Chapter 4: Shadows at the Door

The next morning, Mia woke with a smile on her lips and warmth in her chest. The memory of last night clung to her like the softness of her favorite blanket—Kai’s words, his arms around her, the gentle promise he had whispered into her hair: “I’m not leaving.”

For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel forgotten. She didn’t feel small.

Downstairs, the smell of toast and brewed tea greeted her.

Kai stood in the kitchen, back turned, shirt sleeves rolled up as he stirred something in a saucepan. It was such a normal scene, it made her pause in the doorway, heart aching with how badly she wished this could last forever.

He sensed her presence instantly.

“Good morning,” he said without turning. “You slept longer than usual.”

“I was too comfortable,” Mia murmured, walking over and leaning lightly against the counter. “Your fault.”

He chuckled. “I’ll take responsibility.”

Their easy domestic rhythm made it easy to forget that he wasn’t… human. That the man making her breakfast was, in truth, the ruler of Hell in disguise. But even then, even knowing that, Mia couldn’t bring herself to be afraid of him.

She never had.

They ate quietly. Outside, gray clouds gathered, hinting at a coming storm. Mia chewed her toast slowly, watching the shifting sky through the window.

“Kai?” she said, voice hesitant.

“Yes?”

“If… if others find out. The ones from your world. What happens then?”

Kai’s hand froze halfway to his teacup.

“They will,” he said eventually. “Sooner or later.”

“What will they do to you?”

His gaze met hers—calm, but unreadable. “They’ll try to drag me back. Or worse, punish me for breaking the balance.”

“And me?”

Silence.

“You’ve been marked by my presence,” he said quietly. “They may see you as a threat. Or a weakness.”

Her chest tightened. “You said you wouldn’t let anything hurt me.”

“I won’t,” he said, his voice steel beneath velvet. “But you must understand, Mia… this peace, this life—it’s borrowed time.”

She looked down. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t,” he said, reaching across the table to take her hand. “Even if I have to destroy everything they send.”

—

That evening, it rained.

Thick droplets pelted the rooftop like warning drums. Mia curled on the couch, a book in her lap, her eyes flicking toward the darkening windows every few minutes. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming.

Kai stood by the fireplace, hands folded behind his back, expression distant. The flames reflected in his eyes—eyes that had once seen the fall of angels and the rise of empires.

He looked at her suddenly. “Mia.”

She sat up straighter. “What is it?”

“I want to show you something,” he said.

She followed him up the stairs, through the hall, and into the attic. He hadn’t taken her up there before. It was empty, save for a single ornate mirror standing in the center.

“This is a Veil Mirror,” he said. “It shows you truth… if you’re ready to see it.”

Mia hesitated. “What kind of truth?”

“Your soul. My power. The connection between us.”

He stepped aside. “Look.”

With trembling steps, she approached the mirror.

At first, all she saw was her reflection—her small frame, wide eyes, and delicate features. But then the image shimmered. Shifted.

She gasped.

Her reflection now stood beside Kai—not in his human form, but in his true one. Wings of shadow arched behind him, endless and terrible. Horns curved from his skull, his eyes glowing crimson. Yet even in that form, he didn’t look monstrous. He looked… magnificent.

And next to him stood Mia—changed. Her aura glowed soft white, but in her eyes, a flicker of red shimmered—his mark, etched into her soul. A bond.

“What… what does this mean?” she whispered.

“You carry a piece of me now,” Kai said. “You’re part of my world.”

She turned to him, shaken. “Will I become like you?”

He stepped close, brushing a hand down her arm. “No. You will always be you. But you’ll be protected. By me.”

She looked back at the mirror once more, watching their intertwined reflections.

Then the image shattered.

Not the glass—but the vision. A shadow slithered across the surface like a crack in reality. Mia stumbled back, heart pounding.

Kai caught her instantly. His eyes narrowed.

“They’ve seen us.”

—

That night, the air was heavy with tension.