1
Kai
The old sea witch frowned as she stared down at my broken body. Thanks to the illegal cuffs on my wrists, I had no access to my healing magic; it would take weeks to recover from the trauma of what the witch had done to me.
If I survived this procedure, I’d ask my mother where she sourced the cuffs, since to my knowledge, only high-ranking mages used them.
“This is no ordinary soul-bond,” the old crone muttered to herself, tutting in annoyance. I didn’t bother replying. After screaming my throat bloody for hours, my voice had gone. I wasn’t sure I even had a throat left.
When a soul-bonded mate died traumatically, the severing of the soul-bond almost always killed the survivor. Using magic to sever the bond was even worse, as it went against nature.
The pain of the sea witch’s magic penetrating my chest had been so excruciating, I’d eventually passed out, but because the tether remained, I had more of the same to look forward to.
Soul-bonds were gifts from the goddess, and few witches would dare risk incurring the wrath of a deity. Sadly, the sea witch was not one of them.
The old crone cared only about money.
“Can you sever it or not?” The enchanted door slid open to reveal my mother dressed in a pale pink gown, gems sparkling in her hair.
“It will take longer than I thought,” the sea witch said as she plucked various herbs from a canvas bag. “The bond is strong, and your son is resisting.”
Mother’s gaze skimmed over me briefly, but her expression remained blank. She’d never been affectionate toward me, but I had thought she cared in her own way.
Now I realized my mother didn’t care about me at all.
If she loved me, she would never have risked killing me to avoid a political scandal. She was the queen, damn it. And as the queen, she had the power to change the law to allow me to take a non-mermaid as my wife.
But to my mother, appearances meant everything.
“Keep trying. Failure is not an option.”
The sea witch hummed in agreement as my mother swept back out of the cave in a cloud of perfume. The door closed once again, and I prayed to the goddess for the strength I needed to resist the sea witch’s cursed magic.
2
Raven
Male voices murmured in the background. I tried to move, but a heavy arm rested across my hip, locking me in place. The pain in my chest had subsided, but every bit of me ached.
I desperately needed a drink of water to soothe my raw throat, but when I tried to speak, I could barely manage a whisper.
What was wrong with me?
Why did I feel so weak?
The warm body wrapped around me shifted, and a hand pushed a few damp strands of hair away from my mouth.
“Little mate?” I forced my eyes open and then winced as a sharp, stabbing pain ricocheted through my skull. At least the room was dark. No sunlight. Thank the goddess for small mercies. I wasn’t sure I could cope with bright light. Not with the way my head hurt.
“I need a drink,” I croaked. Someone lifted me into a more upright position. Cool water trickled between my lips. It helped ease the pain in my throat but did very little for the ache in my chest.
Damn Starfall Academy for not teaching first-years healing magic. I could really use some magical healing about now. Had I accidentally ingested something poisonous?
“We need a healer.” Zane must have read my mind. No doubt my shields were down, as per usual.
“My blood will heal her.”
“No!” Maverick’s angry growl suggested Rasmus offering me his blood was a terrible idea, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why.
