Dawn was gray, the kind of gray that pressed down on the ruins and made every movement feel slower, heavier, more deliberate. Ariana stirred, eyelids fluttering open, the twins still tucked against her sides, clinging as if they could feel danger lingering in the mist.
She forced herself to rise, carefully, ignoring the soreness in her ribs where Jayden's healing had been both precise and intimate—his hands lingering just long enough to leave a memory that burned hotter than the wound itself.
The twins stirred, stretching tiny arms, eyes flickering faintly with an unnatural glow. Ariana's heart tightened. Their powers were growing—faster than she expected, sharper than she liked. And with Jayden so close, the air around them vibrated in ways she couldn't fully control.
"You're up," a low, familiar voice said from the shadows.
Ariana froze. Jayden had been standing there silently, watching. His golden eyes glowed faintly, reflecting the mist. He didn't step closer—yet the heat of his presence pressed against her like a living thing.
"I didn't hear you," she said, voice tight.
"Because you didn't want to," he replied. The words were calm, but the way they curled around her chest made her pulse spike. "I should leave before—"
"You shouldn't," she interrupted sharply. "You leave, and they'll be vulnerable. You stay, and—" She swallowed. "And you make it harder."
Jayden's lips twitched, just barely, like the corner of a stormed sky. "Harder for who?" he asked, stepping closer. The faint scent of him hit her—gold and fire and something unnameable. She wanted to recoil, but her body betrayed her. Her pulse sped, chest tightening.
"Harder for me," she whispered. "And for them."
He studied her, eyes narrowing, patience stretched thin. "I don't understand what you're doing," he said. "But I know it isn't running forever."
Ariana flinched. He was right. She had been running for five years—hiding, teaching the twins, surviving—but the weight of it was wearing thin. Every day, every night, she felt the prophecy pressing closer. She couldn't stop it, and she couldn't let Jayden see it.
"I have to move them," she said finally. "The twins—they're not safe here. Not even with you guarding them."
Jayden's jaw tightened, the kind of subtle movement that made her stomach flip. "Not safe? They're under my protection."
"No," she snapped, stepping back instinctively. "Not with you knowing nothing! You don't know what they are yet. You don't know what you'd unleash."
The words hung between them. And then—something shifted.
The twins stirred behind her. One of them, just barely perceptible, reached a small hand toward her. Power flickered in the air—a subtle pulse, almost like a heartbeat, synchronized between the two. Ariana froze. The vibration of energy was so strong she felt it coil in her chest, something ancient and tethered.
Jayden noticed. His eyes widened slightly, jaw slackening. The pull in the air—the energy—struck him deep in ways he couldn't explain. "What… what is that?" he asked, voice hoarse, almost a whisper.
Ariana clenched her fists, moving to shield them. "Nothing. Just… leave it."
"No," he said, stepping forward. His tone was quiet, but every word vibrated with command and restraint, a dangerous combination. "Don't tell me to leave when I can feel it too. The pull—it's not just them." His eyes locked on hers, gold blazing faintly in the mist. "It's you."
Ariana's stomach flipped. Her mouth opened, then closed. She couldn't tell him. She couldn't risk it. Not yet. Not when the twins were this young, this untrained, this raw.
"Jayden," she said softly, almost pleading, "please—don't—"
He reached out, hand brushing her arm. The touch was gentle, but electric. Her body reacted instantly, pulse spiking, breath catching. Her hands shook, but she didn't pull away. She couldn't.
"You don't get to stop me," he said, voice low, harsh, intimate. "I've chased you for five years. I've burned through everything just to find you. Don't ask me to walk away now."
Her chest tightened. Desire, fear, and instinct collided in dangerous waves. She wanted to run. She wanted to push him away. But more than anything, she wanted him to stay.
The twins stirred again, sensing the tension. Power flickered—stronger this time, almost visible to the naked eye. Ariana gasped softly, forcing herself to step between them and Jayden. "Stop it," she whispered, heart racing. "You can't…"
Jayden froze, sensing it, feeling it, yet unable to restrain the draw. His voice dropped to a whisper only she could hear. "I don't care. I won't let anyone touch you or them—not ever."
Her knees weakened. She gripped the edge of a stone pillar for support, trying to steady herself. "You can't—"
"Watch me," he said, a growl low in his throat.
The air between them throbbed. Heat pooled in her chest, and despite herself, she leaned just slightly toward him. The closeness was unbearable, magnetic, intoxicating. Her skin tingled at every inch, and her heartbeat pounded like war drums.
For a moment, everything paused—the twins, the ruins, the wind. Just her and Jayden. So close that breathing felt like a confession.
But then—the sound came. A faint snap from the edge of the ruins. The twins stiffened, instinctively shielding themselves behind Ariana. The magic that had pulsed faintly between them moments ago flared wildly, visible now as sparks dancing along their fingertips.
Jayden stiffened. His eyes darkened. Danger. He moved instinctively, placing himself in front of Ariana and the twins, body coiled, every sense stretched to its limit.
"They're not just humans," he muttered. Almost to himself. "And she's… hiding everything."
Ariana's chest constricted. She wanted to deny it. She wanted to run. But deep inside, she knew: he was too close. He knew too much already. And the prophecy—the prophecy—was closing in faster than she had anticipated.
The night pressed in around them. Danger was out there, the twins' powers were growing, and Jayden's presence was impossible to resist.
And Ariana understood something terrifying: she couldn't keep him away forever.
Not when he was this close.
Not when the pull between them—and between him and the twins—was too strong to ignore.