“Yes,” I whispered. “That.”
Dean Thornfield sighed heavily, removing his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. “And the protective ring I hadProfessor Blackwood give you? The one specifically designed to prevent uncontrolled shadow walking?”
I held up my hand, showing the circular burn mark where the ring had been. “It... disintegrated, sir.”
That got everyone’s attention. The Djinn stepped closer, examining my hand with newfound interest. “Impossible. Those rings are forged with enchanted silver. They don’t just... disintegrate.”
“Well, this one did,” I said. “Right when we... you know.”
“Fascinating,” Professor Blackwood murmured, her academic curiosity apparently overriding her concern about the situation. “The combination of sexual energy and your natural shadow affinity shouldn’t have been able to surpass the enchantment on the ring.” She stepped closer, looking between me and Silver. “Is there something more going on here?”
I shrugged. “I don’t think so.”
Then Silver sighed next to me. I glanced over at him, confused by his reaction, but he kept his gaze on the floor.
“There is a possibility…” he began.
“Go on,” the Dean urged. “We need every detail.”
Silver took a deep breath, steadying himself. “There is a possibility of… of amate bondforming.”
“A mate bond?” Professor Blackwood seemed confused. “How is that possible? It’s my understanding that Dark Elves don’t form mate bonds.”
“I didn’t think so either until I checked.” Silver shifted uncomfortably next to me. “It’s rare, but not impossible. In our history, there are legends of dark elves forming profound magical connections with beings from other realms. But usually, it’s with a shifter that has a proclivity toward mate bonds to begin with. I don’t know of any between a witch and a dark elf.”
“And you believe this is happening between you and Mr. Vale?” Dean Thornfield asked, his expression unreadable.
“I don’t know,” Silver admitted. “But every time we touch, there’s this... electricity between us. And his magic responds to me in ways that aren’t normal.”
My heart hammered in my chest. A mate bond? Was that why I couldn’t stop thinking about him? Why my magic went haywire whenever he was near?
“Mr. Vale,” Professor Blackwood turned to me, her eyes intense. “Did you ever cast any spells related to love or bonding? Even as a child? Perhaps something you didn’t fully understand at the time?”
My stomach dropped. The memory hit me like a brick. The spell book I’d found in my grandmother’s attic when I was twelve, a midnight ritual performed under the light of a blood moon. I’d convinced myself it hadn’t worked when no one appeared.
“I... might have,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “I know they’re forbidden, but I was twelve years old. I didn’t think true love spells actually worked.”
The room fell silent. Dean Thornfield’s eyebrows shot up so high they nearly disappeared into his hairline.
“You cast a true love spell?” Professor Blackwood’s voice was eerily calm. “At twelve years old?”
I nodded miserably. “I was lonely. No one at school liked me. I thought... I thought if I could find my true love, everything would be better.”
“And what were the material components of the spell?” the Dean asked.
“Blood,” I said. “Just a few drops. And I had to chant under a full moon. The spell was supposed to draw my true love to me, but nothing happened. No one showed up. I figured it didn’t work. I was just a kid screwing around with things I didn’t understand.”
“Or,” Professor Blackwood said slowly, “it worked exactly as intended, but the timing wasn’t right. The universe doesn’t operate on a twelve-year-old’s schedule, Mr. Vale.”
Silver was staring at me now, those silver eyes wide with shock.
“You’re saying that spell I cast a nearly a decade ago... brought Silver to me?” I couldn’t wrap my head around it. “A spell that was far too powerful for anyone in my family worked for me?”
“Far more powerful than anyone at this school could pull off, I dare say,” Professor Blackwood nodded. “Most would be lucky to manage a short-lived lust. Buttrue love… that takes an exceptionally powerful witch to achieve.”
“True love?” Silver’s voice broke through my shock. “That’s not possible.”
“And yet, here we are,” Dean Thornfield gestured to the both of us. “A shadow witch who can break through our wards during climax and a dark elf who claims to feel a mate bond where none should exist.”
