Valkhara
The voice was gone.
But its echo hadn't left.
It lingered like frostbite slow, creeping, rotting.
Azric hadn't spoken in fifteen minutes. Not with words. Not through the bond. He just sat there, shirtless and deadly quiet, fingers twitching against his knee.
Sevrin paced the length of the room like a caged animal. Every now and then, he'd slam a fist into the wall just to stop himself from combusting.
I didn't blame them.
Because I could still feel him.
The third one.
And that whisper?
It hadn't been just a flare of bond magic.
It was a warning.
A fucking promise.
Enjoy her while you can…
"I should've torn the Council chamber apart when I had the chance," Sevrin muttered.
Azric finally spoke. "If he's trapped and strong enough to break through, the Council knows. They have to."
"And they didn't tell us shit," I said flatly. "Which means they're hiding him on purpose."
Azric's gaze cut to mine. "We need to tread carefully. If they sense we know more than we should—"
Knock knock knock.
The door swung open before we could respond.
Nyra strolled in, holding two mugs and a satchel full of potion vials like she was bringing cookies to a bake sale and not marching into a war zone.
"Do you ever fucking knock" Sevrin said through a growl
"Okay, I came as soon as I felt that flare." Nyra said ignoring Sevrin who was glowering at her.
Sevrin growled. "Felt?"
Nyra raised a brow. "That bond surge could've woken the fucking dead. I thought you were all getting murdered… but no. Just aggressively mated. How sweet."
Azric rubbed his temples. "Do you ever knock?" following Severins lead but not as grumpy.
"No," she said, then tossed one of the mugs at me. "Drink this."
I sniffed it. "What is it?"
"Mind-warding potion. Strong enough to block Council intrusion."
I blinked. "Wait, what do you mean council intrusion?"
"Oh sis, they are coming for you. probably on their way. They don't give notice, they don't want you to be able to prepare. But lucky for you I live in a magical forest that never shuts the fuck up. So sometimes it actually has something interesting to say" Nyra said shrugging her shoulders...
"holly shit my life is a cluster fuck, and wait... that is a thing? A potion to block council intrusion in my HEAD??"
"Of course it is. Why do you think I'm still alive and not tied to a tower somewhere in their basement?"
Azric stood fast. "Wait if she drinks that…"
"She won't be able to hear you either," Nyra confirmed, suddenly serious. "No bond. No mind-link. Total mental silence for six hours."
My stomach flipped.
Sevrin barked a laugh. "So you want her to walk into a Council interrogation alone? With no help?"
"Would you rather her walk in with her mind open?" Nyra snapped. "Let them sift through her thoughts, see your little sex scene, realize she's got a third mate, and light the whole castle on fire?"
Azric's jaw clenched.
She wasn't wrong.
I stared at the mug.
Nyra stepped closer. "I'll guide you through it. What to say. How to breathe. You go in steady. Cold. Controlled."
My hands trembled slightly as I lifted the cup.
"What if something happens?" I whispered. "What if they try to… do something?"
"Then Sevrin and I burn the fucking building down," Azric said, voice ice-calm.
Sevrin grinned like he meant it.
Nyra gave a quick nod. "Drink it."
I did.
It tasted like bloodroot and ash and something cold.
And instantly?
The bond went silent.
Like someone had thrown me into a void.
No voices. No emotions. No Azric. No Sevrin.
Just… me.
I nearly dropped the mug from the shock.
Azric's mouth parted like he felt the tether sever. Sevrin turned away completely.
Nyra handed me a vial. "Just in case. Drink this to reverse the ward if you need to. But only after you're out."
I tucked it into my belt.
Almost on que a sharp knock sounded. Formal. Final.
A royal guard waited in the hall.
"Lady Valkhara," he said, bowing low. "The Council will see you now."
The chamber was cold.
The glass balcony loomed above me. Ten robed figures sat like vultures in shadow, silent and still.
I stood alone on the rune-inscribed floor, arms loose at my sides, heartbeat steady only because I forced it to be.
One of the Council members leaned forward.
"Valkhara of the Emberborn bloodline."
I didn't respond.
"Yesterday, you did not speak during the Trial of Negotiation. And yet all other contestants stepped down. Why?"
"I didn't ask them to," I said evenly.
"And yet they followed you."
I said nothing.
The silence stretched.
Another figure leaned forward. "Your bond with the two vampire heirs… it grows stronger."
I didn't blink.
Another added, "Does it cloud your judgment?"
"No."
"Do they influence your strategy?"
"No."
"Do you plan to complete those bonds?"
I held their gaze. "That is none of your concern."
A few murmurs.
They're digging, I thought. They're guessing. Probing. Trying to catch me in a lie.
The eldest Councilor stood.
He was tall. Hooded. His voice older than dust.
"Do you feel a third bond, Valkhara?"
The world stopped.
I stared up at him.
Every instinct in me screamed to lie.
But the potion Nyra gave me held. No emotion. No stray thought.
"Is that an accusation?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Because at that moment?
The bond I wasn't supposed to feel?
It slammed into me.
A wave of power, fury, lust, and need.
My knees buckled.
And a voice echoed in my head.
They know about me now, don't they?
I gasped.
The potion held, but just barely.
The Council stood as one, tension shifting.
The air in the room sparked.
I'm coming, Valkhara. No matter what they try…
You're mine.
Then silence.
The Council's expressions shifted. Uneasy. Curious.
The elder's eyes narrowed.
"This meeting is adjourned."
Outside, I nearly collapsed.
Azric caught me first, arm sliding around my waist.
"You okay?" he asked, voice low.
"I, I... he was there," I whispered. "He pushed through."
Sevrin's jaw twitched. "They know now."
Nyra cursed under her breath. "Then we're on borrowed time."