Seliel's POV

"Do you know where Cole is?" I ask the guard stationed at the entrance to the princess' wing. I tap my foot against the ground. The sound echoes through the hallway.

Today when I was taking a refreshments break during my etiquette lessons, a group of guards walked right next to the room. They were gossiping, as usual, but this time, their topic of discussion actually interested me. Acting like I was sick, I excused myself from the lessons and followed them from afar to try to listen in some more.

I tiptoed through the halls, the sound of their voices drowning out that of my movement. To make sure I wasn't seen, I quickly dashed behind objects, hiding behind corners and statues. When they would look back, my heart would pound, but they never found me.

Before I could check with Cole about whether or not he already knew about the news, I was summoned for dinner. I quickly shoveled down my food to try to speed up the meal, but since Sebastian is such a slow eater, I had to wait an eternity to be excused. As soon as I was, I

went out on a hunt for Cole. I started by searching both the kitchen and the courtyard (his two favorite places), but he was nowhere to be seen.

The guard deeply bows at me, his helmet basically pressed up against his knees. "Your personal guard passed through here about an hour ago, your majesty."

"Thank you." I waste no time, making a beeline for my room. I navigate the hallways with all of their twists and turns, huffing and puffing by the time that I reach my door.

Without hesitation, I throw it open. I immediately spot the broad silhouette leaning against the banister. The wind blows his hair, making it flutter as he stares out at the horizon where the stars fill the sky.

I quietly approach him from behind, and while he usually notices me even when I'm trying to be stealth, he doesn't even twitch. He stays steady as a rock.

I let out a sigh as I stop beside him, leaning on the banister too. "It's a beautiful night."

I look over at him expecting to see some sort of a smile, but instead, there's only a frown. The dim light from the lanterns down in the courtyard softly shine on Cole's eyes, revealing their moisture. I tilt my head, slightly frowning.

"What's wrong? You didn't pick me up from dinner," I place a hand on his shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze.

"I'm sorry, Princess," he refuses to meet my eyes, his face still trained forward.

I take a step closer to him,"I'm not upset with you, just concerned. It's not like you."

However, he takes a step away from me, still avoiding my gaze. "I'll be leaving in a few days. I'm going to come back, but if things don't go to plan..."

My arms drop to my side, my heart exploding. "You're leaving? I have such little time left here, and you're going to leave?" I take a step away from him, my eyes watering. A wave of numbness crashes across my skin.

Cole keeps his eyes focused downwards. "My friends need me..."

"I need you!" His words light a fire in me. My hands slightly shake as the tears start to fall from my eyes, so I curl them into fists. "I need you to protect me! I need you to stop them from forcing me out of this realm!"

"If I can help my friends, you won't have to leave the realm."

I shake my head, dismissing his impossible excuse as my stomach churns. My conflicting emotions war inside of me. With another look at his face, my chest tightens. The urge to keep him here overtakes me. "I need you here so that someone is on my side when everyone else is against me. I need you here so that I'm not lonely. I need you here so that I have something to look forward to. I need you here so that I don't spend the last bit of my freedom longing for a man who I won't be able to see again."

The silence after my words is deafening. My feelings hang in the air, unrequited and slicing up my heart. My hands reach up to cover my face as a puddle of my tears pools at my feet. My body shakes with each sob. Each inhale feels like I'm being stabbed in my chest over and over again. The man I thought would do anything for me is leaving me hanging during my darkest hour.

"Please don't cry, Princess," his hand touches my back, and I instantly jerk up, using both of my hands to try to push him away. When he doesn't budge, I push harder, desperately trying to get him further away from me to distance myself from the pain. I sloppily bring my arm up to wipe away my tears before angrily throwing all of my body weight into my shove.

I tug at my hair, clenching my jaw as the tears continue to fall. "I was so dumb! Dumb for thinking that you were by my side for anything other than your duty! Dumb for thinking that you ever actually cared about me getting married off. You're probably relieved, aren't you? That you can finally leave the shackles of the palace and go back to your treasured friends who never even cared enough to come here and see you. Ugh...I really was dumb, dumb for thinking that there was any chance that you had feelings for me, too."

I turn my back to him, the searing pain in my chest growing as my head pounds from the crying. My feet start to carry me away, desperate to spare me from any more pain or embarrassment.

"Please stay, Princess," I glance back at him, the man who can always compose himself in any situation, the man who is as steady. Except now, he isn't. His shoulders droop and shake as sobs escape his lips. He fidgets with his fingers before he brings the sleeve of his shirt up to wipe up his tears. The sight shakes me, my feet nearly walking towards him, but I hold my ground.

"Why? You're not gonna come back, so why should I stay now? People are always going to abandon me. None of my babysitters ever came back because they thought I was too difficult. Anyone I tried to become friends with when I was little was scared off. My father and brother are going to sell me off to a king in another realm and leave me to be a baby machine. I should have known that you were no different than all of them. Clearly I'm not worth coming back for," I whip my head away from him, the sight of his face just making everything ache so much more.

I hear a deep sigh behind me. "The master of earth, I'm sure you thought that he abandoned you too?"

I freeze, my breath caught in my chest as confusion falls over me. I spin around, the tears still falling as I look at him. "H-how do you know about..."

"How do I know about what? How you wandered away from the king while looking for a flower? How you were almost torn apart by wolves? How you were saved by a giant stone wall? How you were promised a visit when you were older?" he walks over to me, but this time, I can't move away. Even though his eyes are puffy, they still trap and entrance me.

He reaches up, cupping the side of my face, and although the tears falling down my cheeks beg me to pull away, I can't help but crumble at his touch. "How could I forget the day that I met you?"

My eyes widen as I look up at him, my heart pounding in my chest as my muddled brain tries to piece things together. "Are you saying what I think you're..."

