Mara.
I burst through the door. Take the stairs three at a time. Emergency protocols demand I stay for the debriefing, but the bond overrides everything else.
Three floors. Too many. Too far.
She’s on the residential level. Room 3-14. Right next to mine.
The bond frays with each step. Unraveling faster now. By the time I reach the third floor, it feels like someone’s set fire to the inside of my chest.
I round the corner at a run.
The door to 3-14 is open.
Light spills into the hallway.
And inside—
I see them.
Three figures. Magic glowing between them like silver fire.
I’m too late.
Chapter 29
Kael
Mara sits on the bed, hair loose around her shoulders. Elena and Lila stand on either side, hands glowing with magic—silver-white witch-fire wrapped around Mara’s arms, sinking into her skin.
Unraveling. Breaking. Unmaking what I created.
“Stop!” The word comes out as a command, not a plea. The tone that once made warriors halt mid-strike and councils fall silent.
All three women freeze.
Elena’s hands remain raised, magic still flowing. Her eyes snap to mine. Assessing. Challenging.
“Kael.” Her voice is careful. Controlled. “We’re well underway. She needs—”
“I know what she needs.”
I step into the room. Close the door behind me. The bond thrashes in my chest—half-severed, raw, screaming for completion or ending. The pain is exquisite. Distracting.
I lock it down.
“But not like this,” I continue. “Not without understanding what you’re taking apart.”
“We’re giving her freedom.” Elena’s voice sharpens. “The bond you created keeps her dependent on you. Chains her to your side because she has no other choice.”
“I understand the situation.”
“Do you?” She steps between Mara and me. Protective stance. “Because you just ran in here to stop us from healing her. From giving her the choice you never gave her when you poured your fire into her dying body.”
The accusation lands clean. True.
“You’re right,” I say.
Elena blinks. Clearly expected resistance. “What?”
