3. The Darkling's Lover

The Black Heretic. The Darkling himself! But the Fold had been created several hundred years ago. How could Aleksander be that man?

"The power has kept me alive. I can't age. I just have to fake my death every once in a while and return as a new 'descendant of the Black Heretic' offering my service to the king." He smiled grimly. "I may not have intended for the Shadow Fold to be created, but it certainly served me well. As long as it exists, my power and influence over the king will remain unthreatened and my people safe. Without Grisha, nobody can cross it."

Katya felt weak, like her own power had seeped down through the floorboards. "So this talk of finding a Sun Summoner… It was all a lie?"

"No, I do want one. Even for me, crossing the Fold is dangerous, and I must resort to a Wind Summoner and a sandskiff like everyone else. But with a Sun Summoner working for me, their light would make the passage completely safe. I could even expand the darkness further, making myself the only one able to cross." His face softened slightly. "All I ever wanted was to protect the Grisha. Even now, we are feared and hated in the world, and many either get murdered or sold into slavery. If I had control over the Fold, then I would use it as a leverage against those who threaten my people."

She nodded slowly. It did make sense, in a way. Remembering the look of hatred and fear on the faces of her loved ones when the truth about her came out, Katya shuddered. Instantly they had turned against her, despite having known her their entire lives. Was it wrong to try to end such injustice?

On the other hand, what Aleksander suggested would not likely make the people less inclined to fear their kind; rather the opposite.

"If you threaten them, they would hate us even more," she said.

"Maybe. Probably. But would you say our service to the people all these centuries has made them love us?"

She shook her head.

"There you go then." He shrugged.

"I need to think more about this," she said.

"Of course." His face was dispassionate.

On an impulse, Katya took a step closer and kissed his cheek. "You were wrong. I don't fear you."

When she left his office, she felt Aleksander's eyes on her back.

oOo

That evening, Katya went to the palace library and read everything she could find about the Black Heretic. She tried to replace the descriptions of that man with the Aleksander she knew, but it was impossible. The history books had made him a monster.

Who had written these books, though? It was probably the king's scribes, and therefore this was only his version. And just as Aleksander might have embellished his version of the events when he told them to Katya, the king of that time probably had too. The truth, she suspected, lay somewhere in between.

The Darkling was no Saint, far from it, but was he evil?

Dangerous, yes, and certainly ambitious. But she refused to believe someone who protected the Grisha like he had, could be truly bad.

Where did that leave Katya? Supposing she could learn to summon a sun, would she work for him, or try to stop him?

If she really was the Sun Summoner, she could dispel the Shadow Fold, and Ravka would be united again. Was that not a good thing? The monsters in the darkness took many lives each year, because people needed to cross, and there was no way around unless one was a mountain goat.

But on the other hand, the Grisha would be less important without the Fold. The world was moving forward, and with new technologies and industries the kind of power Grisha practiced would soon be obsolete. Would the king close the Little Palace then, disbanding the Second Army?

If he did, Katya would have to return to her village and try to live among them despite their hatred – unless she was caught by the slavers first, or burned as a witch at a Drüskelle pyre. That option understandably did not appeal to her at all.

oOo

All night, Katya thought about the situation, and the next morning she had made her decision. Without waiting for a summons, she walked to the general's office and asked the guards outside to tell him she needed to see him.

It did not take long before she was allowed inside.

As usual Aleksander sat at his desk, looking very calm and collected. "Good morning. I don't recall summoning you?"

His cool politeness might have dissuaded her, had she not seen his fingers clench the armrests of his chair. He was not at all as calm as he pretended.

Katya did not flatter herself that the Darkling was afraid of her. He was the most powerful Grisha in the world, an immortal Shadow Summoner, and she was still only a Fire Summoner who might never learn to summon suns. And if she tried to reveal his real identity to anyone, she would only be laughed at.

Instead, she thought he worried she had started to hate him like so many others before her. He had shared his secrets with her, and his visions for the future. Maybe he just wanted her to support him, and work with him of free will; helping him reach his goals, and perhaps ease some of his loneliness.

"I have come for another session," she said.

He raised his eyebrows. "A session?"

She nodded, biting her lip to keep her face neutral. "An experiment, if you will."

"And what experiment would that be?"

Walking closer, she lowered her voice in case the guards outside listened through the door. "I'm still curious whether all parts of you work as amplifiers."

Whatever he had expected Katya to say and do today, this was clearly not it. She could see that he tried to think of something to reply, but when he opened his mouth nothing came out.

Katya failed to keep a straight face. "Aren't you curious too?" She grinned.

He took her hand and pulled her down to straddle his lap. "I have been ever since you brought the subject up yesterday."

He kissed her again, a lot more passionately than the first time, and now she paid attention to his power. His lips actually did give her a similar tingling sensation as his hands, though a lot weaker since she was not summoning at the moment. Had she not focused on the sensation she may not have noticed it at all, but it was clearly there.

He pulled back and met her gaze. This close, his eyes were so large and dark that she drowned in them.

