The words should feel like relief.
They don’t.
“You can do that?” My voice comes out too careful. Too controlled. “Just… undo it?”
“Not ‘just’ anything,” Lila says. “It would require preparation. A ritual. Time to gather materials and ensure we do it correctly.” She pauses. “But yes. Between Elena and me, we have the power to unravel what was done. To free you both.”
Free.
The word tastes wrong.
“Okay, pause.” I pull my hand from Elena’s. Step back. “Why are you offering this? Like, right now? I’ve been back for all of three hours, and you’re already trying to… What? Separate me from the guy who saved my life?”
God, that sounds ungrateful.
“We’re not trying to separate you from anyone.” Elena’s voice is gentle but firm. The tone she uses when she’s about to tell me something I don’t want to hear. “We’re giving you options, Mara. Choices. Because right now you’re magically bound to someone out of necessity. And that’s not—”
“Not what? Not fair? Not romantic enough?” The words come out sharply. “Sorry if my magical resuscitation device doesn’t fit your fairy tale aesthetic.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Elena’s eyes hold mine. “I just think you should know that you don’t have to stay bound to him just because he saved your life. That there’s another option.”
“And if I don’t want the other option?”
“Then we don’t do it.” Lila’s voice is blunt. Professional. “But you should make that choice knowing what’s possible. Not because you think you’re trapped.”
Trapped.
Am I trapped?
The bond pulses. Distant but present.
He’s too far away. This feels wrong.
“When?” The question comes out hoarse. “When would you do it?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, if you agree.” Lila crosses her arms. “We’d need a day to prepare. Gather materials. But it’s doable.”
Tomorrow afternoon.
Less than twenty-four hours from now, I could be free. Healed. No longer dependent on an ancient dragon king who looks at me sometimes like I’m precious and sometimes like he’s trying to figure out if I’m real or just convenient.
“What happens to him?” I ask. “If you break the bond? Does he feel it?”
Elena and Lila exchange glances.
“He’ll feel it,” Elena says carefully. “Like losing something he didn’t realize he was holding. But he won’t be harmed. It’s not…We’re not hurting him. Just severing a connection that shouldn’t have been created in the first place.”
Shouldn’t have been created.
But itwascreated. And it’s kept me alive. And somewhere in the past week, it became more than just a magical obligation.
Didn’t it?
“Okay,” I hear myself say. “Tomorrow afternoon.”
Elena’s expression shifts. Relief mixed with something that looks like concern. “Are you sure? We don’t have to rush this—”
“I’m sure.” I’m not sure. I’m the opposite of sure. “Just… don’t tell anyone. Let me—” I stop. “Let me figure this out.”
