I couldn’t bring myself to look at Silver. A true love spell? Had I really bound us together without either of us having a choice? The thought made me sick.
“I didn’t mean to,” I whispered. “I was just a kid. I didn’t think it would actually work.”
“Intention matters little in magic of this magnitude,” Professor Blackwood said, her voice gentler now. “What’s done is done. The question is what we do about it.”
“We need to break it,” I said immediately, finally looking at Silver. His face was unreadable, those silver eyes studying me intently. “We can’t be bound by some spell I cast when I was twelve. That’s not fair to either of us.”
“Fair or not,” the Dean interjected, “we have a more immediate problem. Mr. Vale’s shadow magic is clearly unstableand potentially dangerous. If he can break through our wards during a moment of... heightened emotion, what else might happen?”
“I can control it,” I insisted, though I wasn’t entirely sure that was true. “This was just... unexpected.”
“Clearly,” the Djinn said dryly. “But what happens next time you two decide to... fraternize? Will you teleport into the middle of downtown? Into another realm entirely? Into the Veil?”
A chill ran down my spine at the mention of the Veil. The empty space between life and death where nothing existed except gray waters and wandering spirits on their way to the afterlife.
“I think,” Professor Blackwood said carefully, “we need to investigate this bond further before making any decisions. If it truly is a mate bond strengthened by a true love spell, severing it could have serious consequences for both Mr. Vale and Mr. Erestolal.”
“What kind of consequences?” Silver asked, speaking for the first time in several minutes.
“In the worst cases? Death,” Professor Blackwood replied bluntly. “More commonly, the loss of magical ability, chronic pain, or deep psychological trauma. Breaking a true bond isn’t like canceling a charming spell.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. “So, we’re just... stuck like this? Forever?”
“Not necessarily,” the Dean said. “But we need to proceed with caution. In the meantime, Mr. Vale, you’ll need stronger containment for your magic.” He turned to Professor Blackwood. “What do you suggest?”
She thought for a moment. “The Obsidian Bracers from the vault should suffice. They’ll dampen his shadow walking abilities without completely suppressing his magic down to nothing.”
“Obsidian Bracers?” I echoed, not liking the sound of that at all.
“They’re not punishment,” the Dean added. “We just want to keep you and the rest of the students safe until we figure this out.”
“But all I did was teleport!”
“No,” the Djinn responded, “you didn’tjustteleport. You punched a literal hole in the wards surrounding the school causing them all to fail. For sixteen and a half minutes, Widdershins Academy was completely open and visible to the entire human world.Anyonecould’ve walked in.”
“That’s not possible,” I stammered, panic rising in my chest. “I couldn’t have! The wards are centuries old! My magic can barely clean a locker room on time!”
“And yet you did,” the Djinn replied, his turquoise skin darkening with anger. “Do you have any idea what could have happened in those sixteen minutes? Any creature could have wandered onto the grounds! It could’ve killed as student!”
I felt like I was going to be sick. My shadows curled protectively around my ankles, responding to my distress, but that only seemed to make the magical security head more agitated.
“Control those,” he snapped, pointing at the shadows. “Or I’ll contain them myself.”
“Enough, Samael,” Dean Thornfield said firmly. “Mr. Vale isn’t doing this deliberately.”
Silver’s hand suddenly found mine, his fingers intertwining with my own. That familiar electric current passed between us, but instead of making my magic more erratic, it seemed to calm it. My shadows settled, reluctantly retreating to their normal positions.
“I’ll wear the bracers,” I said quietly, trying to keep my voice steady. “Whatever you think is necessary.”
Professor Blackwood nodded approvingly. “A wise decision, Mr. Vale.”
“In the meantime,” the Dean continued, “you two will need to be containedtogether. We’ll need to put special wards around your room to make sure you can’t shadow walk out again.”
“You… You’re not going to separate us?” I asked, looking up at the Dean.
He just smiled. “I used to be a college student once. I know that separating you two won’t keep you apart. Better to have you in one place that we can keep an eye on in case the bracers aren’t strong enough. You two will share Mr. Erestolal’s room.”
“What?!” Silver looked stunned. “We’re going to sharemyroom?”