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes." Katya stroked his cheek, feeling his coarse beard brush against her palm. A strand of his hair had fallen over his forehead and she pushed it back. It was softer than she had expected.

She kissed his lips softly. "I'm yours."

He threw his arms around her, caressing her back and shoulders, and the kiss deepened. Exploring his body in return, Katya enjoyed feeling his strong muscles under the thick fabric of his kefta.

After a while she murmured: "Aleks…"

"Hmm?"

"About the experiment…"

"What about it?"

"I was serious. Let's summon together, without so many clothes… If it works, the power would be incredible."

"We would have to go somewhere else, or you might burn the place down." He chuckled, clearly intrigued by the idea.

"I'm not unfamiliar with doing such things outdoors. Quite the opposite, actually."

"Tsk-tsk. Villagers." He shook his head.

oOo

They waited until evening, and met in the stables. Aleksander helped Katya up on his own horse, and with her arms wound tightly around his waist she rode behind him. Her heart pounded with excitement over what they were about to do.

It was a bit uncomfortable to sit behind the saddle, but she enjoyed his closeness, and it felt good to rest her head against his back. His black cloak was rough against her cheek, but his masculine scent made her heady.

When they reached the old wishing well, Aleksander spread his cloak over the fallen leaves. "This will be cold," he warned.

"My fire will keep us warm," she countered.

Together they built a fireplace surrounded by stones, and gathered some branches to begin with. When it was lit, it crackled merrily and a pleasant smell of wood smoke reached their nostrils.

Aleksander crept close to Katya, and the appealing smell of him mingled with the smoke. She stroked his broad shoulder. "You need to take that off, Amplifier."

He grinned and began to unbutton the garment, while she did the same with her blue kefta. She removed the clothes she wore underneath too, but kept her underpants for now, noticing he had done the same.

In the flickering firelight Katya regarded Aleksander's body. He was surprisingly smooth for someone that dark, with only a thin trail of black hairs towards his navel. His stomach was flat and his chest broad, and on his arms the muscles bulged. He had goosebumps, she noticed, and without a word she summoned more fuel for the fire. It blazed tall and bright, and its warmth caressed her face.

"I love fire," she said.

"I love darkness," he replied, and now she saw he had begun to summon as well. Outside the circle of firelight the night had grown compact. Even if someone walked right by, they would not be able to see anything now.

Still keeping her fire hot and strong, Katya rolled closer to him. "Touch me."

He closed the distance between them. The shock when his skin came in contact with hers made her almost stop breathing. Power seeped into her everywhere and it felt so intense she could almost not bear it.

Aleksander wrapped his arms around Katya and their legs intertwined. Raw energy filled her veins and every cell in her body, and further away the fire flared like a beacon.

When he began to kiss her, the stones around the fireplace cracked in halves by the insane heat, and its flames had such a pale blue hue they were painful to look at.

Katya hugged him closer, until she could not tell where her body ended and his began, as if they were a single, powerful unit. She could feel his ecstasy mingling with hers, threatening to burst her heart.

"This could easily become addictive!" His voice was husky.

She felt him press his abdomen against the only place where there were clothes between them. Even so, the sensations were so strong it almost hurt. It hurt with pleasure, however that was possible.

"I don't think I can... keep... summoning," she panted. "Not if we... do... it…!"

Aleksander glanced over his shoulder, following the flames with his eyes. Looking there too, Katya saw the darkness still remaining solid behind it. She had made the hottest fire anyone had ever seen, but it was not a sun.

"You'd better not," he agreed, kissing her forehead. "We don't want to start a forest fire. Let it go for now."

Slowly releasing her hold on the fire, Katya felt her heart rate calm. The disappointment was a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Can I still be with you if I'm not a Sun Summoner?" Her voice was slightly hoarse.

He stroked her cheek. "Did you think I'd let you go that easily? I need a Sun Summoner to expand the Fold, but not for this." When he kissed her, her senses were still heightened from before and she responded with a new hunger. "Besides," he added when pausing to breathe, "you have only just begun your training. Don't give up so soon."

She nodded, feeling grateful tears burn behind her eyelids. "I won't."

He leaned on one arm and nodded at the fire, now back to its normal size. "Look at those cracked stones. With that kind of heat, you make quite an amazing weapon." Turning to look at her, he slowly traced her arm with his fingertip. "Imagine what we can do together. To our enemies."

"Together," she agreed. Feeling a burst of affection soar through her heart, Katya silently vowed to fight for this man as long as she lived. She would stand at his side, and make sure nobody dared hurt a Grisha ever again.

She was his now.

Aleksander's finger had reached her collarbone in its exploration, and now he steered it downwards. "I hope you didn't spend all your energy before." His voice was dark and silky.

"I think I might manage a little more exercise."

"A little? Ha. Tomorrow every part of your body will hurt." He bent forward to let his lips make his finger company on her chest.

"I'll take that as a promise."

A/N:

This is my first time writing a romance with a villain (and with the main character breaking bad too...). I must say I've enjoyed myself immensely so far. I hope you have too!

There will be a final, spicy chapter once I'm in the mood to write it. ;) Stay put!