“Thorne Blackwood,” I say, holding his gaze. “Vintarys Lemuria, and every name you’ve ever gone by, I hereby release you from our bargain and consider every term null and void.”
He steps back, frozen in place as if I’ve slapped him. I wait for some grand sign that our bargain has ended, some indication that our magical agreement has been terminated, but all I feel is ease in my lungs. Relief in my muscles.
Thorne’s voice comes out stifled. “Why did you do that?”
“You know why I did that. I did it because, above everything I want and crave, there’s you. I want you, Thorne.” I take a deep breath, prepared to say the words I left buried in my heart. Words I wanted to convey with warmth and not anger. But my anger for him is as warm as my love, so I suppose this will have to do. I take a step closer to him, reaching for him. “Thorne, I—”
“Don’t.” His voice barrels into me, seizing my tongue and rendering it immobile. At first, I think it’s merely surprise that sticks my words in place…but the chill running down my spine says otherwise. He speaks again. “Don’t say it.”
Icy hot betrayal carves a line through my heart.
He’s using the cursed bond between us to command me.
Now that I’ve dissolved our bargain, he’s no longer bound to the terms that forbade him from using it. Tears brim in my eyes. “How could you do that to me?”
“Because we’re out of time. There’s only one thing left we can do. One last way to break the curse right now.”
I wish his words inspired hope, but the sorrow filling his face crushes all potential. “What way is that?”
“We’ll let each other go.”
My blood runs cold. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ll command you to forget about me. You will sacrifice your memories of me—your feelings for me—and remember me only as an enemy that you made a temporary alliance with. You’ll forget you ever dreamed of me. This will be a singular task we’ll accomplish together. A sacrifice neither of us wants to make but benefits both of our families.”
Panic surges through me. He can’t be serious. I throw my hands in the air. “How will that benefit either of our families?”
“Forgetting me will save your family from strife and scandal.” His voice is empty as he speaks. “You’ll be free of your attachment to me, of a union your parents would never approve of. In turn, my family will benefit as they would have in our original bargain. Without me in your heart, you’ll have no reason to reject Monty. You’ll wed him as planned and your mother will be bound to her vow to stop interfering with challengers to the throne. Trentas—even Morgana herself—will have a fair chance at defeating your father.”
I release a cold, humorless laugh. “You can’t possibly believe I’d still marry Monty. I won’t, even if you force me to forget my feelings for you. Then the benefit to your family will be null, and the curse won’t break.”
His throat bobs. So badly do I want to wrest from him that emotion he’s swallowing down and force him to confront it. To honor it.
“Neither of us can know for sure,” he says. “Our previous bargain was equally as uncertain. So long as there’s a chance that the perceived benefits can come to fruition, the curse will break.”
Fuck. He really is serious. “Why do you suddenly care so much? You’re the one who told me I’m better than my family. That my desire for their approval was wasted on them. And you…” I do all I can to rein in my panic, my anger, and speak with candor. “You’re the one I want to be with.”
His lips curl in a sad smile. “I’ll never be enough to fill the void of family.”
“That’s not true—”
“You’ve yearned for them all your life.”
“Yes, but—”
“I saw your face just now when I entered the room. I heard the grief in your tone when you apologized to your mother. You looked as heartbroken as you did when your parents first fell under the spell. That was my fault and so is this. I can reverse it all, and I will. I promised to do whatever it took to bring your family back. I’m beholden to that vow.”
Tremors rack my body. I’m desperate to speak, to convince him to abandon this awful plan, but every word I’ve said to reel him closer has only pushed him farther away. Finally, I make a final bid for his heart. “You also promised you’d never let me go.”
He shakes his head. “I never said the binding wordsI promisewhen I told you that. And while it wasn’t a lie when I said it, it will henceforth remain the most treacherous untruth I’ve ever told.”
He steps closer to me, and I tense. My tone turns desperate. Pleading. “Don’t do this. If you do, you will prove yourself crueler than I’ve ever given you credit for. I will hate you—”
“I know.” He reaches for my hand and places it on his chest. “I will take your hate and hold it close to my heart.”
“You’ll be a true demon in every sense of the word. A monster.”
“Yes,” he whispers. “I’ll be the villain so you can be the hero.”
