My mind raced, remembering everything I’d learned about our bond. It was more than a connection of emotions—it was body and soul. Bound together, living and dying as one. My father had severed his own bond with my mother by binding his soul to an object, but Vivian and I… we were still tethered.
If she died, I would die alongside her. But I wasn’t dead.
I didn’t understand it, but I prayed to all the gods that she’d return to me. “Stay with me,” I whispered again, my hands hovering over her chest. My magic poured into her, surrounding her, coaxing her back to me. “You can do this. You’re stronger than this.”
The beats grew stronger, her chest rising faintly with shallow breaths.
“Vivian,” I cried out, joy and desperation mixing in a single, raw sound.
Her eyes fluttered, a soft gasp escaping her lips as her lungs filled with air. She coughed, the weak sound the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard.
“Raffaele?” she croaked out.
“Yes,” I said, my tears falling freely as I cradled her face in my hands. “Yes, I’m here. I’m right here.”
Her gaze was unfocused, her expression dazed. “I… I didn’t… kill you?”
“No, darling. You didn’t. You saved me. You saved all of us.”
Tears filled her eyes, spilling over as her lips trembled. “I thought… I thought I was gone.”
“You came back,” I said, brushing her hair from her face. “You came back to me.”
The crowd was a distant murmur now, their confusion and shock a backdrop to this moment. Nothing else mattered. Not Izo, not the arena, not the battle that would surely come next.
All that mattered was her.
I pulled her against my chest, holding her as tightly as I dared without hurting her. My magic surged again, healing her, protecting her, binding us even deeper than before. I could feel her heartbeat, strong and steady, resonating with my own. We were one, and nothing could tear us apart.
But there was one last thing standing in our way.
“I need you to rest,” I said softly, my voice taking on an edge of steel. I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. “I’m going to finish this.”
“Raffaele, no,” she rasped, her grip on my arm tightening. “You’ll get hurt.”
“I’m not leaving anything to chance.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “This ends now.”
Without waiting for her protest, I lifted her into my arms and carried her across the arena to Vincenzo. His eyes softened as he saw her alive, but his expression turned grim as he met my gaze.
“Take care of her,” I ordered.
Vincenzo’s jaw tightened, and he nodded. “Of course.”
I placed Vivian gently in his hands, her fingers clutching weakly at my shirt as if to stop me. “Raffaele…”
“I’ll be back for you,” I promised, brushing my lips over hers. “I swear it.”
I stood and turned toward the center of the arena, my rage and magic surging in unison. Izo stood on the dais, his smug expression faltering as he saw the full force of my fury.
“You stole my wife,” I growled.
Izo took a step backward, glancing at his guards engaged in battle with Dorian, Luca, and Camilla.
I stepped forward, my magic igniting around me like a living storm, shadows and fire intertwining with lethal intent. Each step shook the ground, cracks forming beneath my feet as the arena trembled under the weight of my power.
“Fight me like a man,” I snarled. “No guards, no reinforcements. Just you and me.”
Izo’s confidence wavered for the first time, his smug grin replaced by unease. “You’re making a mistake, Shadow,” he said with false bravado.
