Three weeks.

  That's how long we'd been traveling together since Ashford, and I'd almost convinced myself I had it under control.

  Almost.

  We'd fallen into a rhythm. I hunted, she cooked. I set up camp, she maintained the fire. I kept watch at night, she slept without nightmares—or at least, fewer of them. The slave crest ensured obedience, but I found myself giving fewer direct commands. She just... did things. Anticipated what needed doing and did it without being told.

  It should have been convenient. Efficient.

  Instead, it made my chest feel tight every time I noticed.

  "Master," she said one evening as we walked through a dense forest. "There's a town ahead. I can smell smoke."

  I'd noticed it too, but hearing her speak up unprompted was still strange. She was talking more now. Not much—just observations, questions, the occasional comment. But it was more than the hollow silence she'd been wrapped in when I bought her.

  "We'll avoid it," I said. "Towns mean people, and people mean problems."

  "Understood."

  She didn't argue. Didn't question. Just accepted it and kept walking.

  I hated how much I appreciated that.

  We veered east, skirting the town's borders and sticking to the forest. The trees were thick here, old growth that blocked out most of the sunlight. Perfect for staying hidden.

  That's when I felt it.

  Magic. Dark magic, but not mine. It pulsed through the air like a heartbeat, rhythmic and predatory. Multiple sources, all converging on our position.

  "Stop," I said quietly, my hand moving to Nightfall's hilt.

  Kaelith froze immediately, her violet eyes scanning the trees. "What is it?"

  "We're being hunted."

  The words had barely left my mouth when they appeared.

  Five of them, stepping out from behind trees and shadows like they'd been waiting for us. They wore mismatched armor—leather, chainmail, scraps of plate—and their weapons gleamed with dark energy. Cursed blades, every one of them.

  But it was their eyes that gave them away. Black, empty, consumed by whatever dark magic they'd been using. These weren't ordinary bandits. They were blessed—or cursed, depending on how you looked at it.

  The leader stepped forward, a tall man with a scarred face and a greatsword that pulsed with necrotic energy. He grinned when he saw us, his teeth blackened and rotting.

  "Well, well," he said, his voice like grinding stone. "What do we have here? A kid and his pretty little slave."

  I didn't respond. Just watched, calculating distances, counting weapons, assessing threats.

  "We've been tracking you for days," the leader continued. "Heard rumors about a boy with dark magic and a cursed sword. Thought we'd see if the stories were true."

  "They are," I said flatly. "Leave now, and I'll let you live."

  He laughed. The others joined in, their voices echoing through the trees.

  "You hear that, boys? The kid's got balls." He pointed his greatsword at Kaelith. "Tell you what. Give us the elf, and we'll let you walk away. She's worth more than you anyway."

  Kaelith's breath hitched. I felt her step closer to me, her hand brushing against my arm.

  "No," I said.

  The leader's grin widened. "No? You sure about that, kid? There's five of us and one of you. Even with that fancy sword, you're outmatched."

  "I said no."

  "Your funeral." He raised his greatsword, and the others moved to flank us. "Take the elf alive. Kill the boy."

  They charged.

  I drew Nightfall and met the first attacker head-on, our blades clashing in a shower of sparks. Dark energy exploded from the impact, and I felt the familiar surge of power as Nightfall fed on the cursed magic in his weapon.

  "Shadow Step."

  I vanished and reappeared behind him, driving Nightfall through his spine. He screamed and collapsed, his life force flooding into me as I ripped the blade free.

  One down.

  The second attacker came at me from the left, swinging a cursed axe. I blocked with Nightfall and kicked him in the chest, sending him stumbling back. Before I could finish him, the third attacker lunged at Kaelith.

  "Stay away from her!" I roared, abandoning my current opponent and throwing myself between them.

  The cursed blade sliced across my shoulder, and pain exploded through my arm. I gritted my teeth and swung Nightfall in a wide arc, forcing the attacker back.

  "Reaper's Judgment."

  Dark energy erupted from Nightfall, slamming into the attacker and tearing through his chest. He dropped like a stone, his life force pouring into me.

  Two down.

  But the leader was already moving. He swung his greatsword at Kaelith, and I saw the blade arc toward her neck—

  I didn't think.

  I just moved.

  I threw myself in front of her, raising Nightfall to block. The greatsword crashed into my blade with enough force to drive me to one knee, and I felt the dark energy from his weapon trying to corrupt mine.

  "Get behind me," I snarled at Kaelith.

  She didn't need to be told twice. She scrambled back, her eyes wide with fear.

  The leader grinned down at me, pressing his weight into the blade. "You're strong, kid. I'll give you that. But you're also stupid. Protecting a slave? That's a weakness."

  "Shut up."

  I channeled dark energy into Nightfall and shoved him back, then lunged forward with a thrust aimed at his throat. He blocked, but barely, and I saw the surprise in his blackened eyes.

