Before — Chapter 48

After Grim abruptly vanishes, citing a breach in the scar, Isla spends hours worrying he might be defeated or poisoned beyond help. Refusing to wait, she secretly portals to Poppy’s room to take more healing serum and then to Grim’s chambers, where she waits in a nightdress.

Grim returns in menacing, barbed armor that makes him look like a creature of the night. When he sheds it, Isla sees he is unharmed. Awkwardness and attraction collide as Isla’s concern turns to desire; she approaches, touches him, and asks him to touch her, explicitly granting consent.

Grim remains careful and still until Isla begs, then responds. He seeks verbal confirmation and pauses repeatedly to ensure her approval, while Isla experiences a new sense of power and agency. Their encounter becomes fully intimate and mutual, with Grim focusing on her and Isla matching him, both acknowledging their draw to each other.

Afterward, Grim tells Isla to remember this closeness the next time she wants to stab him, blending tenderness with their adversarial history. Isla, breathless, agrees, marking a decisive shift in their relationship that will complicate the conflicts ahead.