With me.
The realization hit hard.
Fast.
Real.
“The bond between you,” she added, “is not a liability.”
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
“It is a solution.”
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
“And therefore,” she said, turning her attention fully to Raven now, “your contract with the Asgarheim Runevald Institute is fulfilled.”
His head snapped slightly toward her.
Not disbelief.
Not confusion.
Something deeper.
Something that had been bound to him for far longer than this place.
“Explain,” he said.
She held his gaze.
“You were brought here to control the curse,” she said. “To prevent it from consuming you—and others.”
She gestured lightly toward me.
“You no longer require containment.”
The words settled like a shockwave.
“You have found your true mate.”
My heart stuttered.
“And through her,” Professor Kenna continued, “you have achieved what none before you have managed.”
Raven’s hand found mine.
Tight.
Grounding.
“You are no longer bound by the terms of your admission,” she finished.
Freedom.
