Unraveling the Edge

Vexaria didn't sleep that night.

She couldn't.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him. The way he looked at her. The way his voice curled around her name like it belonged to him. The way his touch—barely a whisper against her skin—had ignited something deep inside her that she couldn't control.

She was losing herself in this dangerous game.

And she couldn't allow it.

Dawn came too soon, painting the sky in soft hues that didn't match the storm raging inside her. She needed air. Distance. Clarity.

But fate had other plans.

The castle halls were quiet as she made her way toward the gardens, hoping the crisp morning air would clear her mind. But just as she stepped through the stone archway leading outside, a voice cut through the silence.

"Running again?"

She froze.

Xypheron.

Slowly, she turned to find him leaning against one of the archway pillars, watching her with that same unreadable intensity. His cloak was draped loosely over his shoulders, his sword strapped to his side, as if he had been up all night as well.

Their eyes locked, and the air between them turned thick with unspoken words.

"I'm not running," she said, keeping her voice steady.

Xypheron pushed off the pillar, his movements slow, deliberate. "No?" His lips curled at the edges, dark amusement playing in his expression. "Because that's all you've done since the moment we met."

Her fingers twitched. "I don't run. I choose my battles."

"And yet, you never seem to choose to fight me," he murmured, stepping closer.

She swallowed hard, refusing to move as he closed the distance between them. The early morning light cast sharp shadows across his face, making him look even more dangerous than usual.

"You're not worth fighting," she said, but the words came out weaker than she intended.

Xypheron smirked. "Liar."

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

She needed to put space between them, to get away before she did something reckless. But when she took a step back, Xypheron was faster.

He caught her wrist, his grip firm but not painful. A silent challenge.

"Let go," she said, her voice low, warning.

He didn't. Instead, he lifted her hand slowly, deliberately, until her palm was pressed against his chest. Against the steady, controlled rhythm of his heartbeat.

Her breath hitched.

She could have pulled away. Should have. But she didn't.

Instead, she looked up, meeting his gaze head-on.

"This is what scares you, isn't it?" Xypheron murmured. "Not me.