Chapter 4. The fire within
The guards dragged her or out of the auction hall under the sunset skies. The man—her "buyer"—walked ahead without a word, his movements calm, unhurried, and entirely uninterested in the spectacle unfolding behind him. That indifference grated against Amara's pride like sandpaper. She couldn’t tell if his silence meant he thought her insignificant or if it was a calculated way of asserting control. Either way, it made her want to scream.
“Master Kael, please,” said the servant obediently holding the door before the man.
“Kael… that’s his name,” that thought was something in the background of Amara's head, when she was shoved into the carriage. the plush seat beneath her felt like a cruel joke. The softness did nothing to erase the iron cuffs weighing down her wrists or the knot of fear twisting in her gut. She lied down on the seat, closing her eyes briefly, but the darkness behind her eyelids and the non-stop fire in her intestines was worse.
As the man seated himself across from her, the weight of his presence filled the small space. He didn’t speak, didn’t even glance at her at first, and the silence between them felt suffocating. Amara’s anger flared again, cutting through the fog of the drug like a blade. She opened her eyes, fixing her gaze on him. Her amber eyes burned with defiance. The man tilted his head slightly, cloudy vision obscuring his features, but she felt the weight of his gaze settle on her like a physical thing. He just looked away, entirely unbothered by her silent question.
The journey seemed to take ages, though Amara understood that it was less than an hour. Darkness had fully fallen by the time the carriage slowed, its wheels creaking against the uneven cobblestones of a small courtyard. Her body ached, her wrists raw from the iron shackles. The drug seemed to be wearing out, so she slowly became aware of her senses coming together. She had expected to be dragged into the castle that loomed in the distance, but instead, the guards ushered her toward a modest stone building—a roadside inn glowing faintly in the torchlight.
The man stepped out of the carriage, his presence as commanding and silent as ever. He gestured to one of the guards, who nodded and began speaking to the innkeeper. Within moments, the arrangements were made. Amara was led through the front doors, her boots scuffing against the worn wooden floors as she was taken up a narrow staircase to a room at the end of the hall.
The room was simple but clean. A bed with fresh linens sat against the far wall, the fire in the corner hearth crackled softly, filling the space with a dim warmth.
The guards left her there, locking the door behind them, but her solitude didn’t last long. Moments later, Kael entered, his broad shoulders filling the doorway before he closed the door behind him. She could finally take a good look at him. Sharp, brooding features and steel-gray eyes that met hers with a disconcerting intensity.
“You’ll stay here tonight,” he said flatly, his tone leaving no room for argument. “We leave for the castle at dawn.”
Amara didn’t respond. Her eyes followed his every move as he crossed the room. The man was definitely attractive. In her motherland they called such handsome and stately men ‘dragons’. Oh, many girls from her pack would kill for such a man or even just for one look from him.
While she was assessing him, she came to a realisation, that the nightmare wasn’t yet over. Her skin tingled, heat pooling low in her abdomen in a way that made her stomach twist.
“You…” she began, her voice trailing off as her vision swam briefly. She pressed a hand to her temple, her breath quickening. The heat was spreading, her heart pounding against her ribs in a way that wasn’t just from fear or anger. She sensed her scent lingering in the room again, making herself nauseous.
Kael’s eyes narrowed. He stepped closer, his expression darkening as realization dawned. “What did they give you?” he muttered, almost to himself.
Amara staggered back a step, her body reacting in ways she couldn’t control. Every nerve felt alive, too alive, and her anger flared alongside the unfamiliar sensations coursing through her. “Stay away from me,” she hissed, but her voice lacked the strength she intended.
The heat in Amara’s body was unbearable now, as if the flames in the hearth had leapt into her veins and set her alight from the inside. Her breaths came shallow and fast, her skin damp with sweat, and every nerve felt raw, exposed. She pressed her palms against the rough wood of the table, willing herself to focus, but it was impossible. The fire in her veins burned hotter, and with every pulse, it demanded more—more relief, more sensation, more of the man standing far too close.
Kael froze, his hands raised slightly in a gesture that was almost placating. “I didn’t even want to do this,” he said firmly, his voice low but steady.
Her breaths came fast and shallow as she leaned against the edge of the table, her legs threatening to give out. The fire in the hearth seemed to burn hotter, the room spinning slightly as her body betrayed her. She clenched her fists, trying to will away the sensations, but it was useless.
Kael stayed rooted in place, his eyes fixed on her with a mixture of concern and something else—something he was clearly fighting to suppress. “You need to sit down,” he said after a moment, his voice quieter but no less commanding.
“I don’t need anything from you,” she snapped, though the words felt hollow as her knees buckled. Before she could hit the ground, his arms were around her, catching her with a gentleness that took her by surprise.
