CHAPTER 100: SURVIVE TO COLLECT

Lucian’s gaze shifted to Auren, a slight frown forming between his brows before he turned back toward Elyndra again. There was a pause, small, almost unnoticeable but long enough for uncertainty to slip in.

Auren took a breath, about to speak.

Elyndra didn’t give him the chance, "He kissed me earlier."

The room seemed to recoil at her words.

Lucian looked at her instantly, "Who?"

She lifted a finger and pointed lazily between herself and Auren.

"Him," she said simply. "Auren."

Auren shot forward a step. "Lucian, that’s not what—"

"It was sudden," Elyndra continued lightly. "I think he forgot for a moment whose body this was. Or maybe..." she tilted her head, her voice softening, "he didn’t."

Auren closed his eyes for a brief second, forcing his temper down until it burned cold and contained.

Then he turned to Lucian.

"Tell me something," he said evenly. "How do I torture a fairy soul without damaging the body?"

Lucian folded his arms, eyes never leaving Elyndra.

"I’ve done it once," he replied calmly. "It should still work. Want to find out?"

The color drained from Elyndra’s face.

"W–wait," she blurted. "You’re just going to ignore what he did? He kissed your wife and you’re—"

Lucian stepped closer, his voice low and unshaken.

"Do you think I’d buy that?" he said coldly. "If anything happened, it wasn’t because Auren wanted it. It was because you forced yourself into the situation." His eyes hardened. "I didn’t just meet you yesterday. I know exactly what kind of creature you are."

Elyndra faltered for the first time.

Auren let out a slow breath, one he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

Lucian didn’t even look back at him.

"Don’t mistake calm for ignorance," he added. "I know the difference between desire and coercion. And you reek of the latter."

Elyndra’s lips tightened.

The air in the room shifted and for the very first time... Her smirk didn’t return.

Lucian didn’t look away from her.

"You’ve been using the same old tricks, Elyndra," he said calmly. "Nothing new. And why would I take your word over someone I’ve trusted since childhood?"

His gaze finally flicked to Auren but not in doubt.

"I didn’t grow up fighting beside a liar," Lucian added. "And I won’t start believing one now."

Elyndra clicked her tongue, "It seems you have far too much faith in your best friend," she sneered.

Her eyes slid deliberately toward Auren, slow and mocking.

"Fortunately for you, don’t you think?" she added sweetly. "Lord Auren?"

Auren met her gaze without flinching, his voice steady and stripped of all warmth. "Stop playing games," he said. "And tell me where you put her soul."

The teasing glint in Elyndra’s eyes flickered. "And you think I’ll answer just because you asked?" she scoffed.

Lucian turned sharply toward Auren, a crease forming between his brows.

"What do you mean?" he demanded. "Isn’t her soul still in her body?"

Auren shook his head slowly.

"No. Not there anymore." His jaw tightened. "I tried to reach for her earlier... I almost pulled her out. But then something blocked me."

Lucian’s eyes darkened.

"You’re saying she’s not even inside herself?" he asked quietly.

"She isn’t," Auren answered. "Which means Elyndra moved her."

Elyndra’s smile returned, slow and sharpened.

"Such a clever creature," she murmured. "I really shouldn’t have spared you."

Lucian’s breath turned tight in his chest, "Where?" he demanded again.

Elyndra leaned back against the sink, utterly unbothered.

"Why would I?" she replied lightly. "Watching you guess is far more entertaining than giving answers."

Her eyes glinted with amusement.

That was the moment Lucian stopped asking.

The temperature in the room dropped instantly. Frost crawled along the edges of the sink, up the tiles, across the mirror behind her. Even the air seemed to crystallize in his presence.

"I warned you," he said quietly.

Elyndra blinked.

Then Lucian moved.

He crossed the space in a heartbeat and slammed his hand against the wall beside her head, the stone erupting with ice where his palm landed.

"Enough," he growled. "You don’t get to enjoy this. You don’t get to play with her life like it’s a game."

Elyndra did flinch but only for a fraction of a second before her eyes hardened with something far more dangerous than fear.

"You’re angry?" she scoffed softly. "After what you said to me?"

Lucian didn’t move.

She took a shallow breath, her voice lowering, sharp and trembling all at once.

"You told me if I ever stood in front of you again... alive... then you would belong to me." Her lips twisted into something that looked like a smile but felt nothing like one. "That if I managed to crawl back from whatever curse you threw me into... then you would be mine."

Her nails dug into her palms.

"So don’t look at me like I’m the villain for believing you."

Lucian’s stare flickered, just slightly.

"I came back," she whispered. "I tore myself apart to do it. And now you’re standing here pretending you don’t remember your own words."

Her voice cracked but quickly recovered into something cold and sharp.

"You made that promise because you thought I wouldn’t survive."

Silence stretched, thick and suffocating.

"And now I have," Elyndra finished softly. "So tell me, Lucian..." Her eyes burned into his. "Why aren’t you keeping it? And shouldn’t I be the one in rage at this moment?"

Lucian’s jaw tightened until it ached.

Then he spoke.

"I never meant it," he said quietly.

The words were soft. They were worse than a shout.

"I didn’t say it as a vow. Or an oath. Or a deal," he went on, his voice flat and unyielding. "I said it because it was easy. Because I knew it wouldn’t matter."

Her breath hitched.

"And you," he added quietly, "were a fool to mistake that for something real."

Elyndra stared at him for a long second.

Then she laughed.

The sound filled the bathroom, sharp and hollow, scraping against the walls like shattered glass.

"You know what?" she said at last, her smile twisting into something cruel. "I really, really hate men who can’t keep their promises."

Her eyes darkened.

"Especially when I survive long enough to collect."