The woman had no name
At least, not one she cared to give
When the merchant offered to carry her bag, she only smiled. When the tavern mistress asked if she wanted a room, she placed a single finger on the woman's lips, and said softly, "No walls tonight" Her voice was like honey warmed by fire—low, lush, and undeniably intimate
She moved through the city as though she belonged to none of it, and yet every stone, every shadow, bent around her in welcome Children stilled in play,Men trailed after her like moths to a flame they couldn't bear to touch,Women stared too long, as if reminded of something they had once been brave enough to dream
She didn't speak often
But when she did, her words settled into the bones
Liora
That was what she let them call her
A name whispered like a blessing, or a warning
It suited her—wild and soft and laced with danger
By evening, rumors had grown fangs, They said she was a witch from the east, escaped from the Tower of Silence and Others swore she was a fae courtesan from the old woods, or worse—a vessel of one of the old gods, come to claim hearts and secrets in exchange for power
She heard them all—and laughed. Not mockingly, but like someone listening to children tell ghost stories in the dark. Sweet, a little sad, and terribly amused
---
Captain Kael Thorne returned to the citadel with his eyes still haunting her memory. Not just her beauty—but the way she had seen through him, As if she had already tasted his soul and found it... lacking
He hated that it bothered him
"You saw her?" Lieutenant Marek leaned forward across the war table, voice dropping. "The one in red?"
Kael didn't answer at first. His fingers tapped once against the carved edge of the table "Briefly"
"She's... unsettling," Marek said, almost shyly "I felt... different After"
Kael looked up "Different?"
The man flushed "Hard to explain Like... the air thickened Like something had been opened inside me"
"Magic," Kael said flatly
"You sure?"
"No"
But he was,He could feel it pressing at the edges of him, teasing the rules he lived by Magic had rules, once And he had learned them well Enough to kill with them. Enough to survive
But this woman—Liora—didn't follow those rules
And that made her dangerous
---
Night fell like silk across the rooftops, the sky draped in starlight. Liora sat atop a stone garden wall outside the Temple of Asha, feet dangling, eyes turned skyward, Her hair spilled over her shoulders like ink, and the wind played in her dress like it, too, wanted to touch her
She sensed him before he spoke
"I should arrest you," Kael's voice came from the shadowed garden path
She didn't turn "And yet... here you are"
His boots clicked softly against stone"You've unsettled the city"
"They were already unsettled," she said "I simply reminded them"
"Of what?"
Her eyes closed "Of how it feels to want"
Kael's throat tightened
He was a man of will—stone and discipline But something about her voice, the way she breathed the word want, struck him low in the gut Like a blade with velvet edges
"I don't play games," he said
"No," she agreed "You play by rules, Yours, The city's, The crown's"
She finally turned to face him "But tell me, Captain When was the last time someone broke your rules... and you liked it?"
For one heartbeat, they stood in silence
The stars watched
The wind stilled
And in that pause, Kael forgot why he had come
He stepped closer, Close enough to see the faint shimmer on her lips,Close enough to feel the heat coming off her skin like the promise of fire
"You're dangerous," he whispered
She smiled—slow, wicked, soft
"And you're drawn to danger, Captain That's what makes you burn so beautifully"
---