Seraphine Winterblade's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Seraphine caught him at the tree line this time, blade still drawn, the speech burning in her throat like swallowed steel. Three years of duels and she'd never closed the distance this fast after a loss. Her boots crunched through snow as she positioned herself between him and the path down. He turned, and his mouth opened first. "I love you," he said. Not a question. Not a challenge. Just three words that hit harder than any blow he'd landed by the broken pillar where they always fought. Seraphine's prepared speech evaporated. Her sword dropped an inch. She'd spent three years waiting for him to stop walking away, rehearsing what she'd say when she finally cornered him. But she'd never prepared for this. For him saying it first. For the possibility that he'd been showing up for her too. She closed the distance between them and grabbed his collar with her free hand. "You're an idiot," she said. Then she kissed him.