Elantra:
He leaned in the doorway like he belonged there, like this place, this moment, this bond… was all just part of his game.
His hair was a tangle of damp waves that fell into mischievous green-gold eyes. His smile was lazy and lopsided, like he knew a joke no one else did and had no plans to share it. There was a scar running from the edge of his jaw down to his collarbone, barely visible beneath the open folds of his shirt. It didn't ruin his beauty, it added to it. Like someone had tried to mar perfection and failed.
And gods, he was beautiful.
Not pretty. Not polished. But wild and raw and undeniably alive.
I swallowed.
"Do I know you?" I asked, voice barely above a whisper.
"Not yet," he said, grin widening. "But you've seen me."
"Where?"
"In your dreams," he replied without missing a beat.
I stared.
He didn't blink.
The system flared behind my eyes again, hotter than it had for the others. It slammed into my chest like a second heartbeat.
"Candidate Three confirmed. Riven Thorne. Sync Level: 14%..."
"…Warning: Emotional imprint unstable."
Of course it was unstable.
Everything about this man screamed danger disguised as charm.
"You're Riven," I said slowly, eyes narrowing, studying every detail of him.
"And you're Elantra. Or should I call you Starfire? You looked more like Starfire in the spirit realm."
I blinked. "You… were in the realm?"
"Oh yeah," he said, brushing past me and stepping into the room like he owned it. "Naked, if I remember correctly. Or were you too focused on the glowing wolves and cryptic moon voices?"
"You were.....naked?"
He grinned without shame. "Only in the first dream. The second one, I wore boots. Not sure which one you liked better."
I stared, completely mortified. "You're insane."
"I've been told." He flopped onto the edge of my bed like it was made for him, bouncing once. "But you liked what you saw. Admit it."
My mouth opened, then closed.
He was ridiculous. Arrogant. Impossible.
And also, somehow, not wrong.
"You are not supposed to be in here."
"Says who?"
"The Royal Guard. Security protocol. Common sense!"
"I'm a rogue, sweetheart. We don't do protocols."
----------------------------------------------------
Riven:
Riven watched her like he was taking in a painting he never thought he'd see in real life.
Elantra paced like a caged flame, flickering between fury and fear, her robe billowing around her legs like smoke. Every movement, every glance, called to something inside him. Not just lust, something deeper. Something primal.
She was magnetic in a way that hurt.
And she didn't even know it.
He leaned back, arms stretched behind his head, eyes trailing the curve of her jaw, the quick rise of her chest, the fire in her voice.
He grinned. "The way you're glaring at me is doing things to me."
She spun around. "Why are you really here?"
"I already told you—"
"No games, Riven."
His grin faltered.
For the first time since he walked in, the lightness in his expression dimmed. His eyes sharpened.
"I felt the bond," he said finally. "In the ruins. A week ago. It slammed into me like thunder. I saw you. I heard your voice in my head, and then, boom. System sync. It dragged me here."
She stiffened. "So you came because the system told you to?"
He stood slowly. Not threatening. Not seductive.
Just present.
"No," he murmured, voice quieter now. "I came because I wanted to see if you were real."
--------------------------------------------------
Back to Elantra:
His words hit harder than I expected.
I hated the way my body responded, my heart stuttered, my breath shortened, my fingers curled in reflex. I didn't want to want this. I didn't want him to feel familiar.
But he did.
"What do you want from me?" I whispered.
He stopped just short of touching me. His voice dropped to a husky whisper.
"Everything."
The system buzzed again.
"Sync Level: 16%..."
I stepped back.
"You're not like the others."
"I hope not."
"Cassian is composed. Lucien is cold. But you…"
"I'm chaos," he said softly. "And chaos is honest."
"Chaos gets people killed." I replied.
He leaned in, mouth inches from mine, and my knees almost gave out.
"So does love." he said.
The system buzzed louder, then glitched.
A sharp, violent pulse shot through my chest. I gasped, clutching at my mark. The bond flared, burning like molten silver under my skin.
"Elantra!" Riven's voice wasn't playful anymore. He was beside me in an instant, catching me before I collapsed. His arms slid under mine with practiced ease, pulling me to him like he'd done it a thousand times.
The pain in my chest intensified. My knees buckled.
Everything went black.
----------------------------------------------------
Elantra: Dreamscape
I was falling.
There was no sky. No floor. Just spirals of shadow and silver light, turning and twisting like I was being unraveled.
Then she appeared again, the woman in silver. The same one from before.
But this time, her face was visible.
And her eyes were hollow.
"The system is failing," she said, voice like wind across a battlefield.
"Why?" I asked, spinning helplessly.
"Too many paths. Too many truths. One of them is not who he appears to be."
"Which one?" I asked.
"You must choose... but know this, your death is already written."
I tried to reach for her, but her image shattered into stardust, fading as quickly as it came.
I woke with a sharp inhale, the scent of pine and firewood filling my lungs.
Riven was crouched beside me, his brows furrowed, hand resting lightly on my forehead.
"Easy, Starfire," he whispered, his voice rougher now. "You're okay."
"No. I'm not."
I sat up slowly, the bond mark on my chest still pulsing, sweat clinging to my skin.
His hand slipped from my forehead to my shoulder. "What did you see?"
I turned to him, eyes locking onto his.
"Someone's lying," I whispered. "One of you is going to kill me."
Riven didn't move.
His playful expression was gone. His jaw tightened, throat bobbing as he slowly pulled his hand back.
Something dark passed through his eyes.
"Then I guess you better figure out who…" he said, voice low, unreadable.
"…before the wrong one kisses you goodnight."