Capítulo 21: Chapter 21- Consequences Revealed
The car was silent, save for the low hum of the engine as it carried them away from Ravensmoor.
Eira sat rigid in her seat, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The city lights outside blurred into streaks of gold and white, but she couldn't focus on anything beyond the storm brewing inside her.
Her thoughts churned, each one louder than the last. Finn's confused expression flashed in her mind, the anger in his voice, the way his shoulders had squared off against Caius. She could still feel the weight of her brother's questioning gaze, the hurt laced with worry. What could she have said to him that would have made any sense? That her life was tied to a man she barely understood? That his recklessness had set this entire mess in motion, and now she was paying the price?
The truth sat like a stone in her chest: I'll never have a normal life again. And it's all because of this bond.
She dug her nails into her palms, the sharp sting grounding her.
Beside her, Caius sat too still, too calm, his posture maddeningly composed. One arm draped across the back of the seat, the other resting lazily on his knee. The faint glow of passing headlights illuminated his profile, and for a moment, Eira hated him. Hated how unaffected he looked. Hated how much power he held over her, how easily he could walk into her life and destroy any sense of control she had left.
But beneath the anger, there was something else—a tangle of emotions she couldn't name.
Finally, she broke the silence, her voice sharp and accusing. "You didn't have to scare him like that."
Caius didn't look at her, his golden eyes fixed on the window. "I didn't scare him. I told him the truth."
Her fists tightened, her breath hitching as frustration bubbled to the surface. Why does he always sound so calm? she thought bitterly. "The truth? You barged into my home, humiliated me in front of my brother, and acted like—"
"Like what?" His gaze snapped to her, sharp and unrelenting. "Like someone who's responsible for keeping you alive?"
The words sliced through her, igniting her fury. "I don't need you to keep me alive!" she shot back, her voice rising.
Her heart pounded in her chest, every beat a painful reminder of just how much she wanted to believe her own words.
Caius's eyes darkened, the dangerous edge in his tone making the air feel heavier. "You don't understand, do you? You are my responsibility, Eira. In every possible way."
The weight of his gaze bore down on her, but she refused to falter. She felt like a wire stretched too tight, ready to snap. "I didn't ask for that," she said, her voice trembling but defiant. "I didn't ask for any of this!"
"No," he said softly, his voice a deadly calm that sent a shiver down her spine. "You didn't. But you agreed for our lives to be bound."
Eira froze, her chest tightening. "What are you talking about?"
Caius leaned forward slightly, his golden eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her feel like the air had been sucked out of the car.
Her breath quickened, her pulse roaring in her ears. What does he mean? What's he going to say?
"The bond," he said, his voice low and deliberate. "You didn't just marry me, Eira. You bound your life to mine."
The words hung in the air, suffocating in their weight. She stared at him, her mind spinning. "What…?"
Caius's jaw tightened, his expression hardening. "When you agreed to the blood bond, you agreed to more than a title. More than a marriage. Your life is tied to mine now. Your life has been extended indefinitely until I die. Unless of course you get us killed first."
Her breath hitched, the weight of his words sinking in like stones. "You're saying that if I die, you do too?" The air in the car felt too thin, too sharp. "That can't be true," she whispered, shaking her head. "You're lying."
"I don't lie," he said coldly, his tone unyielding. "Not about this."
Her stomach churned, her thoughts spiraling out of control. The world felt tilted, wrong. "You never told me that," she said, her voice rising. "You never gave me a choice!"
"There wasn't a choice to give," he snapped, his voice cutting through her panic like a blade. "You wanted your brother freed, and this was the price. You were willing to sacrifice everything for him. Or have you forgotten that?"
Eira's hands trembled in her lap. The memory of that moment in the castle flashed in her mind—her desperation, the way she'd demanded his release, willing to do anything to save him.
Was I really that blind? That reckless?
Anger flared hot in her chest, burning through her fear. "You had no right to keep this from me. You… you tricked me!"
Caius's laughter was harsh, devoid of humor. "Tricked you?" he repeated, his voice laced with bitter amusement. "You came to me, Eira. You stormed into my world and demanded something you didn't understand. I told you there would be a price, and you agreed to it."
Her gaze burned into his, her nails digging deeper into her palms. "You didn't tell me what that price was. You didn't tell me that I'd be tethered to you like this—like some… some possession!"
The accusation spilled out before she could stop it, her voice shaking with the force of her anger.
His eyes narrowed, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Do you think this is easy for me? To have someone tied to my life, my decisions, my survival? Do you think I wanted this?"
The rawness in his voice caught her off guard, her anger faltering for a split second. There was something almost vulnerable in the way he looked at her, something that mirrored the turmoil twisting inside her. But she pushed the thought away, refusing to let him off the hook.
"Then why?" she demanded, her voice trembling. "Why do it at all?"
Caius's gaze shifted, the anger in his eyes softening into something heavier. He looked away, his jaw tightening as though he were fighting against the words. Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet but firm.
"My court would never have allowed you to walk away," he continued, his voice calm, almost detached. "If I had shown mercy—if I had let you and your brother leave—they would have seen me as weak. And weakness doesn't just cost a king his throne. It costs him everything."
His voice dropped lower, and his gaze seemed to burn straight through her. "So it came to this. Kill you. Leave you to rot in my dungeons. Or make you mine."
His words lingered in the air, heavy and unrelenting. "I chose the right one." Eira's chest constricted, the weight of his words crushing her anger beneath something colder. His gaze locked onto hers, unflinching. "Don't mistake survival for indifference. I care more than you think. That's why you're sitting here, alive, instead of buried six feet under."
The car fell into a suffocating silence, her anger and fear swirling together in a tangled storm. She turned to the window, her reflection ghostlike in the glass. How did I let it come to this? How did I become part of this world—tethered to a man who sees me as both a burden and a necessity?
"I didn't ask for this," she whispered, more to herself than to him.
"No," His voice was quieter now, but it carried a weight that left no room for argument. The tension between them simmered in the silence, unspoken words hanging like ghosts in the air. "But you didn't give me a choice, either. I started to care about you the moment you stumbled in my court and refused to bow."
Her heart thudded painfully, her mind racing to keep up. He's lying. He has to be lying.
"You don't even know me," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I know enough," he said, his tone quiet but resolute. "I know that you're stronger than you realize. That you're brave to the point of recklessness. That you'd risk your life for someone you love without hesitation."
The intensity of his gaze pinned her in place, and she hated the way his words made her chest ache.
"And I know," he said softly, "that tying your life to mine was the only way to keep you alive in this world you forced your way into."
The silence that followed was heavy, filled with words she couldn't bring herself to say.
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
JadedButCute
JadedButCute Hey, readers!
This chapter had me feeling all the emotions—anger, frustration, and maybe a teensy bit of heartbreak. Eira’s world just keeps spiraling, doesn’t it? Between the truth about the bond (yikes!) and that simmering tension with Caius, I don’t know who to feel more conflicted about. Do we rage with Eira, or do we admit that maybe—just maybe—Caius has a point? (I mean, “keeping her alive” isn’t exactly a small thing… but did he have to be so smug about it?)
What do you think about their dynamic right now? Are they destined to crash and burn, or is there hope for some kind of truce? Let me know your thoughts—I’m dying to hear them! And as always, thanks for sticking with me through the chaos. You’re the best!
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