“Speak!” Leon barks, his mask already faltering.
My laughter turns incredulous. I’ve definitely lost it.
The leash snaps, forcing the words out of me. “You don’t get it. I literallycan’tbind myself to you.”
The faint hum tingling through me grows stronger.
Sin feels the bond. He feels my fear and pain, and he’s coming for me.
“Stop laughing!” Leon orders, furious.
The sound cuts off, and my expression sobers. Sin and Leon are going to fight to the death. I’ve been terrified of this moment for what feels like an eternity. I’m risking entire realms because I choose Sin. I choose to save him.
I can only hope this island is isolated enough to avoid hurting others.
“Why? Why can’t you bind yourself to me?” Leon demands.
I wobble a bit on my feet, probably concussed again. Still, I tilt my head, grinning with satisfaction. “Because I don’t belong to you.”
He slaps me.
The mate bond flares with a surge of fury. Sin did not like the pain I just felt.
I spit blood at Leon’s face.
“Liar! You were promised to me. MINE! The leash should be making you. What is stopping you? Tell me! No more games,” Leon orders, his eyes now completely overtaken by his blue energy.
I wipe the blood coating my chin. “Because – I’m already bonded to Sin.”
The hum under my skin feels alive, the current becoming impossibly strong.
Sin will be here any second.
Leon roars, and the entire world is swallowed by a blinding flash of blue. Then, it feels as though someone is trying to burn me from the inside out. Blue light smothers me, searing away every fiber of my being.
Leon is using his Destroyer energy on me, but he isn’t killing me.
The pain grows excruciating, and I fall to my knees, shrieking in agony. Blindly, I reach for the mate bond, trying to find Sin. But rather than being met with comforting warmth, I can barely feel the connection.
My body starts to convulse, powerless to stop him, even as I realize what is happening.
He’s targeting the mate bond.
Leon is trying to burn Sin from my soul.
The soul-shattering pain only lasts a few more moments, and then the world goes dark.
Chapter 25
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule twenty-five:Say yes to the dress.
Fingers dig into my cheeks, wrenching my face from side to side. The motion is jarring, and I fight to regain consciousness. But the moment I surface, a low moan wells up inside of me, and I instinctively curl my knees up to my chest.
There’s pain, so much pain.
My ears are ringing, and I’m afraid to open my eyes. It’s hard to breathe. It feels as though someone has carved me open, only to burn me from the inside out until only a hollow shell remains.
