The rain did not fall gently.
It crashed.
Sheets of water slammed against stone and steel, turning the night into a howling beast. The alley behind the southern barracks reeked of rust, wet earth, and old blood layers of violence soaked so deeply into the ground that even the rain could not wash it away.
Aelin stood in the middle of it, unmoving.
Her cloak clung to her like a second skin, heavy with rain. Blood streaked her knuckles not hers, not entirely and dripped slowly to the ground, diluted into pink ribbons that vanished between the stones.
She was shaking.
Not from the cold.
From what she had almost done.
Behind her, a body lay twisted at an impossible angle. One of the Black Crest informants. The man had talked. Too much. Too late. His mouth was frozen open in a silent plea, rain filling it like a cruel joke.
Aelin swallowed hard.
She had not killed him quickly.
And that was the problem.
"You're losing control."
The voice came from the shadows, low and familiar, cutting through the storm like a blade sliding from its sheath.
Aelin didn't turn.
"I had it handled," she said, though her voice betrayed her tight, brittle, cracked at the edges.
Boots splashed against stone as Kael stepped into the open.
He looked like death had learned how to wear a man.
Dark hair plastered to his face. Armor nicked and scarred. Blood some fresh, some old darkened the seams of his leather gloves. His eyes, though… those eyes burned with a dangerous clarity that made Aelin's breath catch despite herself.
He took in the scene in one glance.
The body. The blood. Her trembling hands.
His jaw tightened.
"This wasn't clean," he said quietly.
Aelin finally turned to face him.
Rain streaked down her cheeks like tears she refused to acknowledge. "You weren't here."
Kael stopped a few paces away. Close enough that she could feel the heat of him even in the cold rain. Close enough that the air between them felt too tight, too charged.
"I was delayed," he said. "Not absent."
She laughed then a sharp, broken sound. "You always arrive just in time to judge."
Something flickered in his eyes.
"Just in time to stop you from becoming what they want," he corrected.
That did it.
Her control snapped.
Aelin stepped forward, shoving him hard in the chest. "You don't get to decide that," she hissed. "You don't get to tell me where the line is when you cross it every night."
Kael barely moved from the shove, but his hands came up instantly gripping her wrists, steadying her even as she fought him.
"I cross it so you don't have to."
Their faces were inches apart now. Rain soaked them both. Her pulse thundered beneath his fingers.
"Let go of me," she said, though her voice lacked conviction.
"No."
The word was soft. Final.
She looked up at him, really looked and saw something raw there. Not anger. Not control.
Fear.
"For a moment," Kael said quietly, "I thought I'd lost you."
Her breath caught.
"You didn't," she whispered.
"Not tonight." His grip tightened slightly. "But you're standing on the edge, Aelin. And edges are where people fall."
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the rain.
Then Aelin did something reckless.
She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his chest.
Kael froze.
The contact was small, almost innocent but it shattered something fragile between them.
"I didn't want it to be like this," she murmured. "I didn't want to feel this… heavy."
His hands loosened, sliding from restraint to something gentler. One rested at her waist. The other brushed rain-soaked hair from her face.
"I know," he said.
Her fingers curled into his armor. "I'm scared of what I'm becoming."
Kael exhaled slowly. "Then let me stand with you while you fight it."
She pulled back just enough to look at him. "And if I lose?"
His gaze dropped to her lips for half a second before lifting again.
"Then I'll bleed with you."
The words settled between them like a vow.
Before either of them could say more, steel sang through the air.
Kael reacted instantly spinning, blade flashing out just as three figures emerged from the alley's mouth. Black cloaks. Crescent insignias gleaming faintly.
Shadow Guard.
"Move," Kael ordered, shoving Aelin behind him as the first attacker lunged.
Aelin's fear vanished.
Instinct took over.
She drew her dagger as Kael met the strike head-on, steel clashing violently. Sparks flew. Rain hissed against hot metal.
Another attacker went for Kael's blind side.
Aelin intercepted.
Her dagger slid between ribs with brutal precision. The man gasped, eyes wide, before collapsing into the mud.
She didn't hesitate.
Didn't think.
Didn't shake.
Kael noticed.
Something dark and proud flashed across his face as he fought like a storm unleashed efficient, merciless, beautiful in the way only violence could be.
Two more fell.
The last tried to run.
Kael threw his blade.
It struck true.
Silence returned, thick and heavy.
Aelin stood over the bodies, chest heaving, blood slick on her hands again but this time, there was no tremble.
Kael retrieved his sword and turned to her slowly.
"You didn't hesitate," he said.
"I won't anymore," she replied. Then softer, "Not when it's us."
Their eyes locked.
The rain finally began to ease, as if the night itself was holding its breath.
Kael stepped closer.
"So this is it," he said. "No more pretending."
Aelin tilted her head. "You started pretending long before I did."
His hand came up, cupping her cheek. Thumb brushing a smear of blood away with surprising tenderness.
"You're dangerous," he murmured.
"So are you."
A beat.
Then he kissed her.
It wasn't gentle.
It was desperate, hungry, charged with everything they had refused to name. Blood, rain, and longing tangled between them as Aelin grabbed his collar, pulling him closer, deeper.
For a moment, the war vanished.
Then horns sounded in the distance.
Reality slammed back into place.
They broke apart, breathing hard.
Kael rested his forehead against hers. "This changes everything."
Aelin smiled dark, fearless, alive.
"Good."
Above them, the storm clouds parted just enough to reveal the moon watching, waiting.
And somewhere in the city, forces far deadlier than rain were already moving.