Ariana felt him before she saw him.
The wards around the cottage trembled—not breaking, but bowing, like grass under a heavy wind. Her breath hitched as a familiar heat crawled up her spine, settling low in her belly with cruel familiarity.
Jayden.
She cursed softly under her breath.
"Stay here," she told the twins, kneeling to their level. Her hands cupped their faces, thumbs brushing over warm cheeks. "No matter what you hear. No matter who calls my name."
Their eyes—too knowing—locked onto hers.
"Is it him?" one whispered.
Ariana's heart stuttered.
"…Yes."
The twins exchanged a glance, something unspoken passing between them, then nodded. Obedient. Trusting.
That trust nearly broke her.
She stood and moved toward the door just as a knock echoed through the cottage—slow, deliberate, impossibly calm.
She didn't open it.
"You're standing behind three layers of wards," Jayden's voice came through the wood, low and intimate, like he was standing inches from her instead of on the other side. "You always did overcomplicate things."
Her fingers curled into fists.
"Go away," she said.
A pause.
"No."
The single word vibrated through her bones.
She closed her eyes briefly, then released the wards.
The door swung open.
Jayden filled the doorway like a living shadow—tall, powerful, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. His presence stole the air from the room, heat radiating from him in waves that made her skin prickle.
For a heartbeat, neither moved.
Five years collapsed into nothing.
His gaze dragged over her slowly, reverently—her face, her neck, the curve of her waist. Hunger flashed across his expression, raw and unfiltered, before something darker replaced it.
"You ran," he said quietly.
Ariana lifted her chin. "You chased."
His mouth twitched—not quite a smile. "You always liked pretending you weren't affected."
He stepped inside.
The door shut behind him with a soft click that sounded far too final.
"Don't," she warned, when he moved closer.
"Don't what?" he asked, stopping just short of touching her. His voice dipped, roughened. "Breathe you in? Stand too close? Or remember exactly how you feel pressed against me?"
Her pulse betrayed her instantly.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
His eyes darkened, gaze dropping to her lips before lifting again. "There it is," he murmured. "Still mine."
Something inside her snapped.
"I am not yours," she said fiercely. "I never was."
Jayden's jaw tightened. "Then why does your body say otherwise?"
He reached out—slowly, deliberately—fingers hovering near her wrist, giving her time to pull away.
She didn't.
The moment his skin brushed hers, the air crackled. Heat surged through her, sharp and dizzying, memories flooding back uninvited: hands, mouths, breathless whispers in the dark.
Ariana gasped and yanked her hand back.
"Stop," she whispered. "You can't do this."
"Can't?" His voice dropped, dangerous and intimate. "Or you don't want me to?"
She opened her mouth—and froze.
Behind her, the floor creaked.
Jayden's gaze snapped past her shoulder.
Too fast.
Too sharp.
"What," he said slowly, "is behind you?"
Ariana stepped back instinctively, blocking his line of sight. "Nothing."
He smiled faintly, but there was no humor in it. "You've never been good at lying to me."
The twins' presence pressed against the room like a held breath.
Jayden took a step forward.
"No," Ariana said, panic flaring. "Jayden—please."
The word please stopped him.
He searched her face, really looked at her now—at the tension in her shoulders, the fear she was fighting, the way she stood like a shield.
Realization flickered.
"You're hiding something," he said quietly.
Her throat tightened. "We're done here."
"Not even close," he replied. "You disappear for five years, let me rot in the dark, then tell me to leave?"
He leaned in, so close she could feel the heat of him, smell the familiar scent that had haunted her dreams.
"I almost lost myself looking for you," he said hoarsely. "Do you have any idea what that does to someone like me?"
Her resolve wavered.
"I didn't ask you to search," she said softly.
"No," he agreed. "You didn't have to."
Silence stretched—tight, fragile.
Then a cup rattled on the table.
Jayden's head snapped toward the sound.
Ariana moved instantly.
She shoved him—hard.
The force startled him just enough for her to twist past, grab the twins, and bolt for the back door. Power surged behind her as the wards flared violently, slamming shut between them.
Jayden spun, eyes blazing.
"Ariana!"
She didn't stop.
By the time he tore through the barrier, the cottage was empty—windows open, night air rushing in, the echo of her presence already fading.
Jayden stood in the wreckage, chest heaving.
Children.
There had been children.
His hands shook as the truth crashed into him—not fully formed, not understood, but felt.
She wasn't just running from him.
She was protecting something she loved more.
He sank slowly to his knees, breath breaking for the first time in years.
"I will find you," he whispered into the empty room. "And when I do… you're going to tell me everything."
Outside, far from him, Ariana ran until her lungs burned—tears streaming silently down her face.
Because she knew.
That had been the last time she'd escape without losing something.