Elantra:
The air in the royal quarters changed the moment he stepped in.
No, not stepped, entered. Like the room bent itself to his presence. The wind blew in from the balcony, brushing past velvet curtains and rattling candle flames, but the real chill came from him.
I turned slowly, every nerve in my body firing at once.
He didn't say a word.
He didn't have to.
His eyes were ice storm gray, unblinking, unreadable, and far too intelligent for comfort. His face was carved from sharp lines and sharper angles, jaw clenched, lips pressed into a line like he was always one breath away from either a threat or a promise. Hair black as midnight curled over his brow in effortless disorder.
And by the gods!… he was breathtaking.
Not in the way Cassian was, Cassian looked like he was meant to be seen, designed to draw attention.
Lucien Blackthorn looked like a weapon hidden in plain sight. Beautiful, but dangerous in a way that set off every instinct I had.
The system flared inside me like a pulse.
"Candidate Two confirmed. Lucien Blackthorn. Sync Level: 9%..."
"…Warning: Hostility detected."
"Hostility?" I whispered under my breath.
His eyes narrowed.
"You talk to yourself," he said, voice low, smooth, and scalding. "That's not comforting."
"I wasn't talking to myself," I replied, standing straighter. "I have a system glitch that likes to interrupt my life with cryptic information and unwelcome introductions."
"Convenient excuse." He stepped forward, slow and deliberate.
I didn't back away.
I didn't dare.
Lucien stopped just short of arm's length, tilting his head slightly like a wolf scenting prey.
"You smell like moonlight," he murmured.
"I smell like soap," I snapped.
One corner of his mouth twitched, not quite a smile, but not far from it either.
"I saw your name on the scroll," I said, trying to ground myself. "Lucien Blackthorn. The second bond."
His jaw ticked. "I didn't volunteer."
"Neither did I."
"Then we're already in agreement," he said flatly. "Good. Stay out of my way."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
He turned, walking toward the edge of the balcony, gaze sweeping over the royal gardens far below. "I don't want the bond. I don't want you. And I definitely don't want to be part of the MoonLink circus."
I felt the heat rise in my chest. "Well, believe me, you're not high on my dream-mate list either."
He turned his head, those gray eyes flashing. "Good. Then this'll be easy."
"Then why are you here?" I demanded.
There was silence for a while, then a flicker of something in his expression, pain? Guilt? Regret?, but it vanished so fast I might've imagined it.
"I needed to see you," he said finally, his voice quieter now. "Before things get worse."
"Worse than being soul-bound to three men I don't know?"
"Much worse."
I crossed my arms. "You want to be more specific or just keep throwing vague warnings like a prophecy-obsessed lunatic?"
Lucien exhaled through his nose. "There's something wrong with the system, Elantra. Something no one's talking about. And if you're truly the Luna of Balance, you're the one they'll blame when it breaks."
My chest tightened. "Breaks how?"
But he was already moving toward the balcony again.
"Stay alert," he said without turning around. "Not everyone wants the prophecy fulfilled. And not every bond is meant to survive."
He left the way he came, silent, wind at his heels, shadows trailing behind him like loyal dogs.
And I stood in the middle of my opulent cage, heart pounding like a war drum.
Lucien Blackthorn was a mystery wrapped in menace… but something about him had felt familiar. Like I'd seen him before. Not his face. Not his voice.
But his presence.
Like a shadow that had been following me my entire life.
---------------------------------------------
Lucien:
Lucien moved like a ghost through the palace halls, ignoring the guards, the stares, the whispers.
He hated this place.
He hated the polished floors, the clean lies, the stench of authority hidden behind politeness. But most of all, he hated the way his skin still burned from standing that close to her.
Elantra Devereux.
She was real.
She was power wrapped in uncertainty. Fire curled inside a girl who didn't yet know she could burn kingdoms to ash.
And she smelled like fate.
He clenched his jaw, flexing his fingers. The system had synced with him instantly, but it wasn't like before. It wasn't like the others.
This one was alive.
And it wanted her for itself.
He muttered under his breath, "What did you do, Eleanor…"
-------------------------------------------
Back to Elantra:
I tried to sleep.
I really did.
But every time I closed my eyes, the visions returned.
Not dreams, downloads. Bursts of memories that weren't mine. Forests I'd never run through. Voices I didn't recognize calling my name. A boy with golden eyes whispering, "You're not ready, Starfire…"
I sat up in bed, cold sweat dripping down my spine.
The silver ring on my finger pulsed once.
And then the system's voice returned.
"Third Candidate Approaching. Bond signal detected. 14% sync pending."
Third?
Already?
Why was everything happening so fast?
A knock echoed at the door before I could process it.
Not sharp. Not demanding.
Just… present.
I rose slowly, brushing the hair from my face and tightening the sash on my robe. My fingers curled around the handle.
And I opened the door.
He stood barefoot in the hallway, shirt half-buttoned, curls damp, as if he'd just stepped out of a storm and into my world.
He leaned one shoulder against the doorframe, eyes lazy, mouth twitching in an amused smirk.
"Hey, Starfire," he said. "Miss me?"
I couldn't have been more confused than I was. I looked at him wondering how I could possibly miss someone I was just seeing for the first time.
We locked eyes for a brief moment and my breath caught before I could stop it.
The system flared, hotter, brighter than ever before.
"Candidate Three Confirmed. Riven Thorne. Sync Level: 14%..."
"…Warning: Emotional imprint unstable."