The door closed.
It did not unlock.
Elira turned slowly. "Did you just trap me in here?"
Kael stood near the window.
"No."
A pause.
"The room did."
Elira blinked.
"That makes no sense."
"It does to the magic here."
She crossed her arms. "So we're stuck together."
"Yes."
"Fantastic."
Kael glanced at her.
"You are not afraid."
Elira met his gaze. "Should I be?"
A silence stretched.
Then—
"I have killed kings," Kael said calmly.
"I have burned cities that begged for mercy."
Elira didn't move.
"And yet," she said softly, "I'm still breathing."
Something flickered in his expression.
Very faint.
Like a crack in ice.
The bond pulsed.
Both of them felt it.
Kael turned away first.
"Do not mistake survival for safety," he said.
Elira sat on the edge of the bed.
"I don't."
And for the first time...
The Ruined King looked like he didn't know what to do with her.