"I would never abandon you. I didn't then, and I won't now," he stares down at me with his deep brown, earthy eyes, and through this new lense, I can see the adoration behind them as he looks at me.

Everything makes so much sense: his unnatural combat ability, his insane strength, his lack of pop culture knowledge, his abundance of history knowledge. That day when we went out to train in the courtyard and he freaked out, it reminded him of when he was with his friends. They had to split up, and I never understood why they didn't just talk to each other, but now I do. His friends, the elemental masters of creation, truly could keep me from having to go.

Everything I felt for him makes sense. My immediate attraction to him, the comfort I feel when I'm around him, the way he never leaves my mind, it's all because we truly are meant to be together. He's my soulmate.

My hands shoot out in front of me, instantly gripping onto the collar of Cole's shirt and pulling him downwards. Without hesitation, he follows where my hands are guiding him until his lips are pressed against mine.

My heart races as our lips start to move against each other, his molding perfectly with mine. His strong hands find their way to my waist. When he pulls me closer so that I'm pressed against his firm, sculpted torso, it's like I'm in my own personal heaven.

Every part of me is alive at his touch. The way his hands trail up and down my back sends shivers through my whole body, driving me to move my lips faster. I'm weightless.

When we pull apart, I'm breathless, staring up at Cole with slightly wide eyes as I try to process everything. I stand on my tip toes, reaching up and running my hand through his soft hair like I've always wanted. "Why not tell me sooner?"

"I wanted to make sure that you liked me for me, not because you felt obligated because of us being soulmates or my powers," he stares down at me in awe, twirling a strand of my hair around his finger.

"Did you get your answer?"

The question brings a smile to his lips, and in a flash, he scoops me off of my feet, drawing a laugh from my lips. He starts to walk forward so that we're completely in my room. After kicking the door closed behind us, he brings me to my bed, dumping me on it before lying beside me.

"Yes, and now..." he brushes a strand of hair out of my face. We stare into each other's eyes, and I can't help but feel vulnerable in the best way possible. "...you're finally mine."

---

Nya's POV

I lean against the cave wall, dripping in sweat. It's a hot box in here. All of the heat is stuck, and it just keeps recirculating. It has to be at least 90 degrees in here. My skin is melting off, especially underneath the bandages that Jay put on my hands.

"Jay, please sit down. You've been at this for hours. You're going to hurt yourself," I urge my soulmate.

For a while, Jay and I kept trying to dig our way out, but it always seemed like there was no end. Then, when Jay noticed I was bleeding, he forced me to take a break, and he treated my wounds. When I tried to rejoin him in the effort, he didn't let me, insisting on using a different method that I couldn't help with.

For the past couple of hours, he's been harnessing his powers into hyper charged lightning bolts in an attempt to force our way through the rocks. While it seemed promising at first, the fact that we aren't out several hours later shows its ineffectiveness.

"I'm so close, Nya. We're gonna get out soon," he pants, running one of his hands through his soaked, sweaty hair. He ditched his shirt several hours ago, so now his drenched torso is on full display, glistening in the firelight.

I can't help but feel guilty over the way my stomach flutters, and I go breathless at the sight. He's out here pushing himself to the limits trying to get us out, and here I am getting turned on by the way his muscles look and his voice sounds and the extent of his powers.

"It'll be pointless if only one of us gets out. You're pushing yourself too far," I stare at him as he charges up his fingers again. He holds his hands out in front of them, and soon, electricity starts to flicker in between them. The current grows bigger and bigger before Jay throws one hand in front of him. The lightning bolt whips out in front of Jay, his other hand shooting it out so that it hits the rocks with a loud clap. However, they just absorb and disperse the energy.

I sigh. "They're conductors, Jay. You're not phasing them."

"One..." he lets out a cough, "...more. I have another in me."

I clench my jaw, standing up. "It's not going to do anything. Please, just sit with me and brainstorm, we can..."

He lifts his hands again, and a small current forms between them. It starts to grow, the crackling filling the air. However, the current starts to flicker, gaining inconsistency.

"Jay, stop."

He purses his lips, flexing his muscles to try to exert the energy needed to generate what he needs. He shuts his eyes, but it continues to flicker. It suddenly starts to grow, becoming steady again.

That is before it completely stops, Jay's knees buckling beneath him as he collapses on the ground. My heart stops as I rush over to him, falling to my knees, so I can reach his body.

I pull his frame into my arms while elevating his head off of the ground.

Frantically, I bring two fingers to the side of his neck right below his jawline, searching for his pulse. When I find it, it's weak. It faintly drums beneath my fingers. My hands start to tremble as I dig around my brain for what to do.

"Jay, Jay, you're okay, shhh," I shakily run a hand through his sweat coated hair, not caring.

He doesn't stir at all by my gesture, and worst of all, I notice the lack of energy on his skin. While his skin is usually brimming with electricity, ready to zap me on contact, right now, it feels so mundane.

My chest is tight, my stomach in knots as I hold onto him, unsure of what I can do to help him. I grip onto him tightly. My eyes water as I look down at his fragile state. I just got him back, and now he might be slipping away all over again. I should have pulled him away when I had the chance.

I hold him in my arms for what feels like an eternity, finding a shred of comfort in the way that his chest continues to rise and fall. Tears slowly fall from my eyes, meshing with the sweat on his chest.

My eyes shift to his face, rubbing his cheek gently with my thumb before I leave a soft kiss on his forehead. "Rest. I'll protect you until you're ready."

A/N: Sorry for the late update again I'm so bad

There was another part of this chapter that I split into next chapter, so a bit of the hype thart I created for this chapter is REALLY for the next

Thoughts?

Thank you all for sticking around! You're the best