YAWN

Lyra’s blurry eyes opened as her fingers were still tangled in Auryn’s shirt. The soft glow of morning light filtered through the window.

She realized she was lying on something warm and solid. It rose and fell in steady rhythm

Her eyes widened as her fingers explored the edges of his framed physique.

I’m still lying on him..

The realization came with fragments of memories. The silver flames, Castor’s blade. Blood everywhere and an arrow in his chest.

I awakened because of the bond

She didn’t move. Deciding to just lay there, listening to his steady heartbeat. His arm was around her. Loose in sleep but present.

She had to admit, there was something about his warmth that made her just want to remain there for as long as possible.

He held me like this all night? She thought even as heat crept into her face. Not just from the memory of falling. But from the dreams she woke up from.

By the flame...

Hazy images surfaced in her mind. His voice, his hands. The way she’d held onto him. Subconsciously melted in his embrace.

Her thighs pressed together reflexively. A different kind of heat pooling low below her stomach.

I was dreaming of him. Did I... say anything? Do anything?

The embarrassment was immediate and overwhelming. She’d been pressed against him all night. Body to body.

He knows... He had to know. She shifted slightly. Felt the dampness between her thighs. Evidence of dreams she barely recalled but her body remembered vividly.

The thought was mortifying... To think that he stayed anyway. Didn’t take advantage of her lucidness.

He just... held me.

Her face was now totally red and buried into the pillow beside them. It wasn’t embarrassment this time. Just want...

Real and undeniable. Not just dragon magic pulling them together. Not just the bond but a subconscious truth rising from the depths of her heart.

I want him. The thought should’ve terrified her. But for some reason, it didn’t.

Accepting she was stuck her in his embrace. She tested her body carefully, expecting exhaustion and weakness from using the flames.

But...

She found neither. Instead she felt power. It hummed beneath her skin. Soft, alive and waiting.

It wasn’t overwhelming like when it awakened. Not the uncontrolled fire consuming everything...It just lingered.

She flexed her fingers carefully against his chest. No flames appeared. But she could feel them waiting. Ready if she called.

The bond had awakened and now she was connected to him. Always..

She looked up at his face. He was exhausted. Dark circles visible under his eyes. Bandages wrapped around his chest where the arrow had been.

You stayed. Even wounded. Even dying. You chose to stay here.

She felt warmth spreading through her chest. It was different from the heat lower. This was deeper. Within her soul.

Mine... The thought came unbidden. Passionate and slightly possessive.

He’s mine. I’m his. This is real.

She’d known about it intellectually before. Marriage contract. Political arrangement. Dragon bond mentioned in passing by priests.

But now—

I feel it. In my bones. My blood. My soul.

This isn’t just magic. This is us.

She reached up slowly. Touched his face. Fingertips gentle against his jaw. She traced the line of his cheekbone. The shadow of exhaustion beneath his eyes.

His eyes opened immediately. Still alert despite the tiredness. Crimson-gold meeting amber.

For a moment, no words came to either rir their minds. Only their eyes interacted.

Finally the silence broke.

"You stayed." Her voice was quiet. Rough from sleep.

"I did." He answered simply, still staring into the endless depths of her eyes.

"Your wound?"

"Will heal."

"You should have rested properly"

"I did. Right here. Where you are." No words followed after that. Just the weight of things unsaid.

Her hand was still on his face. She should have pulled it back but she didn’t. Instead rubbing her soft fingers against his dry lips.

"Thank you." Lyra said.

His expression softened. Just barely but she noticed.

"You saved me first."

"The bond did.."

"Through you , yes."

"I can feel it now. You are always there, on my mind."

Auryn’s hand moved to her hair.

"You’re in my heart."

She sat up slowly. His arm fell away. The bond screeching louder in her chest when she created distance.

It wants me close. Lyra deducted

She looked down at him. Still lying there. Watching her with those impossible eyes.

"We need to talk." Her voice was steadier now. "About everything. About who you are. About what happened."

His jaw tightened slightly. "I know."

"Then talk."

Auryn pushed himself up carefully. The wound was quite irritating but he forced his way through.

He sat with his back against the headboard.

Alright, partial honesty. Enough truth to satisfy. Not so much she runs away.

He exhaled slowly. Preparing his speech.

"When I woke, after the poison..." He started carefully. "Something changed."

She waited. Eyes patiently fixated on him.

"I have memories that aren’t mine." Each word chosen deliberately. "But I also remember Borin. This castle. Growing up here. You and Aurelia"

Her brow furrowed. "Memories that aren’t yours? What does that even mean?"

"Another life. Maybe. I don’t know." He let confusion bleed through. Honest confusion because he didn’t fully understand it either.

"Is it reincarnation? or something else entirely?"

"I don’t have answers, Lyra. Just... two sets of memories. Two people in one body." His hand gestured vaguely. "One who remembers being Auryn Ignisar from birth. And another who remembers... somewhere else. Someone else."

She stared at him. Trying to process. She had wanted answers but she didn’t think it would be this complicated. Her mind went through the implications.

"That’s why..." Her voice was quiet. Almost to herself. "The handwriting changed overnight. Your vocabulary shifted. The way you hold yourself."

Her eyes snapped back to his. "Everything."

"Yes." He answered flatly, placing a full-stop on the conversation but it was only for a short moment.

"So Auryn is..." Pain flickered across her face. "Gone?"

The question cut deeper than expected. Guilt twisted in his chest, unexpected and unwelcomed.

"Part of him is here." He said gently. His eyes meeting hers directly. "His memories live in me. His childhood. His love for Borin. His—"

He paused.

"His feelings for you."