Aeliana was supposed to be mine

I stormed down the dimly lit hallway of Leora's castle, my boots hitting the stone floor with a force that echoed through the empty corridors. I was fuming, my mind spinning like a cyclone of curses and unspoken thoughts.

I had half a mind to just get the hell out of here, return to my own castle where things made sense, where I wasn't tangled up in this confusing mess of emotions that Aeliana had dragged me into.

Fuck, what was I even doing here?

The training session earlier had done wonders to burn off some of the frustration, but as the adrenaline wore off, I realized maybe, just maybe I'd gone a bit too far with Aeliana. I'd been overprotective, coddling her like she was some fragile thing instead of the fierce warrior she was.

She wasn't some damsel in distress, and deep down, I knew that. But seeing her hurt, struggling, had brought out a side of me I didn't like to acknowledge a side that was too soft, too fucking vulnerable.