Nerissa stood frozen in her outrage, eyes not leaving Bayne.
“Queen Antares is power-obsessed. We know that soulbinding amplifies the powers of those bound. It’s no surprise she’s fixated on this,” Isla began. “But just because you’ve felt it, doesn’t mean you have to act on it. Soulbinding must beconsensual. You have a choice, Bayne.” Her voice bent with urge.
I choked as I tried to swallow the dryness in my throat. “What does it feel like?” I rasped out.
Bayne shook his head, and my chest caved inward.
Tension rippled through the small room as several moments passed in silence. This couldn’t be happening. Drystan’s crystal eyes found mine, and I bristled at the pity in them. Isla at last broke the silence with a frustrated groan.
“And there’s the matter of you going after the bone in the Death Dunes,” she murmured, turning toward me.
Vulcan snapped his head toward me, and I scowled.
“I didn’t have much of a choice in that,” I retorted, glancing at Ronan. “And I’m sure I can find it.”
Isla held up her hand. “I’ve no doubt you can find it. I’m worried what your separation will do,” she said, rubbing her thumb and forefinger in the space between her eyes.
My brows pinched.
“This is all a part of her scheme. Separate you, distance you from Bayne, from Tiberius, position you as the enemy. The Lotrennians might not like you, but they don’t see you as a real threat yet because of us.” She motioned to herself and those left in the room. “Because we are family.”
“But Bayne will come with,” I interjected, looking to him for confirmation. My stomach plummeted as his eyes dipped.
“They are starting to trust you,” Isla continued. “And after Tiberius’s little performance at the Awakening…”
Pointed stomping began above deck as Tiberius listened in on our conversation.
“Yes, you,” Isla snapped back, looking up at the smooth teak ceiling. “With that little rainbow display at the Eye of the Wood, they see you both as gods. Antares needs to weaken us. And the first step in doing that is separating you two. And then to dangle the alliance in front of us like that…”
Bayne’s dark lashes shuddered a moment before he blinked and finally sat down at the table across from me, reaching for my hands. I let him take them, as the realization filled my chest with a painful ache.
“You don’t have much of a choice in going to the Death Dunes,” Bayne murmured. “And with the marriage, with the soulbinding, she’s promised a way to fight for the freedom of my love’s homeland. To protect her in a way I can’t without her.”
I frowned, small buds of liquid forming in the corners of my eyes.
“No,” I said, resisting the urge to scream.
Bayne’s hard gaze found mine.
“No, we’ll find another way. Come with me... You could…”
“I can’t leave,” Bayne murmured, dropping my hands as he stood and began to pace in the small space.
“Why?”
“Because Lotrennia is dying,” Vulcan answered, words cutting through the silence.
I snapped my gaze to his. “What do you mean it’sdying?”
Vulcan’s hazel eyes surveyed Bayne. “I’m right, aren’t I?” he asked, blonde eyebrows raised high. “The land has been dying for years. It got worse when we fled, decades ago, because Aelius’s essence left the continent. And since our return, the landhas recovered slowly, but only in Bayne’s presence. Tell us what you saw on the way to the Waters of Ascendiel.”
Bayne's dark gaze flickered as they met Vulcan’s across the room.
“Death. Ground that will not yield crops. Animals have fled. Even the fish seem to have abandoned the rivers and lakes. And the wolves are indeed gone. I need to protect Lotrennia,” Bayne answered in a hoarse voice.
“That’s why she allowed you to go,” I said quietly, color leaching from my face as the others looked at me. “She wanted you to see what leaving did to your kingdom. What will happen if you leave again. Already, she’s chained you here.” The last words escaped my lips in a whisper.
Bayne’s shoulders heaved as his breath quickened, the rage storming inside him barely constrained against the wall he’d thrown between us. Nerissa hadn’t moved a muscle, and I briefly searched her face for any sign of the power raging beneath her skin.
