The Duke's Reluctant Bride

Chapter 47: In the Warmth of Silence

In the vast wilderness, the night engulfed the greenery, painting it black. The moon hung high above, bathing everything in silver as the stars blinked faintly across the sky.

A sudden portal tore open in the night, hurling Lucien and Adeline over the middle of a vast lake. They plunged into the water with a heavy splash, not from a great height, but enough to knock the air from their lungs.

Cold surged around them. The lake swallowed their bodies, pulling them into its quiet depths. The impact made Lucien's grip loosen; Adeline slipped from his arms, her icy-blue hair fanning through the dark water. Moonlight pierced the surface above, scattering into ribbons that shimmered over her pale skin as she sank slowly, her body twitching weakly against the pull of the water.

Lucien kicked downward, reaching through the murk until his hand found her wrist. Her eyes were closed, blood spilling from her nose and lips—she was still bleeding. Each breath she tried to take escaped as a trail of bubbles. The earlier backlash had drained her strength.

He drew her against him, one arm braced around her shoulders as he pressed a palm to her cheek, turning her face toward his. Adeline's eyes were closed—she was dazed, but alive. Her chest heaved, fighting for breath that wouldn't come.

Seeing her struggle, Lucien didn't hesitate. He leaned in and sealed his lips over hers, forcing air into her lungs. Her chest lifted faintly beneath his arm as warmth and breath mingled in the cold silence of the lake.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then her body shuddered; a thin stream of bubbles slipped past her lips as life stirred back into her lungs. Lucien tightened his hold, driving her upward until they broke through the surface together, gasping for the night air.

They soon drifted toward the shallows, exhausted, clinging to one another as the ripples faded around them. Above the lake, the torn air stitched itself closed where the portal had been, leaving only moonlight and the sound of their ragged breaths.

Adeline slipped into unconsciousness soon after.

She felt herself being carried, carefully, as if she were made of glass. Every movement was steady, deliberate, and gentle, keeping her from pain. Through the blur of her fading awareness, she sensed the world around her: the soft rush of water, the brush of cold air against her skin, and the rhythmic thud of Lucien's heartbeat where her head rested.

When he set her down, her back met something solid, a tree trunk. It felt rough but grounding, keeping her upright. She heard his boots crunch against the damp earth, the sound growing fainter with each step until silence pressed in.

Time slipped by, then his footsteps returned, accompanied by the rustle of branches. A moment later, something clattered softly to the ground. Wood.

Half awake, Adeline's thoughts stirred faintly:

The sound of branches? Is he planning to light a fire?

She shifted slightly, realizing how wise the idea was. The night breeze slipped through her damp clothes, sending the cold deeper into her skin. A little warmth from a fire would help.

Nearby, she heard the scrape of metal, the faint strike of flint against steel. Then again. A pause. Another spark.

Through her closed eyes, she caught flickers of light, tiny bursts breaking the darkness. The soft crackle came next, tentative at first, then steadier as warmth began to creep into the air.

Even if she was half-conscious, she could sense it, the faint orange glow brushing the darkness behind her eyelids, the gentle pulse of fire pushing back the cold night.