  The remaining two attackers circled around, trying to flank me again. One of them was moving toward Kaelith.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Something inside me snapped.

  I felt it—the moment the mask I'd been wearing shattered completely. The cold, calculated predator I'd been pretending to be dissolved, replaced by something raw and feral.

  She was mine.

  And no one was going to touch her.

  "REAPER'S JUDGMENT: EXECUTION!"

  Dark energy exploded from my body in a wave, so powerful it cracked the ground beneath my feet. Nightfall blazed with black fire, and I felt my magic surge beyond anything I'd ever felt before.

  It was stronger. Faster. More potent.

  Because she was here.

  I didn't understand it. Didn't have time to question it. I just let it consume me.

  I moved like a shadow, faster than I'd ever moved before. The attacker heading for Kaelith didn't even see me coming. I drove Nightfall through his chest and ripped it out in one fluid motion, his life force flooding into me.

  Three down.

  The fourth attacker swung at me, but I caught his blade with my bare hand, dark energy wrapping around my fingers and crushing the cursed steel like paper. He stared at me in horror as I grabbed him by the throat and drained his life force in seconds, watching his eyes go dim.

  Four down.

  The leader was backing away now, his confidence gone. "What the hell are you?"

  I didn't answer. Just walked toward him, Nightfall dripping with black fire.

  He raised his greatsword and charged, screaming.

  I sidestepped and drove Nightfall through his stomach, then twisted the blade and channeled every ounce of dark energy I had into him.

  "You wanted to see if the stories were true?" I whispered, my voice cold and empty. "Here's your answer."

  His body convulsed as I drained him dry, his life force pouring into me in a torrent. When I finally pulled Nightfall free, he collapsed into a withered husk, his blackened eyes staring at nothing.

  Five down.

  I stood there, breathing hard, my body trembling with adrenaline and power. The forest was silent except for the crackling of residual dark energy around me.

  Then I heard it.

  A soft, shaky breath behind me.

  I turned and saw Kaelith standing there, her violet eyes wide and locked on me. She wasn't looking at the bodies. She was looking at me.

  At my face.

  At the expression I'd been wearing when I'd thrown myself in front of her. When I'd screamed at them to stay away from her. When I'd torn through five cursed fighters like they were nothing because they'd dared to threaten her.

  She'd seen everything.

  The mask was gone, and there was no putting it back on.

  "Master..." she whispered.

  I turned away, my jaw clenched. "Don't."

  "You protected me."

  "I protected an asset," I said, my voice harsh. "You're bound to me. Losing you would be inconvenient."

  "You threw yourself in front of a blade for me."

  "I blocked an attack. That's all."

  "You screamed when they tried to take me."

  "I was angry. They were wasting my time."

  "You're lying."

  I spun around, glaring at her. "I'm not—"

  "You're lying," she repeated, her voice soft but certain. "I saw your face. I saw what you looked like when you thought I was going to die."

  My chest tightened. "You don't know what you're talking about."

  "I do." She took a step closer, and I saw something in her eyes I hadn't seen before. Not fear. Not emptiness. Understanding. "You care about me."

  "I don't."

  "You do."

  "I don't!" I shouted, and the words echoed through the forest. "You're a slave. A tool. That's all you are. That's all you'll ever be."

  She didn't flinch. Just looked at me with those haunted violet eyes, and I saw the truth reflected back at me.

  She knew.

  She knew I was lying. Knew I cared. Knew that I'd been pretending this whole time, and that the mask had finally shattered.

  And I hated her for it.

  I hated her for seeing through me. For making me care. For being the one thing in this world I couldn't rationalize away or drain dry or kill without feeling something.

  "I should have left you in Ashford," I said, my voice low and bitter. "I should have walked away and let someone else buy you."

  "But you didn't."

  "I should have."

  "But you didn't," she repeated, and there was something almost gentle in her voice. "You bought me. You fed me. You gave me your cloak when I was cold. You protected me."

  "Stop."

  "You care about me."

  "I said stop!"

  Dark energy flared around me, and she flinched back. But she didn't run. Didn't cower. Just stood there, looking at me like she could see straight through to the core of who I was.

  I turned away, my hands shaking. "You don't understand. You can't understand."

  "Then explain it to me."

  "There's nothing to explain," I said, my voice hollow. "You're useful. That's all. When you stop being useful, I'll kill you and move on. That's how this works."

  "You're lying."

  "I'm not—"

  "You're lying," she said again, and this time there was something almost sad in her voice. "You're lying to yourself, and you're lying to me. But I know the truth."

  I closed my eyes, my jaw clenched so tight it hurt. "What truth?"

  "That you're not as alone as you want to be."

  The words hit me like a punch to the gut.

  I stood there, silent, my mind racing. She was right. She was absolutely right, and I hated her for it.

