The storm had not fully passed when they left the cave. It lingered like a bad memory, spitting cold rain in fits and starts. The ground had turned to mud, sucking at their boots with every step. Alix walked ahead this time, shadows curling around her ankles like protective hounds. Donstram followed close behind, his presence a solid heat at her back. Neither had spoken much since the night before. Words felt too small for what had passed between them.
The bond was different now. Quieter, but deeper. Where it once hummed with tension and conflict, it now thrummed with something warmer, more dangerous. Satisfaction. Hunger. A quiet certainty that neither could deny. Every brush of thought, every flicker of memory from the cave, echoed softly between them. It was intimate in a way that made Alix's skin flush even in the chill.
She felt him reliving it too. The way her legs had locked around his waist. The sound she had made when he first sank into her. The way he had growled her name against her throat as he came. She pushed the images away, but the bond simply pulled them back, gentle but insistent.
Donstram cleared his throat behind her. "You're distracting me."
Alix glanced over her shoulder. "You started it."
His mouth curved, the barest hint of a smirk. "And I'll finish it later."
The promise landed low in her belly. She turned away before he could see the heat rise in her cheeks.
They pressed on through the Shadowed Vale. The land here was lower, sunken, as if the earth itself had collapsed under the weight of old magic. Trees grew sparse and twisted, their bark black and slick. Mist hung in the hollows like smoke. Every few minutes, the distant horns sounded again, closer now. The king's hunters had not given up.
After another hour of trudging, the path dropped sharply into a narrow gorge. Waterfalls cascaded down the sheer walls, feeding a swollen river that roared below. A rope bridge swayed across the gap, old and weathered, planks missing in places.
Donstram studied it. "We cross, or we go around. Going around adds half a day."
Alix eyed the fraying ropes. "If we fall, the bond might not save us from drowning."
He met her gaze. "Then we don't fall."
They started across together. The bridge groaned under their weight. Wind whipped up from the gorge, tugging at cloaks and hair. Halfway over, the bridge lurched violently. One of the support ropes snapped with a crack like breaking bone.
Alix grabbed the remaining line. Donstram caught her waist, pulling her against his chest. For a heartbeat they hung suspended, the river raging far below.
"Steady," he murmured against her ear. His arm was iron around her. The bond flared with shared adrenaline, sharpening every sense.
They moved faster after that. Step by careful step. When they reached the far side, both were breathing hard. Donstram did not release her immediately. His hand lingered at the small of her back.
"You alright?" he asked, voice low.
She nodded. "You?"
He gave a short laugh. "Never better."
But the moment was cut short. Horns sounded again, this time from the ridge above them. Too close.
Donstram swore. "They're gaining."
They ran.
The trail widened into a shallow valley dotted with ruined pillars, remnants of some ancient temple. The mist was thicker here, almost opaque. Alix slowed, extending her senses. Shadows stirred in the fog ahead. Not natural.
"Ambush," she whispered.
Donstram drew his sword. "How many?"
"Ten. Maybe more."
He positioned himself at her back. "We fight through."
The hunters emerged from the mist like ghosts in silver armor. Ten men, armed with crossbows and longswords. Their captain stepped forward, face hidden behind a visor shaped like a snarling wolf.
"Donstram Donovan. Alix Teardom. By order of King Eldric, you are both under arrest for high treason and consorting with forbidden magic."
Donstram laughed coldly. "Tell the king he can come collect us himself."
The captain raised a hand. Crossbows leveled.
Alix moved first. Shadows exploded outward in a dark wave, knocking half the bolts off course. Donstram charged, sword flashing. He took the first soldier in a single stroke, then spun to block a second attack.
Alix fought beside him, vines bursting from the earth to ensnare legs, shadows slicing like blades. The bond made them move as one. When he parried a blow, she felt the impact in her own arms. When she took a shallow cut across her forearm, he grunted as if struck.
The battle was brutal and fast. Blood sprayed. Men screamed. Bodies fell.
When the last hunter dropped, both stood panting amid the carnage. Rain washed the blood from their skin in pink rivers.
Donstram wiped his blade on a dead man's cloak. "We need to keep moving. More will come."
Alix nodded. But as they turned to leave, she felt it: a shift in the bond. Something new. Deeper hunger. The fight had lit a fire in them both.
She stopped him with a hand on his chest. "We need a moment."
His eyes darkened. "Here?"
"Now."
He looked around at the mist and the dead. Then back at her. "You're mad."
"So are you."
He pulled her into the shadow of a ruined pillar. His mouth crashed down on hers, fierce and claiming. Hands tore at wet clothes. He lifted her against the stone, her legs wrapping around him like before.
This time there was no slow build. Only need.
He shoved her skirts up. Found her already wet. Groaned against her mouth as his fingers slid inside her. She bit his shoulder to muffle her cry.
He freed himself, hard and ready. One thrust and he was buried deep. They both groaned, the sound raw and animal.
He fucked her against the pillar, hard and fast. Each snap of his hips drove her higher. The bond amplified everything: the stretch, the friction, the sweet ache of being filled. She felt his pleasure coil tight in his gut, felt the moment he teetered on the edge.
"Come with me," he growled.
She shattered first, clenching around him, nails digging into his back. He followed with a guttural curse, spilling inside her again.
They stayed locked together for long moments, breathing ragged, hearts pounding in unison.
When he finally lowered her, he rested his forehead against hers. "This is going to kill us."
Alix smiled faintly. "Worth it."
He kissed her once more, softer this time. Then they straightened clothes, gathered weapons, and moved on.
The rain continued to fall. The horns sounded again, fainter now.
But the bond burned brighter than ever.
Unique insight came to Alix as they walked: Desire was not weakness. It was defiance. A curse built on isolation could not survive two souls refusing to let go. Every touch, every joining, chipped away at the chains fate had forged.
And they were only getting started.