The Thirteenth Ember - Chapter 18: Chapter 18
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It rained in the wildlands that night.
Not above, but below — deep in the caves beyond the sanctuary, where warm water trickled from ancient springs and filled hidden pools with steam.
Aeryn hadn’t intended to stay long. She just wanted the heat, the quiet. But when she arrived, Kael was already there — shoulders bare, steam rising from his skin, emberlight flickering gently against the cavern walls.
He didn’t turn around. He didn’t need to.
“I can leave,” she said softly.
“No,” he said. “Stay.”
Her heart stumbled.
She set her things aside and stepped into the shallow edge of the pool. The water was warm — not scalding, but enough to pull the tension from her bones. For a few minutes, they simply breathed, surrounded by the sound of dripping stone and distant flame.
Then Kael spoke.
“You know… I used to be afraid of silence.”
She glanced at him. “Why?”
“Because in silence, I remembered things they tried to burn out of me.” His voice was low, reverent. “But now, with you… silence feels like healing.”
Aeryn didn’t answer at first.
Instead, she reached forward — slowly — and touched his hand beneath the water.
His breath caught.
“You’re not the only one who was taught to fear herself,” she said. “I spent my whole life shrinking around what I couldn’t explain.”
Kael turned to her, his expression raw.
“You don’t have to shrink anymore.”
She moved closer.
Not fast. Not desperate.
Just sure.
And when her lips touched his, it was like warmth meeting warmth — two steady flames finally leaning into each other instead of resisting.
He deepened the kiss, and she let herself fall — not in danger, not in chaos, but in surrender. Safe.
His hands trembled against her skin. She guided them. Let him learn her without fear. Let herself be seen.
There was no rushing.
Just slow, careful fire.
A promise in every breath.
When they parted, still wrapped in the warmth of the spring, Kael rested his forehead against hers.
“I didn’t know I could have this,” he whispered.
“You can,” she murmured. “You do.”
And for the first time in both their lives, the fire around them stilled — not extinguished, not feared.
Held.
Not above, but below — deep in the caves beyond the sanctuary, where warm water trickled from ancient springs and filled hidden pools with steam.
Aeryn hadn’t intended to stay long. She just wanted the heat, the quiet. But when she arrived, Kael was already there — shoulders bare, steam rising from his skin, emberlight flickering gently against the cavern walls.
He didn’t turn around. He didn’t need to.
“I can leave,” she said softly.
“No,” he said. “Stay.”
Her heart stumbled.
She set her things aside and stepped into the shallow edge of the pool. The water was warm — not scalding, but enough to pull the tension from her bones. For a few minutes, they simply breathed, surrounded by the sound of dripping stone and distant flame.
Then Kael spoke.
“You know… I used to be afraid of silence.”
She glanced at him. “Why?”
“Because in silence, I remembered things they tried to burn out of me.” His voice was low, reverent. “But now, with you… silence feels like healing.”
Aeryn didn’t answer at first.
Instead, she reached forward — slowly — and touched his hand beneath the water.
His breath caught.
“You’re not the only one who was taught to fear herself,” she said. “I spent my whole life shrinking around what I couldn’t explain.”
Kael turned to her, his expression raw.
“You don’t have to shrink anymore.”
She moved closer.
Not fast. Not desperate.
Just sure.
And when her lips touched his, it was like warmth meeting warmth — two steady flames finally leaning into each other instead of resisting.
He deepened the kiss, and she let herself fall — not in danger, not in chaos, but in surrender. Safe.
His hands trembled against her skin. She guided them. Let him learn her without fear. Let herself be seen.
There was no rushing.
Just slow, careful fire.
A promise in every breath.
When they parted, still wrapped in the warmth of the spring, Kael rested his forehead against hers.
“I didn’t know I could have this,” he whispered.
“You can,” she murmured. “You do.”
And for the first time in both their lives, the fire around them stilled — not extinguished, not feared.
Held.
End of The Thirteenth Ember Chapter 18. Continue reading Chapter 19 or return to The Thirteenth Ember book page.