Page 36

Dani made it sound simple, but it wasn’t. Soul bonds were gifts given by a force far greater than the gods, a force so ancient that even the gods themselves rarely understood how the bond worked. Among a pair of soul bonds, at least one of the individuals bore a gift, sometimes both, like with Dani and Fynn or Esmeray and her late husband. When Pontanius first found his wife, Alisynth, he did not understand the connection that pulled them together. It was a connection that promised something great, something extraordinary, something nature willed to happen. Few ignored that pull. And those who did . . . Well, the majority of those stories have been buried in the past, long since forgotten.

After hearing how his gift sang when Kalisandre was around him, when his lips touched hers, when she finally began to open up to him—Graeson would never be able to let that feeling go.

He refused to be one of those stories.

Not without trying first.

“I will not stop fighting for her,” Graeson said, voice pained. “I can’t.”

“She has made her choice, Graeson.”

Graeson willed the anger to settle within him as Dani said out loud what he refused to admit.

“And she didn’t choose you.”

“I will believe that when we free her mind,” Graeson whispered.

“What do you mean?” Dani asked, her tone skeptical.

He met her gaze. Ice ran through his veins, the monster’s anger seeping out from the closet that it resided in inside Graeson’s mind.

“Graeson . . . What are you going to do?”

A smirk crept onto his face. “I have a wedding to attend.”

“Does the queen know?” Dani asked, following after him.

Graeson laughed as he stalked forward. “We both know Esmeray does not control me.”

“Graeson, wait,” Dani’s footsteps quickened behind him. She reached for his shoulder. “You can’t.”

Graeson shook her hand off. His mind was already set.

“Be honest with yourself, Dani.” Graeson faced his friend one last time. “Esmeray will not allow you to have the revenge you crave, but I will.” Graeson paused, but Dani didn’t deny it. “At the end of the day, it isyourchoice what you wish to do. You can stay on this island, waiting for Esmeray and her advisors to decide. But all you will be waiting for is for our enemies to attack again. Because you know as well as I do that a war is coming.” Graeson looked down his nose at her. “What will your role be in that war, Dani?”

Dani stared at him, and for a moment, Graeson thought he saw the flash of the fire she once possessed. But then, she said nothing. Her green gaze cold.

“You blame Kallie for Fynn’s death, and I can understand why you think it is her fault. But, in truth, she is not the one to blame. And I will do whatever it takes to prove that to you. With or without you, I am going to save her. Fynn deserves justice. Do not forget who else will be at this wedding.”

Kalisandre was a victim here, too. Somehow, Domitius had wrapped his claws around her mind. He had manipulated the manipulator. Graeson only needed to prove it and free Kalisandre from his grasp. Then, he would show Kalisandre once and for all that he could give her more than a crown or a throne. He would give her the seven seas and the stars above. He would give her everything.

If Kalisandre still did not want any part of him at that point, Graeson would let her go. It would kill him to do so, but at that point, it would be her choice and her choice alone.

That’s all he wanted for her. No matter if her choice broke him. At least it was hers.

“Graeson,” Dani whispered behind him.

A smile tugged at his lips, but he didn’t turn back. “I have a few pieces of business I need to take care of,” he said, continuing down the path to the castle.

Graeson knew Dani had already made up her mind. In truth, she had probably made her choice when she decided to find him. Revenge was Dani’s second calling, the flower she couldn’t help pick in the garden. She only needed a little push.

Over his shoulder, Graeson said, “We leave in three days.”

Chapter12

KALLIE

Glass shatteredon the dark oak table, now stained red, as a scream rang through the hall outside the dining room.