The bond screamed her distress, the connection between us a lifeline and a torment all at once. My vision blurred as I staggered back toward the mansion, my shadows clawing at the walls in a frenzy. Each step felt like wading through quicksand, my body fighting against the sheer force of her anguish.
And then, like a lightning strike, clarity pierced through the chaos.
My father.
My waning magic had allowed him to detect her, to see her as the human she really was, not a prisoner of war.Fuck.
The thought sent a chill racing down my spine, colder than the wind tearing through the estate. He’d promised to destroy everything I held dear.
I gritted my teeth, my hands balling into fists. If he’d taken her, if he’d dared lay a hand on her?—
My vision darkened at the edges, fury drowning out every other emotion.
“I’ll fucking kill him.”
But first, I had to find her. Save her.
I broke into a full sprint toward the house. She was alive, I could feel that much. But she was in pain, and that pain was bleeding into me, a sharp, searing ache that made my vision blur at the edges.
I tore through the mansion, heading for the basement—his quarters. The air grew colder with every step, his oppressive magic pressing in on me from all sides. When I reached the heavy doors, I slammed into an invisible barrier that jolted me back.
“What the fuck?” I growled, my shadows recoiling from the impact. I pressed my hands against the invisible wall, pushing against it with my magic, but it didn’t budge. He’d reinforced his quarters with barriers I couldn’t penetrate, a cruel mockery of my own faltering powers. No wonder I couldn’t detect Vivian’s necklace. The son of a bitch had warded his quarters, and my weakening magic couldn’t penetrate them.
I could feel her on the other side. The bond flickered wildly, her pain and terror bleeding through in waves that left me shaking. My fists slammed against the barrier, my shadows lashing out uselessly. “Vivian!” I roared, my voice cracking with desperation.
The agony I felt coming from her was both physical and emotional, a raw, unfiltered scream of fear and helplessness that made something inside me snap. My shadows surged again, slamming into the barrier with enough force to rattle the walls, but it held firm.
“Damn you!” I bellowed. “Let me in, you coward!”
But there was no answer, only the suffocating silence of the basement and the echoes of my own voice. I punched the barrieragain, the impact reverberating up my arm. Breathing hard, I stepped back, the bond screaming at me to act, to do something.
For the first time in years, I felt completely and utterly powerless.
“I swear to every fucking god,” I snarled, “if you hurt her, I will rip you apart with my bare hands.”
But even as the words left my lips, I knew they were hollow. My father had already hurt her. I could feel it in every fractured breath, every wave of anguish that coursed through the bond.
And it was breaking me.
The barrier hummed against my palms, refusing to yield no matter how fiercely I pushed against it. My shadows lashed out in frustration, pounding uselessly against the magical boundary. My father’s magic was strong—stronger than I’d anticipated—but this was my estate,mydomain, and I wasn’t about to let him keep me out. Not when he had Vivian.
Her pain pulsed through the bond, sharp and unrelenting. Every wave of agony she felt crashed into me, each one slicing away at my focus, my control.Breathe, Raffaele.I forced myself to close my eyes and inhale deeply, centering the storm of emotions threatening to consume me.
I couldn’t let him win. Not this time.
The bond between us flared again, a desperate cry that left me reeling. The overwhelming fear and humiliation in her emotions burned hotter than any physical pain. My hands trembled as I pressed them flat against the barrier, channeling everything I had into my shadows.
I won’t lose her. I can’t.
The stories I’d heard growing up clawed their way to the forefront of my mind—rumors of emotional states so extreme that they bypassed magical limitations. I’d always dismissed them as exaggerated tales told by the desperate. But now, with Vivian’s life hanging in the balance, I clung to that possibilitylike a lifeline. If there was even a sliver of truth to it, I would find a way.
Her sobs echoed faintly through the barrier, the sound muted but gut-wrenching. I gritted my teeth. For the first time in years, I felt the sharp sting of tears welling in my eyes. My father was trying to break me by breaking her.
And I’d be damned if I let him.
I drew on every ounce of strength I had, my shadows surging with a force that sent cracks rippling through the barrier. The magical resistance burned against my skin, but I pushed harder, feeding the bond with my desperation, my rage, my need to save her. Vivian’s presence flickered stronger through the connection, and I seized it, letting it fuel me.
“Vivian,” I roared, her name tearing from my throat like a battle cry. The barrier shuddered, then shattered with an ear-splitting crack, the force sending me stumbling forward into the room.