  I'd spent months convincing myself that I didn't need anyone. That companionship was a weakness. That I was stronger alone. But the truth was, I wasn't. I was just... empty. Hollow. A predator with nothing to hunt but my own thoughts.

  And Kaelith—broken, haunted, waiting for death—had become the one thing I couldn't let go of.

  "I hate you," I whispered.

  "I know."

  "I hate that you're here. I hate that I bought you. I hate that I care."

  "I know."

  "I should kill you right now. Drain you dry and be done with it."

  "But you won't."

  I opened my eyes and looked at her. She was still standing there, calm and certain, like she knew exactly what I was going to do.

  And she was right.

  I wouldn't kill her. Couldn't kill her. Not now. Not ever.

  Because she was the exception.

  And I was fucked.

  "Don't ever make me do that again," I said finally, my voice cold.

  "Do what?"

  "Protect you like that. Don't ever put yourself in danger where I have to—" I stopped, the words catching in my throat. "Just don't."

  She nodded slowly. "Understood, Master."

  The word "Master" felt like a lie now. Like a joke we were both pretending to believe.

  I turned and started walking, my body still trembling with residual power. "We're leaving. Now."

  She followed without a word, her footsteps soft behind me.

  As we walked, I felt it again—that strange surge of power I'd felt during the fight. My magic had been stronger with her near. Not weaker. Not distracted. Stronger.

  Like she amplified it somehow. Like her presence made me more than I was alone.

  It terrified me.

  Because it meant the bond wasn't one-sided. It wasn't just me protecting her or caring about her. It was reciprocal. She made me stronger, and I had no idea why.

  "Master?" she said quietly after a while.

  "What?"

  "Your magic... it was different during the fight. Stronger."

  I didn't respond.

  "It was because of me, wasn't it?"

  I clenched my jaw. "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "You do," she said softly. "I felt it. Your power... it grew when you protected me. Like I was—"

  "Don't," I interrupted. "Don't finish that sentence."

  She was quiet for a moment, then said, "I won't tell anyone."

  "There's nothing to tell."

  "Understood."

  We walked in silence after that, but the truth hung between us like a weight I couldn't shake.

  She knew.

  She knew I cared. Knew I'd thrown myself in front of a blade for her. Knew my magic was stronger with her near. Knew that I was lying every time I said she was just a tool.

  And I couldn't unknow that she knew.

  The mask was broken, and there was no fixing it.

  I told myself it didn't matter. That I'd find a way to bury it again, to rebuild the walls and pretend nothing had changed.

  But even as I thought it, I knew it was the biggest lie I'd ever told myself.

  Because everything had changed.

  And I was trapped.

  -

  That night, we made camp in a clearing far from the bodies. I set up the fire in silence, my mind still racing.

  Kaelith sat across from me, watching the flames. She didn't speak, didn't ask questions, just... existed. Quiet and steady.

  I hated how much I appreciated it.

  "Why didn't you run?" I asked suddenly.

  She looked up at me, confused. "What?"

  "During the fight. You could have run. The crest doesn't stop you from fleeing danger. You could have left me to deal with them and disappeared into the forest."

  She was quiet for a moment, then said, "Where would I go?"

  "Anywhere. You're not chained to me physically. You could have run and never looked back."

  "And then what?" she asked softly. "Live alone in the forest? Get captured by someone worse? Die slowly of starvation or cold?"

  "Better than staying with me."

  "Is it?"

  I didn't have an answer for that.

  She looked back at the fire, her expression thoughtful. "You're cruel sometimes. Cold. You say things that hurt, and you pretend you don't care about anything. But you're not... evil. Not like the people who hurt me before."

  "You don't know that."

  "I do," she said simply. "Because if you were, you would have let them take me. Or killed me yourself when it was convenient. But you didn't. You protected me."

  "I told you, that was—"

  "I know what you told me," she interrupted gently. "And I know you're lying."

  I stared at her, my jaw clenched.

  She met my gaze, her violet eyes steady. "I know what you are, Master. And I'm not afraid of you."

  "You should be."

  "Maybe," she said. "But I'm not."

  The fire crackled between us, and I felt something shift in my chest. Something I couldn't name and didn't want to acknowledge.

  "Get some sleep," I said finally, turning away. "We're leaving at dawn."

  "Yes, Master."

  I lay down on my side of the fire and closed my eyes, but sleep didn't come.

  Because I could still feel her presence across from me. Still feel the way my magic had surged when I'd protected her. Still feel the weight of her words echoing in my head.

  I know what you are.

  She was right.

  She knew exactly what I was.

  A liar. A predator. A broken, hollow thing pretending to be strong.

  And somehow, despite everything, she wasn't afraid.

  I told myself it didn't matter.

  I told myself she was still just a slave, still just a tool, still just a warm body to keep the silence at bay.

  But deep down, I knew the truth.

  The mask was broken.

  And I had no idea how to fix it.