“Let go of me,” she demanded, though the fight in her voice was fading fast.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, his tone softer now but no less firm. He guided her to the bed, lowering her onto the edge as she tried weakly to push him away.
Amara’s vision blurred again, her body trembling as the drug’s effects deepened. Kael’s presence filled the room, his commanding aura suffocating and magnetic all at once. She hated it—hated him—but even as her fury flared, it tangled with the unwanted pull that had lodged itself deep in her chest. The man hadn’t even touched her since helping her to the bed, but the memory of his hands on her skin lingered, their warmth etched into her like a brand.
She clenched her fists against her lap, her nails biting into her palms, desperate for anything to ground her. But when her gaze flicked up to him, her resolve faltered.
Kael stood there, his broad shoulders tense beneath the dark fabric of his cloak. His steel-gray eyes locked onto hers, sharp and unreadable, but there was something darker flickering in their depths. Something he was trying—and failing—to hide. His jaw tightened, and the faint movement made her breath hitch. His presence felt closer now, the air between them heavy and charged, and her body betrayed her, leaning into the pull like a moth to a flame.
Kael knelt in front of her, his hands braced on either side of her knees, his expression tight with restraint. “Whoever did this,” he said quietly, his voice like a low growl, “will regret it.”
His words should have filled her with righteous anger, should have stoked the embers of her defiance. But the way he said them, the restrained fury laced with an edge of protectiveness, sent a shiver down her spine instead. It wasn’t fear—not exactly. It was something far more dangerous, something that made her chest tighten and her knees weak.
She shook her head, her amber eyes blazing with frustration. “You’re here now. You… fix this.”she snapped, though her voice trembled with more than anger. “
For a moment, neither of them moved, the air between them charged with an intensity that made the room feel even smaller. Kael’s jaw clenched, his gray eyes flicking over her face as if searching for something.
Kael’s expression hardened, his hands curling into fists at his sides. For a moment, he didn’t move, didn’t speak, as though her words had struck something deep within him. Then, slowly, he stepped closer, his movements deliberate, controlled. His steel-gray eyes bore into hers, and she felt the weight of his presence like a physical thing, pressing against her, igniting every inch of her already burning skin.
“Amara…” he said softly, her name rolling off his tongue like a warning. It was the first time he’d spoken it, and the sound of it sent a jolt of electricity through her.
“What?” she bit out, though her voice wavered. “Too much for you? Can’t handle what you bought?”
Kael’s eyes darkened, his restraint visibly cracking for a fraction of a second before he closed the distance between them. He knelt in front of her, his broad shoulders eclipsing the firelight as his hands braced on either side of her knees. The heat radiating from him was suffocating, the proximity making her pulse hammer in her ears.
“I didn’t buy you,” he said, his voice low and firm, but there was a raw edge to it now, something that sent her heart into a frantic rhythm. “I don’t want this any more than you do.”
“Then why are you here?” she demanded, her voice trembling with equal parts anger and something she didn’t want to name. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Kael’s jaw clenched, his gaze flicking over her face, her lips, her trembling hands. His breath hitched, and she swore she saw the faintest crack in his stoic exterior.
“Because I can’t look away,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
The words hit her like a lightning strike, sending heat rushing to her cheeks and coiling tighter in her chest. She hated him for saying it, hated the way it made her feel seen in a way that was both thrilling and terrifying. Her body leaned forward before her mind could stop it, her hands gripping the edges of the bed as if they could anchor her.
Kael didn’t move, his steel-gray eyes locked onto hers, his own breathing uneven now. The tension between them was unbearable, the air thick and electric, and every part of her screamed for release—from the fire, from the pull, from the unbearable ache of her traitorous body.
“You shouldn’t look at me like that,” she said, her voice low, almost pleading.
“I know,” he said, his voice rough, his gaze softening just enough to send another shiver through her.
The silence stretched between them, heavy and charged. She could feel the heat radiating from him, the steady rhythm of his breath, the way his presence overwhelmed everything else. For a brief, fleeting moment, the fire inside her didn’t feel so unbearable.
But that moment passed, and the fire flared again, hotter, sharper, and her frustration surged with it. “Fix this,” she said again, her voice trembling but firm. “I can’t—I won’t—”
Before she could finish, Kael reached out, his hand brushing against hers. The touch was light, hesitant, but it sent a bolt of sensation through her that made her breath hitch. His fingers curled gently around hers, grounding her, steadying her, and for the first time that night, the fire seemed to abate—just a little.
“I’ll fix it,” he said, his voice low and steady, a promise that felt like a lifeline.
And though she hated him, hated this, hated everything about the moment, Amara let herself hold on to that promise, if only for the fleeting relief it offered.