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“Then the Gods help the world if we ever fall in love.” He gave me one last smile before lowering himself out of the window.

I stood in the room alone, listening to the fire crackling, waiting for my heart to stop thundering against my ribcage. I ran a hand over the warmth in my chest and thought back on the bond I’d shared with Keir. The silver threads that pulled us together. The space in our souls that we’d occupied in one another.

Now that bond was gone - and as the darkness grew around me, I felt those threads growing again, unfurling and snaking their way through the air, following the Night Demon prince as he crept away from my room. I've tried to deny it for weeks now. I’d tried to tell myself the dreams were meaningless. I’d tried to tell myself that that longing I felt for Rook, that the comfort I found only in his presence, was nothing more than loneliness.

But now I knew - Rook’s soul was bonded to mine.

I’d never been able to explain the Bonds to myself, why they formed, why Lada chose the ones she did. But as I lay down in my bed, I knew that Rook had been brought into my life for a reason.

I just hoped we both lived long enough to discover it.

Chapter15

Rook

Well, fuck.

I stared at the ceiling of my chamber as the moonlight gave way to the dawn, my hand on my chest, feeling the thud of my heartbeat as it was enveloped by the roiling warmth I’d felt for weeks but not been able to explain to myself.

But now it was joined by something else, a sense of a second heart, beating right alongside it, in perfect rhythm. When I inhaled, my lungs filled with her breath.

There was no denying it any longer.

I’d not been raised in the Faith, but I knew enough of it from myth and legend to know the stories of a Ladaian Bond. Two souls, bound to one another, for all eternity, only separated by death. Night Demons scoffed at it, saying it was a denial of free will. I’d never thought to question it, much less thought that it would ever fucking happen to me.

And now I was lying here, glowing with… Love. For a fucking Fae princess.

With a grunt, I kicked the blankets off me, sitting up to watch the first raindrops patter against my window. The sky outside darkened, the air becoming thick as a storm rolled in. I dressed quickly, tying back my hair, wondering how much longer Theron would let it get before he had me shorn again.

I pushed through the door, out into the passageway. The guards protested for a moment, but I ignored them, heading out into the rain just as the first rumble of thunder sounded overhead. It was terrible weather for running, but run I did. I ran the perimeter of the castle grounds twice, then headed down the path into town.

The streets were empty, and any passers-by saw me coming and quickly ducked into the next welcoming door. Rain beat against my face, dripping into my eyes, and I blinked it away furiously.

How the fuck had this happened?

Of all the beings in the realm, of all the fucking females there were - it had to be her. The daughter of the man who’d betrayed me. The daughter of the man who’d cost me everything. Fuck fuckfuck.

And she’d wanted me in her bed. I gritted my teeth in frustration. Why hadn’t I just fucked her? It would have been the ultimate revenge. Fucking the Fae princess, and somehow letting Vayr know that his offspring had lost her purity to a Night Demon; the thought should have brought me satisfaction.

Instead, I was overcome with shame. Because I didn’t want to justfuckher. I didn’t want to use her for revenge, I wanted her to bemine.I wanted to join my body with hers. I wanted to feel her skin and hear her moans andfuck it all.I was ruined.

The rain was falling harder as I left the quiet streets of town and sprinted back up the hill to the palace. I kept running along the palace wall, through the gardens, and across the sodden lawn.

I slowed my pace as the temple came into view.Keep running. But I stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked up at the golden spires. The heavy smell of incense wafted from inside, and warm candlelight spilled from the doorways.

I placed a foot on the lower step, then withdrew it and turned sharply away. I wasn’t going in there. But something stopped me, like a heavy hand on my shoulder, and I found myself at the top of steps, shoulders heaving from my run, the smell of incense filling my nose. I took a tentative step closer to the door.

Suddenly an old woman dressed in blue robes appeared, gazing at me curiously with large, silvery eyes. “Can I help you, my child?” She didn’t appear afraid of me, merely curious, surely wondering what the sopping wet Night Demon struggling to catch his breath was doing on the steps of her temple. I considered turning away for a moment, but the soft brown skin around her eyes crinkled as she smiled at me, and she extended a hand. “Won’t you come in?”

I hesitated before I waved her off. “No, I wouldn’t want to get your tiles all wet.” I tried to smile amicably, but I was feeling tense and uncertain. “I had - I mean, I was wondering… Ummm…. There was something I needed some… advice on.”

She laced her fingers together, and nodded. “But of course, if I can help I will.”

“Do you know anything about - I mean, what is there you can tell me about…” I broke off, running a hand through my hair and laughing awkwardly. “Sorry, I’ve been rather -“

“Tired?” She lifted her eyebrows.

“I beg your pardon?”