The afternoon slowly slipped into evening, but the quiet in my suite felt heavier than it should have.
I tried to lose myself in the new cozy mystery The Abyss had left for me, but the words kept blurring on the page. Every few minutes, my mind drifted back to the way Kastiel’s shadows had curled gently around my wrist. It had been the gentlest touch, but I felt it deep in my bones.
The mate bond hummed constantly now, as though the contact with his shadows had lowered my barrier even more. I kept having to pull it back, the effort leaving me drained and shaky.
My stomach growled, and I realized some of that might be because I hadn’t eaten more than a small snack since breakfast with Kastiel. Instead of calling his name so The Abyss could let him know I needed him, I murmured, “Could you show me the way to Kastiel? A short walk would do me a lot of good.”
The light sconces by the door lit in answer, making me grin.
“Thanks.”
When I left the suite, the lights led me to the elevator and down a long hallway toward the lobby. As I got closer, I heard low voices. At first, I ignored them, but something about the tone made me pause before I turned the corner. One voice was cold and authoritative. The other was unmistakably Kastiel’s.
“…unacceptable risk,” the stranger was saying, his voice clipped and formal. “You know the gate is at its most vulnerable during the Festival of Midnight.”
“The festival is over,” Kastiel replied.
“And the risk still exists in the days after,” the other man argued. “As head of security, you are obligated to prioritize the safety of The Abyss and the gate above all else. Remove the succubus immediately, Kastiel, or I will be forced to recommend your immediate removal from your position.”
My knees wobbled so much that I had to brace one hand against the wall.
Kastiel’s reply was edged with steel. “She stays under my protection. I will not send her away.”
“That’s not your decision to make.”
“The Council?—”
Kastiel didn’t let him finish. “The Council has no say here. This is Adan’s domain, and I have his backing.”
Jerking back, I pressed against the wall. The Council knew about my issue with my aura. Although Kastiel sounded confident as he faced down their representative, this was a disaster I had not anticipated.
“You would risk your entire career and the trust Adan Deville has placed in you for one unstable succubus? If you continue to harbor her, the Council will view it as a direct threat to the stability of this entire institution.”
Kastiel’s voice hardened. “Let them view it however they want. Isolde is not a threat. And even if she was, I protect what is mine.”
A tense silence stretched before the representative spoke again, his voice even colder than before. “You are making a grave error, Skaithe. Fated mates are sacred, yes, but not at the expense of the gate. If her power continues to destabilize the veil, the consequences will fall on your head. Do not expect the Council to show mercy just because you claim the bond.”
“I don’t need the Council’s mercy,” Kastiel growled. “I need them to stay out of my hotel and away from my mate.”
The argument continued, their voices rising and falling, but I couldn’t listen anymore. I backed away, my chest tight, guilt crashing over me like a wave.
This was my fault.
Kastiel was risking everything for me. Because fate had decided to tie him to someone as broken as I was.
Rushing back to my suite, I didn’t even notice the sconces lit my way again. Once I was safely behind the closed door, I rushed into the bedroom and sank onto the edge of the bed, my fingers twisting in the duvet until my knuckles turned white. Tears burned at the corners of my eyes as I thought about the quiet conviction in his voice when he told me I wasn’t dangerous. The heat in his eyes when he looked at me like I was worth every risk.
He had stood up to my father. Faced down a Council representative. He was willing to lose the one place that had given him purpose, all for me.
I was ruining his life.
The guilt was crushing, heavier than anything I’d ever felt. I had spent years terrified of my powers, convinced they could only harm people. Now they were harming the one person fate had chosen for me. I couldn’t let this continue.
If I stayed, the Council’s pressure would only get worse. Kastiel could lose everything he’d built at The Abyss. The hotel itself—which had been so welcoming—could suffer because of me.
I had to leave.
The decision settled like lead in my stomach, but once it formed, it felt inevitable. I would slip away tonight. If I disappeared, the Council would have no reason to threaten Kastiel. My father could stop worrying about the political fallout. And Kastiel could go back to the life he’d built before I stumbled into it and turned everything upside down.
