Lyra kept telling herself the strange bond would fade if she ignored it long enough.
So far, it had only gotten worse.
The kitchen was already busy before sunrise. Steam rose from boiling pots, knives struck wooden boards in quick rhythm, and servants moved around each other with the usual tension of people who were always one mistake away from punishment. Lyra stayed near the back table, washing vegetables with cold, reddened hands.
No one bothered her directly.
They didn't need to.
The looks were enough.
Before, people either ignored her or mocked her. Now they watched with open curiosity, whispering whenever they thought she couldn't hear.
Because Kael Draven had spoken to her.
Because he had entered the kitchen for her.
Because people in places like this never let anything rest.
"Lyra."
She straightened immediately.
Head Maid Elira stood near the doorway with several thick ledgers stacked in her arms.
"Take these to the east storage hall."
Lyra almost sighed in relief. The east hall sat on the far side of the academy grounds.
Far from the kitchen.
Far from everyone.
Far from Kael.
"…Yes."
She accepted the books and left before anyone could say more.
The academy corridors were quiet at this hour. Morning light slipped through tall windows and stretched across the stone floor in pale bands. Her footsteps echoed softly as she walked.
For a few minutes, it felt peaceful.
Then the pressure started again.
A faint tightening beneath her ribs.
Not pain exactly. More like tension pulling inward.
Lyra slowed, annoyed with herself.
No. Ignore it.
She adjusted the ledgers and continued.
The farther she walked, the worse it became. Her chest tightened. Breathing took effort. By the time she reached the second corridor, it felt as if invisible fingers had closed around her lungs.
She stopped beside a pillar and inhaled sharply.
This is ridiculous.
She was not going to let some unexplained sensation control her movements.
Jaw clenched, she forced herself onward.
Three steps later, the ledgers slipped from her arms and crashed across the floor.
Books scattered. Loose pages slid across stone.
Lyra caught herself against the wall before she followed them down.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Fast.
Direct.
She already knew who it was.
Kael reached her and caught her arm before her knees gave out.
The moment he touched her, the pressure vanished.
Just like that.
Air rushed back into her lungs so suddenly it made her dizzy.
She stared at him.
He looked irritated.
"What were you doing?"
His voice was even, but there was something hard underneath it.
"Working."
"You were halfway across the grounds."
"I was delivering ledgers."
"That far?"
"It's not your concern."
The answer came sharper than she intended.
Two students passing nearby instantly changed direction.
Kael barely glanced at them before looking back at her.
"It became my concern when you nearly collapsed."
"I did not collapse."
"You were one second away from it."
"I'm fine."
"You can barely breathe."
"I said I'm fine."
Her voice shook enough to betray her.
He noticed. Of course he did.
For a moment, he said nothing. Then his gaze shifted to the books scattered across the floor.
"You felt it too."
Not a question.
Lyra hated that he was right.
She said nothing.
Kael crouched, gathered the ledgers, and stacked them neatly with the kind of effortless control he seemed to bring to everything.
"You're not coming this far alone again."
She blinked at him. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
"You don't decide where I go."
He stood and took one step closer.
"No?"
The corridor suddenly felt smaller.
Lyra lifted her chin, refusing to back away.
"I am not yours to order around."
Something flickered in his expression. Gone too quickly to read.
"Until we understand what this is," he said, "you stay close enough that neither of us ends up dealing with that again."
"That sounds an awful lot like ordering me around."
"It sounds like common sense."
"Try using it yourself."
For once, Kael looked almost amused.
Almost.
Then it disappeared.
"Come with me."
"I can carry them myself."
"You already failed."
"I dropped them because of you."
"Then stay close enough that it doesn't happen again."
Infuriating man.
Lyra stayed where she was out of principle.
Then the pressure returned, light but immediate.
Kael looked over his shoulder, saying nothing.
He didn't need to.
Muttering under her breath, she followed.
They reached the east storage hall in silence.
Kael placed the ledgers on a table. Lyra turned toward the door at once.
His hand closed around her wrist.
She stopped and looked down.
Then up.
"What now?"
"Walk away."
She frowned. "What?"
"Test it."
Lyra pulled free and strode toward the exit.
Five steps in, the pressure returned.
At ten, pain cut through her chest sharply enough to make her stop.
Kael crossed the room and came to stand beside her.
The sensation vanished before he even spoke.
Neither of them said anything for a moment.
Because there was nothing left to deny.
This was real.
Lyra swallowed. "What did you do to me?"
His eyes darkened slightly.
"I was going to ask you the same question."
He stepped aside but didn't move far.
"Until we solve it, you stay within range."
"No."
She moved for the door.
He caught her arm again, turned her before she could react, and she found herself against the wall.
Not hurt.
Just trapped.
One hand braced beside her shoulder. The other still around her wrist.
He leaned close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath.
"You are stubborn," he said quietly.
"You are insane."
"Possibly."
His gaze dropped briefly to the pulse in her throat, then returned to her eyes.
"But if you collapse somewhere I can't reach, you'll regret it first."
He released her and stepped back.
The cold space he left behind felt annoyingly noticeable.
That night, Lyra waited until everyone slept.
Then she slipped from the servant quarters and ran for the outer gate.
Across the courtyard.
Through the archway.
Almost free.
Then the bond tightened around her chest so hard she dropped to her knees.
No air.
No strength.
Her fingers scraped helplessly against the stone.
Footsteps sounded from the darkness.
Unhurried.
Certain.
Kael stopped in front of her and looked down.
"I warned you."
Then he bent, lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing, and started back toward the academy.
"You're staying close, whether you like it or not."