Shame burns through me. "It's complicated," I whisper. "The magic between us…the mating bond…"
"Magic can only influence, not create," he says harshly. "It can't manufacture desire where none exists. It can't make you wrap your legs around your enemy's waist in a public corridor. It can't make an Omega beg for an Alpha's bite unless she wants it."
Each word is a knife, cutting deeper than any physical wound. I have no defense because he's right—the bond may have amplified my response to Malakai, but it didn't create it from nothing.
"I'm sorry," I say. "I never meant to hurt you."
"And yet you did," he replies, turning away. "But it doesn't matter now."
I wipe a tear from the corner of my eye. "What do you mean?"
He moves to the small table, retrieving something from among various vials and instruments. When he turns back, he's holding a small crystal vial filled with iridescent purple liquid.
"I found a way to free you," he says, excitement suddenly replacing the bitterness. "To break the mating bond."
I stare at the vial in disbelief. "That's not possible. Malakai said the bond can never be broken. The fated mate bond is permanent."
"And you believed him?" Scorn drips from each word. "The Alpha who enslaved you with blood magic? Of course, he would tell you it's permanent. He wants you to believe you're his Omega forever."
"But the magic is ancient," I argue. "Even Ivy said?—"
"Your fairy friend knows much, but not everything," he interrupts. "Cade's memories contain knowledge passed through generations of Shadow Court guards, secrets even the Shadow Lord doesn't know."
He holds out the vial. "This will sever the magical connection completely. One drink, and you'll be free of him. Free to return to the Light Court. Free to be yourself again."
I should feel elated. This is what I wanted since the moment Malakai bound me to him: freedom from the magical tether that connects us. Yet I hesitate, my hand not reaching for the vial.
"What happens after?" I ask. "If the connection breaks, what then?"
"Then we leave," he says as if it's obvious. "We return to the Light Court, warn them about the prophecy, about the conspiracy between the courts."
"And Malakai?" The question slips out before I can stop it. "What happens to him if the bond breaks? Will it hurt him?"
A cruel smile twists his lips—an expression I've never seen on Asher's face before. "Why would you care?”
"I just…I need to understand what this potion does," I say, though even to my own ears, the explanation sounds hollow.
He studies me, suspicion darkening his gaze. "The potion breaks the magical connection," he explains slowly. "It doesn't harm either participant physically. It simply...releases you from each other."
Relief washes through me, followed immediately by confusion. Why should I care if Malakai suffers? After everything he's done, doesn't he deserve pain?
"Take it," Asher urges, pressing the vial into my hand. "Drink it, and this nightmare ends."
The glass is cool against my palm, the liquid inside shifting with hypnotic patterns. Freedom. An end to the constant pull of Malakai's presence in my mind. An escape from the confusion of feelings I've developed for my enemy.
Yet still I hesitate.
"What's wrong?" Asher asks, impatience creeping into his voice. "Don't you want to be free of him?"
"I do, but…" I stop, unable to articulate the conflict raging inside me.
"But what?" His voice hardens dangerously. "What possible reason could you have to hesitate?"
I look away, unable to meet his gaze as I struggle with emotions I don't fully understand myself. Something in my expression must betray me because Asher's face transforms with rage so intense it makes me step back instinctively.
"Love?" he spits the word like poison, a bitter laugh escaping him. "You love the Alpha monster who murdered me? Who helped kill your mother? Who has slaughtered countless innocents? Your Omega wants to keep her Alpha?"
"It's not that simple," I say, desperation creeping into my voice. "The bond changes things. The mating mark—it makes me feel…"
