My darkness is uneasy, reminding me of Prospero’s betrayals in sharp flashes. Remembering he is the one who tookher from me. My bond. Jasmine.
Locked her in his cells, let his men beat her, tried to ki—
Jasmine’s fingers brush against mine. It’s a small, light touch, but I feel it everywhere like a jolt of addictive electricity. Her darkness winds around my hand, sinking into me, and seeking out my flickering rage as she twists it into something calmer.
I want more. I want her touch everywhere. I want to be back in that room, in that bed, with her breaths warming my skin.
But right now, she knows exactly what I need to stay grounded.
I still can’t believe she’s here. With me. Us. That we’re finally at this moment, one that could give us all answers.
I take a breath and focus, staring at the man who once served beside me as a Council member.
Now, a traitor. A corpse.
And I need to know why.
“How long will we have?” I ask Kacey as she finishes painting runes on his forearms.
“Hard to say.” She runs a hand through her hair.
She’s exhausted. Amon told Julien she spent all night healing her sister, well into the early hours, no sleep. But her resolve holds; her hands are steady.
“The sooner we do this, the better,” she murmurs. “I only have a short window of time, and once it’s gone…”
We’ll lose our only chance at finding answers.
Amon moves behind Kacey, his large form easily doubles her, and we all watch with halted breath as his hand lands on her shoulder.
Jasmine flinches, I glance at the others in preparation, but then her fingers tighten around mine.
“They’re bonded,”she sighs into our minds.
And she sounds shocked. Confused. But there’s also the slightest hint of… awe.
No one responds aloud, but my unit’s emotions flood our connection. Jealousy surges most prominently, and I immediately throw up a mental block to dull it from our bond.
Kacey catches Jasmine’s eye, her lips tipping into a shy, wary smile. Jasmine returns a more confident one, that action reassuring Kacey more than any words.
It seems a lot had happened last night.
With a hard nod to us all, Kacey turns back to Prospero, and her skin begins to glow. A stern mask of concentrationsettles upon her face as strands of her hair lift, caught in some invisible current.
Kacey’s hands hover over the head, and ghostly beings form around the room.
We’re ready. We prepared, strategised, and decided Kacey will speak first, then Jasmine, then me. We’ll follow that order until there’s no time left.
Prospero’s chest inflates unnaturally, his spine snapping straight, and when a wet gargle erupts from him, his eyes burst open.
Now, they glow violet, just like Kacey’s.
He scans the room, landing on me, my brother, Julien and Sai, but when he turns to Jasmine, he never looks away.
“You found her,” he rasps. The words a brittle, broken whisper, but he almost sounds… happy.
Forget the fucking order.
“What?” I step forwards. “What the fuck do you mean, youfoundher? She nearly died in your cells. Almost executed under your fucking name.”
