Page 49 of Blade of the Nightking

“You’re lying,” he said flatly. “You’re lying about the vision.”

“I assure you, I am not.” Veylan angled toward me, bracing an arm lazily over one bent knee as though we were discussing nothing more consequential than the weather. “What I mean, girl, is that you took part of him into yourself. You are tethered in a way far deeper than some ordinary little bond.”

A dangerous rumble rose from Aedric’s chest.

“If one dies,” Veylan continued, unfazed, “the other follows. That is the true cost of siphoning. It is why the practice is forbidden—it is suicide.”

“Aedric,” I breathed, pulse thundering in my throat.

When our gazes met, I saw it immediately—apology. Sadness.

He’d known.

Everything inside me went quiet.

If one dies, the other follows.

My life tied to Rìan’s. Rìan’s tied to mine. The thought was impossible, horrifying…

And then, all at once, understanding crashed through me.

Why Aedric had kept the siphoning secret. Why he’d panicked when the healer discovered the truth. Why he’d gone so far as to have her silenced.

Because this changed everything.

To kill me was to kill Rìan.

Every High Fae in Elantis who feared what Rìan was—what he might become again—would willingly put a blade through my heart if it meant ending the Dark Prince. Sairus. The High Lords and Ladies. Gods, perhaps all of Elantis would see my death as a necessary cost.

Aedric had been trying to protect me.

Protect me from becoming the easiest weapon anyone could ever wield against Rìan.

Abruptly, Aedric tore himself away and strode to the cell, slamming his palm against the magic containing Veylan. The barrier rippled violently.

“You swear it?” he demanded. “You swear Levinica saw the bond broken?”

For the first time since I’d known him, Veylan looked almost solemn. He placed a slender hand over his chest. “I swear it, lordling.” The mocking edge returned, quieter this time. “In this, and this alone, our goals align. This bond between them must be broken.”

Something ignited in Aedric then. I felt it flicker sharply through our bond—fierce, urgent, alive.

“We must go to the Court of Dusk.” He turned to me, his voice taut with urgency. “We have to speak to Levinica.”

I nodded quickly. “And if it’s true—if the bond can be broken…”

“You’ll be free of him,” he said immediately. He took my hands in both of his. “For good.”

“That’s right, Lord of Flame,” Veylan cooed from within the cell. “Your mate will finally be yours⁠—”

His smile widened.

“—and yours alone.”

CHAPTER 10

Calantha leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms as she kicked her feet up onto the table, her lens—now repaired—firmly in place.

“It cannot be done.” She dragged her tongue slowly over her teeth. “A bond cannot be broken.”