Seraphine rose from the bed, the warmth of Rin's words still resting in her chest like a flickering flame.
She crossed to the mirror, smoothing her dark training attire over her frame with fingers steadier than she expected. There was no armor today - only soft leather and sleeveless ease. Not for battle, but for something more.
She found Valen in the eastern courtyard.
He stood alone, shirtless beneath the overcast sky, his body a sculpture of muscle and scars. His back was to her, swords laid out beside the training ring, long fingers wrapped around the hilt of one as he stared at the gray clouds as they owed him something.
She didn't announce her presence. She didn't need to.
He turned the second she stepped onto the stone path, as if his senses were attuned only to her.
His gaze dropped to her outfit, lingered. Then lifted, slowly, to meet her eyes.
"Serenyth, " He murmured, voice hoarse.
She met his stare evenly, chin raised.
"I want to train. "
His brows lifted slightly, more in curiousity, " With me? "
She nodded once. " I need to keep my body sharp. And if I'm to be surrounded by vampires, I may as well learn how you fight. "
His lips twitched in amusement, but something flickered behind his eyes - hope, perhaps.
"Are you sure? " He asked, stepping closer, sword still at his side. "Because if I touch you again, princess... I won't pretend it means nothing. "
The air thickened.
"I'm not asking you to pretend, "she said quietly.
A heartbeat of stillness passed between them.
Valen dropped his blade into the sand with a soft thunk , took a breath , and nodded once.
" Then let's begin. "
The sky cracked open mid match.
What began as soft drizzle turned into a steady rainfall, soaking the stone courtyard and turning the sand beneath their boots to slush.
But neither of them stopped.
Their swords clashed, metal against metal, over and over, sending sparks beneath the gray sky.
Seraphine's hair clung to her back, damp and heavy, her clothes molding to her skin, outlining every curve and muscle. Rain slid down her temples, her neck, her collarbone - but her eyes never left Valen's.
He moved like shadow - fast, precise, and yet never aiming to win.
Only to meet her.
Match her.
Touch her.
He wasn't trying to overpower her. No, this was seduction in the form of sparring.
Each dodge bought their bodies closer.
Each strike made her chest heave harder.
Each block gave him another excuse to touch her.
His fingers grazed her wrist when he caught her strike.
His palm brushed the small of her back when she twisted past him.
And then, without warning, his hand landed on her waist - firm, possessive, anchoring her as their blades locked above.
She froze.
Their faces were inches apart. Heat rose from their skin. Breath mingled between parted lips.
"I've dreamed of this, " Valen whispered against her lips, voice rough with restraint hunger. " Of you - So close I can feel your heart. "
His hand didn't move from her waist. If anything, it slid lower, thumb tracing the curve of her hip.
Seraphine's breath hitched. Her sword trembled in her grip.
The rain fell harder, but it does nothing to the fire blooming between them.
"Let go, " He breathed. "Just for a second. Let me in. "
Their mouths hovered , neither touching - yet so damn close it was torture.
She didn't move away.
Didn't pull his hand from her waist.
But she didn't kiss him either.
His forehead touched hers. Not a kiss. But close. Too close.
Their swords dropped between them, forgotten on the wet sand.
There, in the storm, a warrior princess and a vampire king stood tangled in restraint and ruin.
After what felt like hours,Seraphine pulled back slowly.
They sat beneath the old stone archway, the rain still falling just beyond the edge of shelter.
Seraphine leaned back on her palms, legs stretched out, chest rising and falling slowly. The heat between them hadn't vanished, but it had softened. Smoothed to something quieter.
Valen sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders brushed. He hadn't spoken in a while, just watching the rain like it was a language he knew better than words.
She turned to him, curious.
"How old are you anyway? "She asked, tilting her head.
He glanced at her , taken aback by the question, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, " One hundred and sixty-two, "he said, " Give or take a few forgotten years. "
Seraphine blinked. And, before she could stop herself -
She laughed.
A real laugh.
The sound spilled out of her like sunlight through storm clouds - free, warm and unguarded.
Valen stared.
Her cheeks flushed as she tried to cover her mouth, "I'm sorry. It's just.... You're old... "
"I prefer immortal. " He replied dryly.
But her laughter only grew, her hand on her stomach now, " No wonder you brood so much. You've had centuries to perfect it. "
Valen's expression cracked.
He laughed too.
Not a chuckle.
Not the quiet, sardonic huffs she'd grown used to.
But an honest, unfiltered sound from deep in his chest. It was rough, rare - like a man remembering what joy tasted like.
For a moment, there was no war. No blood. No betrayal or crowns between them.
Just rain.
And laughter.
Then, Valen looked at her - not like a king. Not like a beast who wanted her.
But like a man who needed her.
"I would've waited another hundred years if I knew it'd be you, " he said quietly.
She turned to him slowly, the laughter settling into something deeper.
"Why me? " She asked softly, " Of all the souls you've met in your life... Why me, Valen? "
Without hesitation, he said, voice deep with devotion, " You're fire, princess. Not the kind that warms. The kind that burns. You blaze, Serenyth. "
She stilled.
"You stand when others kneel. Speak when others swallow their tongues. You walk into war as if it's dance, and you bleed for those who don't deserve you. " His gaze swept over her, " You weren't born to be someone's bride. You were born to tear kingdoms apart and build them with your bare hands. "
Her throat tightened, her heart raced.
" I've seen beautiful women, "he added quietly. "Centuries of them. But you.... you terrify me. "
"Why? "
"Because even now, "he whispered, brushing a strand of wet hair from her cheek, " you don't know what you are to me. I would burn the world to keep you. "
Silence settled again. It was no longer cold.
It was warm.
And when she looked at him this time... She didn't look away.
For a long time, she said nothing.
Then slowly, she smiled.
Something real. Something new.
It was small, but it was warm. So warm.
Her first smile, not as a warrior.
Not as a princess.
But as a woman whose heart, against all reason, had begun to crack open.
And in that moment, all Valen could think was how he would give up every drop of his immortality just to see her smile again.