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The foolish woman laughed. LAUGHED!

"No thank you, Prince Jaiel," past-me joked. "Who knows where that mouth has been?"

Jaiel's smile wavered, but he quickly recovered and nodded.

Knives slashed through me, leaving my heart in tatters.

The prince who never kissed … never loved …

If I'd known —

"If you would like to say goodbye, Kaiya, now is the time. The storm draws near. You won't get another chance."

I stared at Jaiel, heart shattering.

"No," I ground out. "I won't do it. I won't say goodbye."

"No?" the figure asked.

"No goodbyes." My voice broke. "A promise. I will make a promise instead."

Spinning on my heel, I traced the bond in my mind — following it to a gilded door, and yanked it open to see the storm outside.

Winds blasted me as my gaze followed the dimly glowing bond out across the darkness to where the hurricane raged.

"Jaiel Kierstall!" I yelled. "You'd better be listening!"

The wind's howling didn't change.

"I will NOT say goodbye!!" I screamed, fists clenched. "You're an idiot for leaving me behind like this. You know how stubborn I am."

Lightning continued to light the sky, thunder shaking the ground.

"I'm coming to save you, and there is nowhere in the seven hells that you can hide from me!" My throat ached, tears tracing paths down my cheeks. "And then we will dance and kiss and you will tell me ALL those gods-damned things you should have told me before!"

Rain and wind battered me as the cloaked figurestepped up next to me.

"I'm sorry, Kaiya," he said, voice gentle. "But he can't come back from that. His korra has been —"

I shut out his words, putting all my focus on that dark storm — MY dark storm.

"You are NOT gone!" I screamed. "I KNOW you aren't!"

There was no answer.

"Kaiya, we must go. The storm will tear this place apart any moment."

Wind ripped at me, threatening to pull me into the sky, but I didn't care.

"I'm coming for you, Jaiel," I whispered. "No matter what."

The cloaked man touched my shoulder, and once more, I fell.

But there, for the briefest moment before I left the dream, I swear I felt something stir in the bond …

Chapter 61

Kaiya