“Shifters who have grown to adulthood without manifesting their other side are believed to have more power than the average shifter. Once it finally emerges, it bursts forth with explosive power, all the power the shifter never had a chance to use before.”
“That sounds…” I stopped. Scary, amazing, overwhelming? All the above and more.
“The rush of power isn’t something a new shifter can control, not even to protect themselves, and any excess power fades by the time the shifter learns control. A buyer with magical knowledge and a means of channeling that power, however, could benefit.”
Doing something else? Kinda brilliant. It offered a level of detachment as I couldn’t just focus on the conversation. I had to keep hitting.Punch, dodge the bag, punch again.
“So, the buyer seizes this power through the mating bond?” I asked as though this had nothing to do with me.
"Some couples can use soul—uh, mating bonds to transfer small amounts of awareness, emotions, and support. Transferring powers or thoughts is pretty much unheard of using normal methods.”
“But they don’t use normal methods.”Pull back arm, extend and strike. Just keep hitting.
“No. They manipulate the bond and corrupt it to give one party control when it’s supposed to be a partnership. Instead it puts one person at the other’s mercy.” And after exhausting any power boost, the buyer still had a supernatural partner trapped, and the trapped party still had to prove their worth and keep the buyer happy. Otherwise…
No, I focused on another part instead.
“So, it’s called a mating bond because that’s how it happens, right? By mat—fuc—you know. But what the act does is create a link between two hearts or souls, right?”
“Yeah, but—”
“What am I missing here that justifies the risk? Because if you’re linking your soul to another’s and then purposefully abusing that link, how do you only harm the other soul and not your own?”
Special magic, maybe? When punching the bag enough my hand felt sore, and considering it all from an outside perspective, this was fascinating.
Horrifying, of course, but perversely fascinating too. A glimpse into darker minds.
“Uh…” Chase hesitated, trying to find a sanitized version, but it didn’t matter. I stopped punching the bag.
“You can’t, can you?” I realized. “Both souls are connected, so harming one hurts both.” Because that’s how it should be, right? The price for taking a soul was a soul. Your own.
"Yeah,” he agreed quietly. “The aim is to make one soul takemoreof the damage, but both suffer.”
Apparently I stared too closely into the abyss because this made perfect sense.
“The buyer probably believes they can handle the damage. Wouldn’t you say so? What’s a little soul taint to somebody willing and eager to bind their essence to another purely to control an advantageous captive?”
"Lucas."
“Their soul is already pretty twisted and warped, so sure, why not?”
"Hey."
I didn’t understand why Chase was trying to get my attention until I shoved the bag with all my might, needing to do something. Then I just stood there as it zoomed back towards me. Chase steadied it before a collision occurred.
“It’s too much, right?” Chase looked guilty. “I shouldn’t have told you. It’s too much pressure. But you seem like the type who likes to know how things work.”
"I am."
"It’s just the way this works is…"
“Terrible?” I filled in.
"Pretty much."
I figured there was no harm learning more. Forcibly buying or controlling another person, that was simple. It was evil. I already knew that, so why not find out the rest?
It still stunned me. The idea of someone like that after me… someone who either believed their soul couldn’t be tainted anymore than it already was or someone whojust didn’t careabout the risk of incinerating their own soul, that kind of person was afterme.
