Eclipse Love

The kiss lingered on Selene's lips, a fleeting warmth against the cold reality crashing down around them. She and Lucian had barely had a moment to breathe before Darius's words pulled them back to the looming danger.

Vale wasn't done with them.

Lucian pulled away reluctantly, his silver eyes dark with frustration. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply before turning back to Darius.

"Tell me everything," Lucian said, his voice edged with steel.

Darius folded his arms. "The Order is regrouping. They suffered losses, but Vale didn't just let us escape because he was feeling generous." His jaw tightened. "They'll strike again. Hard."

Selene's stomach twisted. "Then why didn't he stop us when he had the chance?"

Darius hesitated. "Because he doesn't need to."

Lucian frowned. "What do you mean?"

Darius looked at Selene. "He's waiting for her to come to him."

Silence.

Selene's pulse spiked.

Lucian's entire body stiffened, his expression darkening.

"That's not going to happen," Lucian said flatly.

Darius's gaze didn't waver. "You sure about that?"

Selene swallowed hard.

She will come back to me.

Vale's words echoed in her mind, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.

Lucian must have sensed her unease because, in the next second, his arms wrapped around her protectively. "I don't care what tricks Vale has up his sleeve. He doesn't control her."

Darius sighed. "I know that, but it doesn't change the fact that he has something planned." His gaze flickered toward the entrance. "And I have a feeling we don't have much time before we find out what."

The room fell into heavy silence.

The fire crackled softly, the only sound in the small, ruined cabin.

Then—

A faint rustling outside.

Lucian moved instantly, putting himself between Selene and the door. Darius drew his blade, muscles tensed.

Selene's breath caught.

They weren't alone.

An Unexpected Visitor

The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Then, a knock—soft, deliberate.

Darius exchanged a look with Lucian. "That's either a trap…"

"…or someone desperate," Lucian finished, eyes narrowed.

Selene hesitated. "What if it's one of Vale's men?"

Lucian didn't answer. Instead, he moved toward the door, his fingers curling over the hilt of his dagger.

The knock came again.

Lucian wrenched the door open in one swift movement—

And froze.

Selene stepped forward, heart hammering.

A figure stood in the doorway, soaked from the rain, her hood half-pulled over her face.

But even through the darkness, Selene recognized her.

Astrid.

Selene's breath hitched. "You—"

Astrid pulled down her hood, revealing haunted blue eyes and a face far too pale.

"I don't have much time," she said, her voice shaking. "You have to listen to me."

Lucian didn't lower his blade. "Give me one reason not to kill you where you stand."

Astrid flinched. "Because Vale is coming. And if you don't leave now, you're all going to die."

A Warning from an Enemy

Selene's mind spun.

Astrid had always been one of Vale's most trusted enforcers. She was a skilled tracker, ruthless in battle, and completely loyal to the Order.

So why was she here?

Darius stepped closer, blade still raised. "Why should we trust anything you say?"

Astrid's jaw tightened. "Because I saw what Vale is planning. He's not just coming for Selene—he's coming for all of you. And he's not alone."

Lucian's grip on his dagger didn't loosen. "Explain. Now."

Astrid hesitated, glancing at Selene. Something in her eyes flickered—uncertainty, regret.

Selene's breath caught. "You know something, don't you?"

Astrid exhaled shakily. "I know Vale didn't let you go because he couldn't stop you. He let you go because you're playing right into his hands."

Selene's blood ran cold.

Astrid continued. "The bond between you and Lucian—it's powerful. More powerful than anything the Order has ever seen." She hesitated. "But Vale knows how to break it."

Lucian's muscles tensed.

Selene swallowed hard. "Break it how?"

Astrid's expression darkened. "By forcing you to choose."

Selene frowned. "Choose what?"

Astrid hesitated. "Between him—" she nodded toward Lucian, then met Selene's gaze, deadly serious—"and your own life."

The words slammed into Selene like ice water.

Lucian's body stilled.

Darius cursed under his breath.

Selene struggled to breathe. "Vale wouldn't—"

"He would," Astrid interrupted. "And he will. He doesn't need to force you to return to him. He just has to make you think you have no other choice."

Selene's pulse roared in her ears.

Vale had always been calculating, cruel—but this?

This was different.

This was personal.

Lucian turned to Astrid, voice deadly. "How do we stop him?"

Astrid shook her head. "You can't."

Lucian growled, stepping forward. "Wrong answer."

Astrid flinched but didn't back down. "You don't understand. This isn't a normal fight. Vale has a weapon—a power we can't stop. He's going to use Selene's bond against her."

Selene's stomach twisted. "What do you mean?"

Astrid hesitated before answering. "I mean that if you try to fight him… one of you won't survive."

A heavy silence fell.

Selene's heart pounded.

Lucian's jaw clenched.

Darius cursed again, running a hand through his hair.

And then—

Lucian spoke.

His voice was cold, absolute.

"Then we make sure it's him who doesn't survive."

Astrid's lips parted, like she wanted to argue. But one look at Lucian's silver eyes, filled with quiet rage and promise, and she stayed silent.

Selene forced herself to take a slow, steady breath.

Vale thought he had already won.

He thought he could force her to choose, to break her before she even had a chance to fight back.

He was wrong.

She wasn't going to let him win.

She wasn't going to let him take Lucian from her.

Not now.

Not ever.

End of Chapter Eighteen.