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They still think I’m crazy.After everything… they still thought—

“I believe you.” Ivain’s hand landed on his shoulder, and Skye couldn’t stop the near-sob of relief that shuddered out of him. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you before, but I understand now. I know why you can’t let this go.”

“She’s alive,” Skye said feebly.

“I know.” Ivain began pulling him away from the door. “Has this happened before?”

Skye shook his head. “No.” His eyes drifted to the hand at his shoulder, still wary. Ivain abruptly let go. “I saw something in the tunnels, but not like this.”

“Would somebody please explain what just happened?” It was Aiden who finally voiced the question on everybody’s mind. He sagged against one of the columns, eyes still wide with shock. “What did we just see?”

Ivain gave a heavy sigh, shooting a careful glance at Sarina, who nodded. “That was a projection,” he said.

“I’ve never heard of that,” Kato said, his back to the door. He had armed the silencing wards, and they flickered behind him.

“It’s rare,” Ivain said. “And dangerous. The soul is not meant to exist outside the body, and can only be projected outside of the physical form if properly anchored. I only know of a handful of individuals capable of pulling it off, and most of them have already been soul bonded for centuries, if not longer.”

Skye swayed on his feet.What?

He must have asked the question aloud, because Ivain said again, “A soul bond. Not complete—not yet. That takes centuries. But thedreams, the projection… ThatwasTaly.” Ivain’s voice cracked on her name, and he glanced at the spot where she had been only moments before. “That was her anima—still tethered to her physical body, but also… to you. The anchor. Somehow, she pushed her soul outside of herself, and then you pulled her through. Pulled her down the bond forming between you.”

Skye staggered back a step, only to run into the couch. Sinking down, he was only half-aware that every eye in the room had settled firmly on him.

A soul bond—a bridge between two people that loved so deeply, trusted so completely, their very souls began to reach out, desperate to intertwine.

Marriages expired. Lovers separated. Even mates could fall out of love.

But soul bonds were permanent, lasting even beyond death.

Skye pressed a hand to his chest, feeling for the tug of that thread and smiling when it gave a tiny spark of recognition.

Taly. Not just a friend. Or a mate. If they continued down this road, accepted the bond and cultivated the love and trust that already existed between them—even calling her his wife would be an insult.

She would be hisélan. His beloved. His partner and equal.

He probably should’ve been more surprised. A soul bond—that was big. But then again, this was Taly. The girl who had slipped into his heart so slowly and so quietly, he’d loved her without knowing. It made sense that she had stolen a piece of his soul too.

Skye blinked, and the voices around him snapped into focus.

“How is this possible?” Sarina had moved from her position by the fireplace and was now standing over him, a motherly hand on his shoulder.

Kato barked out a laugh, the back of his head hitting the door with a thud. “Is anyone in this room really surprised by this news? Anyone at all? Granted, I only knew the little human for all of five minutes, but I can’t be the only one that wanted to hurl when they started up that tap-tappity thing.”

“That is not helpful,” Ivain said, even if he quietly shuddered at the memory of their not-so-silent code.

“And beside the point,” Sarina added. “Regardless of the desire, mortals can’t form soul bonds. They can’t carve out a piece of themselves and give it to someone else. It would kill them.”

“But she’s not mortal,” Ivain countered. “Sarina, you saw—”

“I know.” She shook her head, raising a hand to her throat. “Buthow? How can that be possible? She’s human. She’s always been human.”

“Not always.” Skye stared down at his hands. The ones that had just been holding onto her. “Taly had secrets. Good ones too. Whoever has her right now—they’re not going to kill her. Not if they know what she is. They’re going to do something far, far worse. To her and to us. Which is why I need to go. Right now.”

“You’re going to wait.” The look Ivain gave him was stern but kind, his own curiosity, anger, confusion all carefully restrained. “I didn’t believe you then, but I do now, and I know why you have to do this. Anélancomes before self, before sanityand reason, and I won’t stop you. But we need to figure out some answers first.

“Now then.” Ivain clasped his hands behind his back as he surveyed the room. “I get the feeling that everyone here has been working off an incomplete set of information. I think it’s time we fixed that.”

“Majesty?”