Araya let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. A second chance—she could do that.
“Of course sir,” she said, willing her pulse to slow. “I’d like that. Truly.”
“Good.” His smile widened slightly. “And please, call me Garrick.”
“Well, that sounds promising.”
Araya twisted as Jaxon crossed the room to squeeze her shoulders, smiling down at her. “Starling, can you go in and get started with Kai while I talk to my father? I’ll be right behind you.”
“Of course,” Araya stood, glancing back at the High Magister—Garrick. “Thank you for the conversation, sir—and the opportunity.”
“Goodbye, Araya. It was a pleasure speaking with you,” Garrick said warmly. “Jaxon will accomplish great things here. I look forward to seeing what you bring to the table.”
Chapter
Seven
Araya steppedinto Jaxon’s office, her gaze snagging on the spread of runesmithing tools laid out across the desk. Every one of them was iron-tipped—for use on fae. Her fingers twitched, a shiver skimming down her spine before she could stop it.
Focus on now,she told herself, taking a deep breath. This was necessary—once it was done she wouldn’t have to think about this again.
Kai looked up from his instruments, a broad grin splitting his face. “Araya,” he greeted her warmly, his tone a sharp contrast to the cruel instruments in front of him. “Ready?”
“Is anyone ever ready?” The words slipped out before she could stop them. In Kaldrath, a non-answer like that would have earned her a slap—or worse. But Kai only chuckled.
“I guess not,” he conceded. “You’re a mage, so I won’t bore you with all the basics. You already know you have two primary runes—ly’ithrato regulate your magic andta’narato—” His voice faltered, and he grimaced slightly. “To suppress fertility. Jaxon requested personal control of thely’ithrarune, withta’narastaying as it is for now.”
Araya nodded, and Kai’s grin widened, his relief evident.
“I’m glad you’re both on the same page with that,” he said. “It’s not always this straightforward.”
“Do you do a lot of bondings?” Araya asked, sinking into one of the leather armchairs in front of the desk as she tried not to let her nerves get the better of her.
Kai’s grin faltered. “Some.” He cleared his throat and busied himself with the iron-tipped instruments on Jaxon’s desk. “Most of them are… transactional.”
Araya knew the kind he meant. She’d seen them too—formal, hollow things that bound fae females to powerful human mages they barely knew. Technically, there were safeguards in place—even Garrick had ensured she knew she had the right to reject Jaxon’s petition.
But accepting meant safety. A warm place to sleep and enough food to eat. The chance to raise your own children, instead of having them ripped from your arms.
How could any female reject that?
“Jaxon’s not like that though,” Kai said, giving her a lopsided smile. “He cares about you—you’re lucky to have him.”
Lucky. Araya had said as much herself to Serafina. So why did it feel like Kai had slapped her across the face?
“Anyway—you know thatly’ithrais a conduit,” Kai continued, oblivious. “It monitors and regulates your magic, ensuring it doesn’t overwhelm you or anyone else. Right now, the Arcanum has control over it, siphoning off any excess power before it becomes dangerous.”
Araya stared at the instruments laid out on the desk, Kai’s words barely registering as her breathing quickened and her heart pounded in her ears. Was she really doing this?
“Araya?” Kai’s voice broke through her panic, soft but steady. “Are you with me?”
“Yes,” she croaked, forcing herself to meet his gaze.
Kai reached into his kit and placed a small blank on the deskbetween them. “We’ll infuse this with your blood to replace Jaxon’s usual amplifier. With the bond, he’ll be able to draw power directly from you and store it, instead of relying on the Arcanum.”
Araya picked it up, examining the porous, yellowed surface. “Bone,” she said, turning it between her fingers. “One of the better amplifiers. How much blood?”
“Just a drop,” Kai reassured her. “The power comes from you—all your blood does is link your magic to the amplifier so Jaxon can draw from it.” He picked up the iron-tipped needle, pausing when she flinched. “Your runes were done at Kaldrath, right?”
