Chapter 51
The council chamber had emptied hours ago, but Aeliana remained behind, standing near the massive obsidian table, her arms crossed as she watched the torchlight flicker against the polished stone. She was waiting.
For him.
The heavy doors swung open, and Tharx strode inside, his presence filling the room as it always did. He did not look surprised to see her, nor did he pause as he moved toward the far end of the chamber, removing his gloves with slow precision. His silence was infuriating.
Aeliana exhaled sharply. "Are you going to tell me what your plan is?"
Tharx didn't look at her. "The rebellion will be dealt with."
She stepped forward, her voice sharp. "That's not an answer."
Finally, he turned, golden eyes meeting hers with unreadable calm. "It's the only answer you need."
Aeliana clenched her fists. "You're underestimating them."
His gaze flickered. "You think so?"
"I know so." She moved closer, her frustration building with every breath. "You act as if this is just another minor uprising, a problem you can crush with brute force, but it isn't. The nobles are choosing sides, Tharx. You saw them today. They are turning against you, and if you don't-"
"I know what I saw." His voice was quieter now, but the weight behind it was impossible to ignore.
Aeliana narrowed her eyes. "Then do something about it. Tell me what you plan to do about it."
Tharx studied her for a long moment before he turned away. "You don't need to concern yourself with this."
The dismissal burned.
Aeliana took another step toward him, her heart hammering in her chest. "Don't need to-" She let out a sharp laugh, shaking her head. "You made me part of this war. You tied me to your throne. And now you want to act as if I don't have a stake in what happens next?"
Tharx remained silent.
Aeliana's anger surged. "You don't get to shut me out," she snapped. "I am not one of your subordinates. I am not some helpless woman who-"
"I know exactly what you are."
His words cut through the space between them, freezing her in place.
She swallowed hard, but she didn't back down. "Then stop treating me like I'm fragile."
Tharx turned to face her again, and for the first time, there was something dangerous in his expression-something uncontrolled.
"You think I underestimate you?" His voice was quieter now, but there was an edge to it that sent a chill through her. "You think I don't know what you're capable of?"
Aeliana held his gaze. "I think you're afraid of me."
His jaw tightened.
She pressed forward. "Not because I might betray you. Not because I might be weak." She took another step, forcing him to either retreat or face the truth. "You're afraid because you can't control me."
Tharx's silence was deafening.
Aeliana let out a breathless laugh. "I wonder," she murmured. "Is that why you're pushing me away? Because you don't know what to do with something you can't command?"
She expected him to smirk, to deflect.
But instead-
He moved.
Faster than she could react, he closed the distance between them, his hand catching her wrist, his grip firm but not painful. His golden eyes burned as they locked onto hers, his breathing unsteady for the first time.
The air between them shifted.
The anger was still there-burning, crackling like a fire-but something else had taken hold.
Something raw.
Something undeniable.
Aeliana swallowed hard. She could feel the heat of his body, the strength in the fingers curled around her wrist. Her heart pounded, but she refused to look away.
"Why do you even care what happens to me?"
The words left her lips before she could stop them.
Tharx's grip tightened just slightly, as if her question had shaken something loose inside him.
For a single, unguarded moment, his mask slipped.
"I don't."
Aeliana exhaled sharply, her body tensing. "Liar."
His fingers twitched against her skin. "Aeliana-"
"You can tell yourself whatever you want." Her voice was barely above a whisper now. "You can act as if none of this matters. But I see you. And I see the way you look at me."
Tharx's breathing was uneven, his jaw clenched tight as if forcing back words he had sworn he would never say.
She pushed him further.
"If I'm nothing more than a political tool to you, then why are you so afraid to lose me?"
His control snapped.
Tharx released her wrist only to grab her waist, his other hand fisting in her hair, dragging her closer. The movement was not gentle, not careful-it was desperate, reckless.
Aeliana gasped, her hands bracing against his chest. The world tilted. His grip was possessive, his body tense against hers, every inch of him coiled like a predator barely restraining itself.
For a single, blinding moment, she thought he was going to kiss her.
But then-
He let go.
A sharp exhale, a step back-as if burned.
His hands clenched into fists at his sides. His breathing was harsh, his golden eyes dark with something he refused to name.
Aeliana stood frozen, her skin still burning where he had touched her.
The silence between them was unbearable.
And then-
Without another word, Tharx turned and walked away.
The moment the doors slammed shut behind him, Aeliana let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
Her fingers curled into fists.
Her pulse was still racing.
She should have been angry. She should have wanted to chase after him, to force him to face whatever this was between them.
Instead, all she felt was frustration.
Frustration at him, at herself-at the way her body still ached from the way he had held her.
This was a mistake.
He was a mistake.
She should leave. She should walk away from this before it destroyed her.
But deep down, she knew she wouldn't.
Because she had seen it.
In the way he had grabbed her.
In the way he had almost-almost-kissed her.
He was breaking.
And some part of her needed to see what happened when he finally shattered.