Chapter 6: Let it go
The Haven's silence was a chokehold as Kael eased Rhea's door open, the creak of hinges slicing the stillness like a blade. Morning light clawed through the boarded slits, painting jagged shadows on the gray tiles. Rhea prowled her cage—crimson hair a wild snarl, ash-streaked and spilling over her creased leather jacket. Thellar hummed, a dull shackle on her fire, but her amber eyes flicked to him—wary, not venomous, a crack in her armor widening since yesterday's storm.
"You're back," she rasped, voice raw, like she'd wrestled nightmares all night. She stopped pacing, boots planted, scarred hands flexing—ready to fight or fall, she wasn't sure.
Kael leaned against the doorframe,in flipping lazily between his fingers, hazel eyes pinning her with quiet certainty. "You're ready to talk," he said, stepping closer, thein's rhythm a heartbeat against his words.
Rhea's lips twitched—a snarl that didn't ignite. "Ready? You think you've got me cracked open?" Her tone was sharp but tired, curiosity clawing through the edges.
"Not yet," he said, blunt, closing the gap until his cedar scent brushed her senses. "But I see it. You burned everything because youuldn't touch the real wound." His words struckntained, lethal—and she flinched, grief slashing across her scarred face like a fresh cut. Her amber eyes tightened, but she didn't snap, didn't bury it.
He pressed harder, voice relentless. "That's why you torch and rage—a loss you can't burn out. Who was it, Rhea? Tell me, or I'll rip it free."
Her fists clenched, scars stark against flushed skin, knuckles whitening. Silence snapped taut, electric—she was daring him again, but it wasn't just defiance now. "You don't know shit," she muttered, a reflex with no bite.
"Last chance," he warned, his hand hovering near her arm—close enough to feel its weight. Her breath hitched, amber eyes locked on his, daring him to cross the line. He did. His fingers pressed her elbow—light, probing—and his Empathic Resonance roared to life.
No soft intro this time. He wove a brutal thread—pain and pleasure twisted tight. A sharp sting ripped along her scars, embers biting flesh, then melted into a warm pulse sinking deep. Rhea gasped, stumbling back, knees buckling as thet caught her. She hit it hard, legs splayed, breaths ragged. He stepped between her knees, trapping her, his hand sliding to her wrist—firm, pinning her lightly.