It never did.
Because marriage gave him power over me and he wielded it like a weapon.
But this... what Lorenth is offering...
"No one could hurt me again," I say slowly, testing the words. "If we're bonded."
"No one." The certainty in his voice is absolute. "I'd kill anyone who tried. And the bond would give you protections too—magical ones. My power would recognize you as part of me and shield you automatically."
Part of him. Not property. Not possession.Part of him.
The difference is staggering.
I look down at our joined hands. His are so much larger than mine, scarred from years of training and violence, but they've only ever touched me with gentleness. With care.
The bond pulses in my chest—quiet but insistent. Like it's waiting for me to acknowledge what it's been trying to tell me since the moment we met.
This is right. He's right. We're supposed to be together.
And isn't that what I wanted? When I snuck away to the Masquerade, when I kissed him in that lantern-lit garden, when I begged him to make me feel good—wasn't I wishing for exactly this? For someone who would choose me? Protect me? Love me?
I need to get out of my marriage. Need to be free of Darian legally, not just physically. And if I'm bonded to Lorenth... Darian has no claim anymore. No power. No control.
The fear is still there, sharp and insistent in my throat. Years of conditioning don't disappear overnight. But underneath it is something stronger.
Hope.
I lift my gaze to meet Lorenth's. "If we do this... if we complete the bond... I'm yours. Completely. Forever."
"Yes." No hesitation.
"And you're mine."
His lips curve into that slow, devastating smile. "Already am."
My heart stutters. Because he means it. I can see it in his eyes, feel it in the way his magic wraps around me like a protective embrace. He's already decided. Already chosen me.
Now I just have to be brave enough to choose him back.
I take a shaky breath. "Okay."
He goes very still. "Okay?"
"Yes." The word comes out stronger this time. "I want to bond with you."
For a moment, he just stares at me. Then he's pulling me into his arms, kissing me with a fervor that steals my breath. It's claiming and celebratory all at once, his joy bleeding through the bond and mixing with my own tentative happiness.
When we finally break apart, both of us breathing hard, he rests his forehead against mine.
"You won't regret this," he murmurs. "I swear to you, Senna. I'll spend every day proving you made the right choice."
I believe him.
Gods help me, I actually believe him.
15
LORENTH
