The air between them felt charged, like the moment before a storm strikes.
Elaina stood frozen, heart hammering against her ribs as Valen's golden eyes bore into her soul.
Lucien instinctively stepped in front of her, a low, warning growl rumbling from deep within his chest. His body blocked her completely from Valen's view, every inch of him screaming mine.
Valen's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Still hiding behind him, little doctor?"
Lucien's fists clenched at his sides. "She doesn't belong to you."
A dangerous laugh escaped Valen's throat — low, mocking, broken. "No. She belongs to no one. That's the tragedy, isn't it?"
Elaina swallowed hard, forcing herself to find her voice.
"I made my choice, Valen," she said, her voice trembling but clear. "I don't want this... whatever obsession you have with me. Let me go."
For a fleeting second, pain flickered across Valen's features.
It made him look almost human. Almost.
Then it was gone — buried under layers of rage and hurt.
"You think he'll save you?" Valen growled, stepping closer.
"Lucien can't protect you from me. Not forever."
Lucien shifted slightly, bracing himself for a fight.
Elaina could feel the anger radiating off him like heat waves.
Kade, standing a few feet back, muttered under his breath, "Oh great, here we go. Boys and their territorial tantrums. Should I get popcorn or a first-aid kit?"
Elaina almost laughed — almost — but the tension in the air was too thick to truly break.
Valen's voice softened unexpectedly. "Come with me, Elaina. I'll give you the world. I'll tear it apart and rebuild it for you."
There was something raw in his tone that twisted inside her chest.
A part of her — the part that understood loneliness and broken promises — ached for him.
But she shook her head.
"I don't want the world," she whispered. "I just want a life where I can breathe."
For a moment, Valen looked like he might shatter into pieces right there on the cliff.
But instead, he smiled — a cruel, broken thing — and said, "Then you'll learn what it means to deny me."
Before Lucien or Kade could react, Valen turned and vanished into the shadows of the trees, as swiftly and silently as he had appeared.
For a few seconds, none of them moved.
Only the sound of the wind howling over the cliff filled the heavy silence.
Finally, Lucien exhaled slowly and turned to Elaina, his silver eyes filled with worry.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded shakily, feeling like her legs might give out at any second.
Kade clapped his hands dramatically. "Well, that went super well. Nobody died. Nobody cried. I'm giving us a solid six out of ten."
Lucien shot him a look, and Kade held up his hands innocently. "Hey, I'm just saying — it could've been worse."
Elaina let out a shaky laugh, surprising herself.
Despite the fear, the heartbreak, the chaos — she wasn't alone.
She had people standing with her. Fighting for her.
Maybe... maybe that was enough.
For now.
But deep inside, a voice whispered:
Valen isn't done yet.
Not by a long shot.
The day passed in a blur of unease.
Lucien, Kade, and Elaina kept their pace steady, but the world around them felt different now. The wind was colder, the shadows longer, and every snap of a twig beneath their feet felt like it was an omen.
Valen was still out there. Watching. Waiting.
Elaina's thoughts kept drifting back to the encounter on the cliff.
The way Valen had looked at her — like she was the only thing that mattered, and at the same time, like he had already lost her.
His words had been full of darkness, but there had been that one moment when his pain had been so raw, it had almost broken her.
But Lucien... Lucien was right there, always steady, always there — his presence grounding her, offering comfort when everything else felt like it was falling apart.
Still, there was no escaping the knot in her stomach.
What did Valen want with her? Why had he come back after all this time?
And more importantly, what kind of danger had she just put herself into by being here, with Lucien?
"Are you okay?" Lucien asked softly, his voice breaking through her thoughts.
Elaina startled, realizing she had been zoning out for who knew how long.
Lucien's gaze was concerned, his jaw tense as though he, too, was thinking of what had happened earlier. The storm that Valen had stirred in all of them.
She forced a smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... thinking."
Lucien didn't press her further. He never did.
He just stepped closer, his presence a shield she hadn't realized she'd needed.
Kade, ever the troublemaker, raised an eyebrow. "You two should take a nap. Maybe make some serious progress on that whole 'bonding' thing."
Lucien's eyes flashed dangerously. "Shut up, Kade."
Kade grinned, not at all intimidated. "What? Just trying to lighten the mood. Can't have you two staring at each other like this for another two days. It's a real buzzkill."
Elaina couldn't help but laugh. Kade's ridiculousness had a way of bringing her back to the present. She didn't have the energy to keep worrying. Not right now. Not while they were still safe.
But the moment of relief was fleeting.
A sudden chill swept through the air, and all three of them stopped in their tracks.
Elaina's heartbeat quickened, her instincts screaming at her that something was wrong.
Lucien's posture stiffened, his senses alert. His silver eyes flickered with warning. "Stay close."
Kade glanced around, his hand resting on the dagger at his side. "We've got company, haven't we?"
Before anyone could react, the ground beneath their feet shook violently, and a massive shadow surged from the trees.
It was Valen. His figure towering over them, his golden eyes glowing with an intensity that felt like it could burn through them.
"You thought you could escape me?" Valen's voice was dark, full of anger and something else — something more desperate.
Lucien immediately stepped forward, his muscles coiled and ready for a fight.
"Get behind me," he ordered Elaina.
But Valen wasn't attacking yet. He was staring at Elaina with an unreadable expression.
"You still think you can outrun me?" he said, almost quietly. "I'm not letting you go, Elaina. Not again."
Elaina took a step forward, her heart pounding. "You don't get it, Valen. I don't want to be with you. You don't own me."
Valen's face twisted in pain, a brief flash of vulnerability breaking through his usually cold demeanor.
His hand clenched into a fist, and for a split second, Elaina could have sworn he was about to lunge at her.
But then he stopped.
His eyes flickered toward Lucien and Kade, sizing them up.
"And him? He's the one who'll keep you from me?" Valen spat the words like they were poison.
Lucien stood his ground, unflinching. "I won't let you hurt her."
A tense silence hung in the air before Valen spoke again, his voice low and dangerous.
"You think you're protecting her? All you're doing is keeping her from what she deserves."
Elaina frowned, confused. "What do you mean by that?"
Valen's smile was twisted, full of bitterness. "You think you're some savior, Lucien? You think you can just sweep her up and give her a normal life? She's not normal. She never was."
He glanced at Elaina, his gaze softening in a way that made her heart ache.
"You and I were supposed to be... something else, Elaina. I chose you. I gave you my everything. And you turned away from me."
Her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that everything was wrong, but the words wouldn't come.
Lucien stepped forward, his jaw tight with restrained fury. "She's not yours. And neither are you. Get. Out."
Valen's eyes flashed dangerously, and for a split second, Elaina thought he might attack.
But then, without another word, he turned and disappeared into the trees, vanishing as quickly as he had come.
Elaina was left standing there, breathless, her chest tight. She felt empty, as though Valen's presence had stolen something from her.
Lucien was beside her in an instant, his hand on her shoulder, grounding her.
"It's okay," he whispered, though his own voice sounded strained. "We're okay."
Elaina looked at him, her heart aching. She wasn't so sure about that.