“I presume to prevent a catastrophic magical disaster,” Confiance replied, standing her ground. “The bond between your son and Mr. Vale isn’t just a mate bond. It’s been amplified by a true love spell cast when Mr. Vale was only twelve years old. The two magics have intertwined so completely that severingthem could create a magical explosion powerful enough to level this entire campus.”
That made my father pause. I saw his jaw tighten, saw the way his fingers drummed against his thigh. It was a tell he’d never quite managed to eliminate despite centuries of practice.
“How certain are you of this?” he asked finally.
“I performed the examination myself,” she replied. “There is no doubt. But I can guarantee, if you forcefully sever the ties between the realms and the bond these two possess, it could destroy much more than an alliance between you and your future daughter-in-law’s family.”
My father paused for only a moment. “Three days. That’s all you have. The Elder Council will deliver the shadow witch to me, and he will sever the bond willingly at any cost. If you fail to do this, I will close the gates forever, to hell with the consequences.”
Turning on his heel, he stepped through the portal as it slammed shut behind him. The moment it was gone, the room around me came into focus. I was home, in the foyer of the castle. And there, at the bottom of the stairs, was Caldwell, a single tear falling down his cheek as he watched me carried away to my room.
Chapter 23
Ash
Ihad no idea where I was. All around me were high, lonely mountains jutting out of a foggy forest landscape. I sat atop one, my feet dangling over the edge as the sounds of the jungle below echoed. There wasn’t another person in sight, just scraggly trees clinging to the rocks. But from the few animals I’d seen and heard, I knew I was no longer in North America.
But none of that mattered. Not anymore. Not when the man I loved more than anything in the world had turned out to be a liar and aprinceof all things.
I was so angry. Mostly at myself. I’d told myself over the years that trusting people and letting them in was just a recipe for disaster. My family was cursed by the paranormal world, destroyed for crimes that my great-grandparents had committed. I spent a lifetime being an outcast, watching every day as both me and my parents paid the toll for what others had done. It seemed to be our lot in life to suffer.
And here I was, falling for Silver and thinking that our bad luck had finally run out. That I was, at last, going to know what happiness felt like despite my strange magic and even worse circumstances. How could I be so stupid as to allow myself to hope?
But all that was over now. What little dreams I clung to turned to ashes the moment the truth came out. Silver was the prince of the Twilight Realm and already betrothed. Whatever bond IthoughtI had with him was a lie. Eventually he’d go home, get married, and never return to the mortal realm. And I wouldneverbe allowed to follow. That was just the way of it.
So why did my heart feel like it was being torn from my chest piece by piece?
I let out a shaky breath, watching it mist in the thin mountain air. The cold didn’t bother me though. My shadows wrapped around my shoulders like a living cloak, keeping the chill at bay. They were the only comfort I had left, and even they felt restless, agitated by the storm of emotions churning inside me.
My student ID was still in my pocket. I could feel it there, a small rectangle of plastic that Professor Blackwood had said she could track if I shadow walked too far by mistake. Part of me wanted to throw it off the mountain, to disappear completely where no one could ever find me. But another part—the part that was still stupidly, desperately in love with Silver—couldn’t bring myself to do it.
What if he came looking for me?
I laughed bitterly at my own pathetic hope. Why would he come? He had a kingdom to inherit, a bride waiting for him, a whole life planned out that didn’t include some cursed shadow witch from nowhere. I was just a distraction, a last taste of freedom before he went back to his gilded cage.
Except... that wasn’t fair, was it?
I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes, trying to stop the fresh wave of tears. Silver had told me he loved me. Multiple times. And when he said it, I’d felt it through whatever bond connected us—that silver cord I’d seen in the revelation circle, pulsing with genuine emotion. He hadn’t been lying about that.
But he’d lied about everything else.
A bird cawed somewhere below me, and I wondered idly what kind it was. Some exotic species I’d never seen before, probably. I should care about where I was, should worry about finding food or shelter or figuring out how to get back. But I couldn’t muster the energy. The hollow ache in my chest consumed everything else.
I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. The shadows thickened around me, responding to my misery. Without the silver cuffs, my magic flowed freely, unrestrained. It felt good in a way, like finally being able to breathe after holding it underwater. But it also felt dangerous, wild, like a flood that could sweep everything away if I wasn’t careful.
“You’re an idiot, Ash,” I muttered to myself. “A complete and total fucking idiot.”
I should have known better. Should have seen the signs. Silver was too perfect, too good to be true. Popular, athletic, charming, and gorgeous. Guys like that didn’t fall for guys like me unless there was a catch. And the catch was that he was literal royalty who could never actually be with me.
My chest tightened, and I felt that pull again—the mate bond, tugging insistently like it was trying to drag me back to him. It had been getting stronger with each passing minute, the distance between us making it ache in a way that was almost physical. I gritted my teeth against it, refusing to give in.
I wouldn’t go back. Couldn’t. Even if every fiber of my being screamed at me to shadow walk straight to him, to throw myself into his arms and pretend none of this mattered. Because it did matter. The lying mattered. The arranged marriage mattered. The fact that he’d known all along we could never have a future together and still let me fall for him…Thatmattered most of all.
Another pull from the bond, stronger this time. I gasped, doubling over as pain lanced through my chest. It felt like someone had reached inside my ribcage and was trying to yank my heart out through my sternum. My shadows exploded outward, darkening the entire mountaintop until I couldn’t see anything but blackness.
“Stop,” I whispered, though I didn’t know if I was talking to the bond, to Silver, or to myself. “Just stop.”
But it didn’t stop. If anything, it got worse. The ache spread from my chest to my limbs, making my fingers tingle and my legs feel weak. I recognized this feeling from what Confiance had said. The bond was trying to force me back to Silver, trying to close the distance I’d put between us.
