The breaking point

The days blurred together after Xypheron's visit. Vexaria couldn't shake the image of him from her mind, the way his presence seemed to command the room, and the way his words lingered long after he left. Each time she thought she had a grip on her emotions, he would come at her from another angle, striking at her resolve with precision. She had spent so much of her life building walls, creating distance between herself and anyone who might dare to get close, but he was different. And that terrified her.

It was late when he found her again.

She had been walking through the castle corridors, restless, her thoughts running wild as she tried to force her mind away from the undeniable pull he had on her. Every corner she turned, every step she took, felt like a step further into the web he was weaving around her.

As she passed by a hallway adorned with tapestries, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She wasn't alone.

Without turning, she knew it was him. Xypheron.

"Vexaria," he called, his voice smooth, but there was an edge to it, as though he knew he had her attention. "You've been avoiding me."

She didn't respond immediately. She wasn't sure she wanted to. But the silence between them stretched thin, and it wasn't long before she turned to face him.

"I'm not avoiding you," she said, her voice steady, but her heart was racing. She could feel the tension crackling in the air between them, thick and palpable. "I just don't have time for your games."

His eyes glinted in the dim light of the hallway, his lips curving into a small, knowing smile. "You think I'm playing games?" he asked, his tone almost amused. "Vexaria, I'm not the one playing here. You're the one who's been running from the truth."

Her stomach twisted at his words. She had been running, hadn't she? From him. From what he was offering. From the part of her that was starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe, there was a part of her that wanted to surrender.

But no. She couldn't. Not like this. Not with him.

"I'm not running from anything," she said, her voice firmer this time, but she could feel the doubt creeping in, like a shadow that refused to go away. "You don't scare me."

Xypheron stepped closer, closing the distance between them in a few long strides. "No?" His voice was low now, sending a shiver through her. "Then why is your heart racing?"

She glared at him, refusing to let him see how much his presence affected her. "You don't know anything about me."

He smiled, and the arrogance in his expression made her blood boil. "I know enough. I know that you're strong. You've spent your whole life building walls to keep people out, but I can see through them, Vexaria. And one day, you'll realize that it's not strength that's holding you together. It's fear."

The words hit harder than she expected, and for a moment, she almost faltered. Fear? Was that what this was? Fear of him, fear of being vulnerable, of giving in?

But she wasn't afraid of him. She couldn't be.

"I'm not afraid of you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, but her words were defiant.

Xypheron's gaze softened for the briefest of moments, and then he leaned in, his lips just inches from her ear. "You should be," he murmured, his breath hot against her skin.

Vexaria's breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding as she struggled to keep her composure. But there was something in his voice—something dark, something undeniable—that made her stomach twist in a way she couldn't explain.

He pulled back slightly, studying her with a gaze that was both intense and unreadable. "You don't have to fight me, Vexaria," he said, his voice lower now, as though he were trying to coax something out of her. "You don't have to resist. All you have to do is let go."

"Let go?" she repeated, incredulous. "Of what? My dignity? My will?"

He shook his head, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. "Your pride. Your fear. The walls you've built around yourself. You can let them all go. And when you do, I'll give you the freedom you crave."

Her chest tightened at his words. Freedom? He spoke of it as though it were a gift, something he could give her if only she would submit to him. The idea gnawed at her, but she couldn't—wouldn't—let herself be that weak.

"I'll never let you control me," she said through gritted teeth, her anger flaring once again.

Xypheron's eyes flashed with something darker, something that made her uneasy. "I'm not trying to control you, Vexaria. I'm trying to help you. To show you what you've been running from all your life."