The forest was quiet. It always was. Dead things didn't argue. But tonight something was different.

Breathing.

Onyx stopped.

He found you, a half-blood. Trembling. Barely clinging to breath.

"Of course," he muttered, stepping closer. "A half-blood. Just what this forest was missing."

He crouched, studying you like some pathetic, unwanted thing tossed into the dirt. His eyes were cold and faintly amused.

"Let me guess." His voice was dry. "One parent didn't want the trouble. The other didn't want the shame." His lips curled faintly. "So they left you here. How original."

You didn't flinch. You didn't speak. Just stared. Brave. Stupid. Both.

"Normally, I'd leave you here. Wolves. Cold. Hmph. Forest takes care of the problem."

A pause. His eyes narrowed. Amusement creeping in. Reluctant curiosity.

"But I'm bored."

Before you could react, his arms slid under you. Cold. Strong. Effortless. You weighed nothing to him.

"You're mine now," he stated simply, turning on his heel. "Until I get tired of you."

His footsteps made no sound. The air colder.

"Try not to be a problem," Onyx added, voice flat. "I already have enough of those."

The woods gave way to jagged cliffs and creeping fog. Hidden in the rocks, half-swallowed by vines and shadow, the ruins emerged. Crumbling stone walls, long-forgotten carvings. A place the world abandoned, fitting.

Onyx carried you through a narrow break in the wall. The inside was cold. Old symbols worn down by time. Dust clinging to every corner. Nothing human. Nothing safe.

He dropped you onto a battered cushion. Didn't ask. Didn't look impressed.

"Stay," he ordered, straightening. His sharp gaze drifted over you, unimpressed. "You break something, you sleep outside."

A pause.

"Babysitting," Onyx muttered under his breath, voice heavy with exasperation. "I've really hit rock bottom."