Chapter 9

Blood and Resonance

The storm lasted all night.

Rain hammered endlessly against the broken western tower while thunder rolled across Black Citadel like the sky itself was at war.

Evelynn barely slept.

Mostly because every time she closed her eyes, she saw Kael standing in chains beneath lightning and dragonfire.

Those eyes.

That exhaustion.

That quiet terror in his voice when he said:

“So I don’t kill anyone.”

Not exactly comforting bedtime material.

By morning, the palace had returned to pretending everything was normal.

Which was impressive considering part of the western tower was literally missing.

Servants walked quickly through the halls avoiding eye contact. Guards acted like nobody had almost transformed into a giant fire-breathing nightmare overnight.

Dragon culture was weird.

Evelynn sat near the fireplace in her rooms, wrapped in a blanket while absently turning a silver spoon between her fingers.

Her thoughts kept circling back to the mural beneath the mountain.

The woman with the necklace.

The same necklace.

Her necklace.

None of it made sense.

A knock interrupted her thoughts.

Then Serin entered carrying fresh bandages.

Evelynn frowned immediately. “Why do you have bandages?”

Serin blinked. “Because your neck still looks terrible.”

Oh.

Right.

She touched her throat carefully.

Still bruised from Kael’s hand.

Honestly rude of him.

Serin approached carefully with the supplies.

“The healers wanted to examine you.”

“And?”

“I told them that would probably make things worse.”

Correct answer.

Evelynn sat still while Serin carefully replaced the bandages around her neck.

“You know,” she muttered, “most people buy flowers after choking someone.”

Serin looked deeply tired already.

“You cannot say things like that about the king.”

“Why? He remembers doing it.”

A pause.

“…also correct.”

Evelynn almost smiled.

Almost.

Then suddenly—

pain shot through her palm.

Sharp enough to make her hiss.

She looked down.

The silver spoon had cracked slightly in her grip without her noticing, and a thin edge sliced across the base of her thumb.

“Damn it.”

A small line of blood welled instantly across her skin.

Serin reached automatically for another cloth.

But before he touched her—

the room temperature changed.

Heat.

Sudden.

Violent.

The fireplace exploded upward.

Both of them jumped.

Golden dragonfire roared through the hearth hard enough to shake the room.

Serin went pale immediately.

“Oh no.”

“What now?”

Before he could answer, the chamber doors slammed open.

Kael stood there.

Breathing hard.

His eyes instantly locked onto her bleeding hand.

The atmosphere in the room shifted so violently Evelynn felt it in her stomach.

Predatory.

Hungry.

Kael stepped inside slowly.

Too slowly.

Like he was trying very hard not to move faster.

Serin immediately backed away.

Smart man.

“My king—”

“Leave.”

Not loud.

Not angry.

Worse.

Controlled.

Serin hesitated only long enough to glance nervously at Evelynn before escaping the room entirely.

Traitor.

The doors shut behind him.

Silence.

Except for the fire roaring unnaturally loud now.

Kael still hadn’t looked away from the blood running slowly across Evelynn’s hand.

One drop slid over her wrist.

His pupils narrowed sharply.

Oh.

That wasn’t good.

Evelynn carefully set the broken spoon aside.

“It’s just a cut.”

Kael took another step forward.

Dragonfire crackled along the fireplace behind him instantly.

“It doesn’t smell human.”

The words hit strangely.

Evelynn frowned. “I’m sorry, what?”

Kael’s jaw tightened visibly.

He looked angry now.

Not at her.

At himself.

Another step.

The room suddenly felt much smaller.

Evelynn’s pulse sped up automatically.

Which apparently was also a mistake.

Because Kael inhaled sharply.

Like he could hear it.

Or feel it.

His eyes darkened immediately.

“Don’t do that.”

“I literally cannot stop my heart.”

Kael closed his eyes briefly like he regretted existing.

Then suddenly he grabbed her wrist.

Fast.

Too fast.

Evelynn inhaled sharply.

Heat surged through her skin instantly where he touched her.

Not normal warmth.

Burning warmth.

But not painful.

Something else.

Something that shot straight through her chest and down her spine hard enough to steal her breath for a second.

Kael froze too.

Both of them stared at their joined hands.

The cut across her palm began glowing faintly gold beneath the blood.

“What the hell—”

The entire room shook violently.

Dragonfire burst from the fireplace again.

But this time it didn’t spread wildly.

It curled.

Toward them.

Around them.

Like the flames were alive.

Kael’s grip tightened involuntarily around her wrist.

And suddenly—

Evelynn saw something.

Fire.

Screaming.

A battlefield drowned in gold flames.

A younger Kael standing alone among burning ruins with blood covering his hands.

Pain.

So much pain.

Loneliness deep enough to hollow someone out.

Then—

another image.

A woman laughing softly beneath moonlight.

Silver necklace.

Golden eyes looking at her like she mattered more than the world.

The vision vanished instantly.

Evelynn gasped hard and nearly lost her balance.

Kael caught her automatically.

Both of them breathing unevenly now.

“What…” Evelynn whispered.

Kael looked horrified.

Actually horrified.

“No.”

The word came out rough.

Unstable.

Dragonfire continued spiraling violently around the room now, but strangely—

it wasn’t destructive anymore.

It moved like it was responding to them.

To both of them.

Evelynn’s chest tightened suddenly.

Not emotionally.

Physically.

A sharp pain flashed through her ribs.

Kael reacted immediately.

His hand slammed against his own chest in the exact same place.

Both of them froze.

The realization hit at the same time.

They had both felt it.

Impossible.

Kael stared at her like she’d become something dangerous.

Or sacred.

Honestly hard to tell.

Evelynn pulled her wrist free instinctively.

The moment contact broke—

the dragonfire throughout the room weakened.

Not gone.

Just quieter.

Kael noticed too.

His breathing remained rough now, like he was struggling to stay calm.

“That…” Evelynn started carefully, “seems medically concerning.”

Kael actually laughed once.

Short.

Disbelieving.

Then he dragged one hand slowly down his face.

“This cannot be happening.”

“Fantastic,” Evelynn muttered. “I love when immortal dragon kings say things like that.”

Kael ignored the sarcasm entirely.

His gaze moved again toward the blood on her hand.

Hungrier this time.

And that frightened him.

Evelynn could see it clearly now.

Kael stepped backward immediately.

Distance.

Control.

The room temperature dropped slightly with it.

“What was that?” she asked quietly.

Kael didn’t answer right away.

Thunder rolled faintly outside beyond the windows.

Then finally—

his voice came low and grim.

“Soul resonance.”

Evelynn frowned. “That sounds bad.”

Kael looked directly at her.

“It’s worse.”

The silence stretched heavily between them.

Then Evelynn blinked slowly.

“…you’re going to need to explain that with significantly more words.”