old flame?"
Selena's stomach churned. "What do you want?"
Alara's gaze slid to her. "What I always wanted. Balance. Chaos. A reckoning."
Dante raised his hand, and shadows coiled around his fingers like smoke. "You won't touch her."
"I already have," Alara purred. "Every time she dreams of fire. Every time she questions if she's truly yours."
Selena's breath caught.
Alara smiled. "Oh yes. She doubts you, Dante. And through that doubt—I grow stronger."
Dante lunged.
In a flash, Alara vanished—only to reappear behind him, slashing with a dagger made of midnight.
He blocked it, barely, the impact sending shockwaves through the cabin.
Selena didn't scream.
She ran.
Straight toward the bookshelf.
She grabbed the old tome Dante had shown her days ago—the one bound in crimson leather, etched with ancient runes.
She flipped through pages, her hands trembling.
"There!" she gasped, eyes locking on a passage.
She began chanting.
Light blazed from the floor.
Alara hissed, stumbling back.
Dante looked at Selena in shock. "How did you—"
"I remembered," she said. "I remembered everything."
The light exploded outward, wrapping Alara in chains of pure flame.
She shrieked, fighting it.
But the more she struggled, the tighter they bound her.
Selena stepped forward, the book clutched to her chest.
"Leave," she said. "Or I'll send you back to whatever pit you crawled from."
Alara's eyes flared—then dimmed.
With a final scream, she vanished into smoke.
Silence fell.
Selena collapsed to her knees.
Dante rushed to her side, gathering her in his arms.
"You remembered," he whispered.
She nodded. "Everything. My past. My power. You."
He looked down at her, eyes shining. "Does that mean—"
"I don't forgive you," she said softly. "But I understand."
He nodded, accepting it.
"But I still don't trust you completely," she added.
"I'll earn it," he vowed.
She looked into his eyes. "Start now."
He leaned in.
She met him halfway.
The kiss wasn't gentle.
It was desperate, fiery—filled with pain, promise, and a hundred shattered truths.
When they finally pulled apart, Selena rested her forehead against his.
"We're not done," she said.
"No," Dante whispered. "We're just beginning."