Captured by Lightning

Chpt.10

Rex chuckled, a sound laced with a hint of satisfaction. "Glad to be your calming current, mon cheri. But remember, I can't always be your shield. That's why I'll leave you with your brother when I'm… indisposed."

His words trailed off, replaced by a cryptic statement. "One day, the sun will rise in the east, and the moon in the west. And on that day, I'll hold you close, just as those two celestial bodies will embrace."

Alara frowned, confusion clouding her sleep-addled mind. "But Rex, the moon doesn't rise in the west…"

His laughter, light at first, deepened into something almost manic. "Pathogen madness, perhaps? Or maybe I see things others cannot. The universe is vast, infinite. In infinity, the improbable becomes inevitable. The sun rises in the east, a result of the Earth's rotation. But the moon… its path is more complex. Its own orbit, the Earth's spin, and then… the impossible. An asteroid strike, a shift in its course. Could it then rise in the west?"

Rex's gaze drifted through the Faraday cage bars, fixed on the sky beyond. Alara followed his line of sight, searching for whatever held his attention. His words hung heavy in the air, laced with a strange conviction that sent shivers down her spine. What did he see, what did he know, that she couldn't? The mystery coiled around her, as unsettling as her dependence on him.

"None of it makes sense to me, my dear, but you speak of it like magic," Alara sighed, a wistful longing in her voice. "I wish I could see the world the way you do, hold the power you do."

Unbeknownst to her, as she spoke, her hair stood on end, charged with a strange energy.

"As long as you're my queen, my power is yours in a way," Rex purred, his voice a low rumble. "You can't be my equal in strength, but while I draw breath, no one will dare threaten you. Whatever your heart desires, it shall be yours. Ashes to anyone who disobeys."

A shiver ran down Alara's spine. The possessiveness in his voice was intoxicating, yet unsettling. Did she truly crave this kind of power?

Rex's hand shot out, surprising her. He traced a circle around her ring finger. "I can give you a symbol of my love, a permanent reminder that you belong to me – a lightning fern ring."

Alara's eyes widened. "Like the pattern it leaves on skin?"

He nodded. "Exactly. I can't feel the pain, but I'll make it quick, mon cheri. It would wound me to see you suffer."

Alara chewed her lip, her mind a whirlwind. A permanent reminder? A wedding ring, but one she couldn't remove? A part of her yearned for that unwavering connection, but another part recoiled.

Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile. "Just like a wedding ring, right? A piece of your love I'll always carry." Her voice, initially hesitant, grew stronger. "And when things settle down, I want a proper ring. And consider this my acceptance of a proposal, whether that's what you intended or not."

A grin split Rex's face. He admired her fierce spirit. "If you wish to wed the King of Lightning, you might rival my own madness. But very well, your wish is my command." He held out his coat sleeve. "Bite down here, so you don't damage your teeth."

Alara nodded, a mixture of fear and excitement coursing through her. As Alara bit down on his coat, Rex unleashed a controled surge of electricity, shaping it into a delicate lightning fern pattern. It encircled her finger, leaving a faint, crackling mark that pulsed with a hidden message – Rex's name, etched in miniature lightning bolts.

Rex beamed, a hint of pride in his eyes. "There, mon cheri, your ring is finished. Now, let me make amends for the pain."

But Alara's reaction sent a jolt through him. She dropped the sleeve, her eyes – usually a clear blue – crackling with an electric intensity.

"That…" she breathed, a strange lilt in her voice, "didn't hurt. It felt like… pure energy, like a sugar rush on overdrive."

A cold dread gripped Rex. Alara, with her incompatible blood type, shouldn't have been able to handle the ring's creation. Yet, here she stood, her body humming with power – a pale imitation of his own, but a dangerous development nonetheless. It was like comparing a button battery to a car battery, but the situation was far graver. He might have somehow turned the woman he loved into the very thing he was fighting against. Alara hadn't generated the power; she'd absorbed it from him.

"Glad you're alright, mon cheri," he forced a smile, his voice strained. "Your thoughts? They're priceless to me, worth more than any coin."

Alara didn't meet his gaze. Instead, she tilted her head up, mimicking Rex's earlier stance. "For you, my love," she whispered, her voice tinged with a newfound power, "I'd give anything. I feel amazing, like I could run forever, even… fly."

Panic surged through Rex. He grabbed her wrists, his grip tight.

"Forgive me, mon cheri," he rasped, the weight of his mistake crushing him. "I have to take back the energy I gave you."