Kael's POV
"Your mother couldn't have planned this," I said flatly.
Sera looked at me with those green eyes full of desperate hope. "But what if she did? What if—"
"Your mother died seven years ago. I've been The Reaper for fourteen years." I paced the room, anger building. "How could she have known the empire would arrest your brother? How could she have known you'd perform the ritual on the exact night I'd be doing executions? How could she have predicted any of this?"
Through the bond, I felt Sera's hope crumbling.
"She was studying blood magic," Sera insisted. "Her journal had notes about bonds, about—"
"About a ritual that went wrong!" I stopped pacing and faced her. "You said it yourself. The magic split. It connected to the wrong person. Your mother might have studied bonds, but she didn't create ours. You did. By accident."
"Then why is it so perfect?" Sera's voice broke. "Morvaine said—"
"Morvaine is a snake who wants something from us. Don't trust a word she says." I moved closer, lowering my voice. "Listen to me. Whatever reason this bond exists, whoever might have wanted it, doesn't matter. What matters is breaking it before the Emperor decides to use us as experiments."
Sera wrapped her arms around herself. Through the bond, I felt her fear.
"Can we break it?" she whispered. "Really?"
I wanted to lie. Tell her yes, it would be easy, we'd be free in days.
But I'd spent fourteen years becoming the empire's weapon by never lying to myself.
"I don't know," I admitted. "Blood-bonds are ancient magic. Most of what we know about them is legend and guesswork. But your mother's journal—does it say anything about breaking them?"
"I don't know. I only read the ritual page before—" She stopped. "The journal. Where is it?"
"Riven has it. I had him secure all your possessions."
"I need to read it. Cover to cover. There has to be something—"
A knock interrupted us.
I moved in front of Sera instinctively. "What?"
Riven opened the door, his face grim. "Boss, we have a problem. The Emperor wants to see you. Now."
My blood went cold. "Did he say why?"
"High Priestess Morvaine reported the blood-bond. He wants an explanation." Riven glanced at Sera. "He wants to see her too."
Through the bond, Sera's terror spiked so high it nearly knocked me over.
"No," I said. "She's my prisoner. My investigation. He doesn't get to—"
"He's the Emperor, Kael. He gets to do whatever he wants." Riven's voice was tight with worry. "And he's not in a good mood. Three of his advisors died last night from a mysterious illness. He's paranoid, angry, and looking for someone to blame."
Sera grabbed my arm. "If we go to him, he'll kill us. Or worse—he'll keep us alive to study the bond."
She was right. Emperor Draven was obsessed with blood magic, always searching for ways to extend his life, increase his power. A perfect blood-bond would be too tempting to pass up.
"We run," Sera whispered. "Right now. Before—"
"We can't run." I pulled away from her touch, from the desperate hope in her eyes. "If we run, he'll hunt us. He'll kill everyone we care about until we surrender. Your brother dies. Riven dies. Everyone."
"Then what do we do?"
I looked at Riven. "How long do we have?"
"Twenty minutes. Maybe thirty if we're lucky."
I turned to Sera. "Your mother's journal. I need you to read it. Fast. Find anything—anything—about breaking bonds or hiding them or controlling them."
"In twenty minutes?"
"You have fifteen. Riven's getting the journal now." I moved toward the door. "I'll go to the Emperor alone. Buy you more time."
"No!" Sera grabbed my arm again. Through the bond, I felt her fear—but also determination. "If you go alone, he'll torture you for answers. I'll feel every second of it. We go together."
"If we go together, we both die."
"We're dying anyway!" Her voice rose. "The bond connects us. There's no 'alone' anymore, Kael. What happens to you happens to me. So either we face this together, or we don't face it at all."
Through the bond, I felt her absolute certainty.
Stubborn. Brave. Stupid.
"Fine," I said. "But we need leverage. Something to make the Emperor think twice about killing us."
"Like what?"
My mind raced, calculating possibilities. The Emperor was paranoid, yes. But he was also practical. He needed things. Information. Control.
An idea formed—dangerous, possibly suicidal, but it might work.
"Your uncle," I said slowly. "Lord Theron. He's been embezzling from the empire's treasury. I've seen the evidence. Been documenting it for years, waiting for the right time to expose him."
Sera's eyes widened. "You have proof?"
"Enough to get him executed three times over." I looked at Riven. "Get those documents. Every piece of evidence we have on Theron's corruption. We're going to give it to the Emperor."
"Boss, that's—"
"Our only leverage." I cut him off. "We tell the Emperor we discovered the blood-bond while investigating dark magic connected to Lord Theron. We found evidence of his crimes. We hand him Theron on a platter in exchange for letting us live long enough to break the bond."
Riven nodded and left.
Sera stared at me. "You'd expose my uncle? Give the Emperor ammunition to execute him?"
"Your uncle tried to kill us both with poison. He arranged your brother's execution on false charges. He stole everything from your family." I held her gaze. "Yes, I'd throw him to the Emperor without hesitation. Wouldn't you?"
Through the bond, I felt her conflict. Part of her wanted revenge. Part of her recoiled at the thought of causing anyone's death.
"He's family," she whispered.
"He's a monster who happens to share your blood. That's not family."
"Says the man who kills people for a living."
The words stung because they were true.
"You're right," I said quietly. "I am a killer. I've done terrible things. But I've never pretended those things were justified. Your uncle murders innocents and calls it justice. At least I'm honest about what I am."
Sera was silent for a long moment. Then: "Do it. Give the Emperor the evidence. Let Theron face consequences for once in his miserable life."
Through the bond, I felt her resolve harden.
Good. We'd need that strength.
Riven returned with a folder thick with documents and Sera's mother's journal.
"Ten minutes," he said. "The Emperor's guards are already on their way."
I handed Sera the journal. "Read fast. Look for anything useful."
She flipped through pages frantically while I organized the evidence against Lord Theron. Documents showing stolen funds. Forged signatures. Secret accounts.
Enough to condemn him twice over.
"Kael." Sera's voice was strange. "You need to see this."
I moved beside her. She was staring at a page near the back of the journal, her face pale.
The page showed a diagram—two hands with matching chain marks. Annotations in her mother's handwriting surrounded it.
Blood-bonds cannot be broken by normal means. Only three things can sever the connection: Death of both parties. Completion of the bond's purpose. Or the Convergence Ritual.
"What's the Convergence Ritual?" I asked.
Sera pointed to more notes. Her hand was shaking.
The Convergence requires a perfect blood-bond. Two souls linked by magic, compatible in power and purpose. When the bond is complete—when both parties accept it willingly, with love—the ritual can be performed. It grants immense power. Some say immortality.
My blood went cold.
"Morvaine mentioned The Convergence," Sera whispered. "When she was talking about our bond. She said someone wanted this."
The pieces fell into place like a blade through flesh.
Our bond wasn't random. It wasn't an accident.
Someone had orchestrated it. Someone who knew about The Convergence Ritual. Someone who wanted the power it would grant.
Someone who needed us bonded, in love, and willing to complete the ritual.
"The Emperor," I breathed. "He's been searching for immortality for years. Morvaine's been helping him research blood magic."
"They created our bond?" Sera looked sick. "They wanted us connected?"
"No." I scanned the notes again. "They couldn't create it. The bond requires natural compatibility. But they could manipulate events. Guide you toward the ritual. Make sure I was there when you performed it."
"The assassin," Sera said. "The poison. They weren't trying to kill us. They were testing the bond. Seeing how strong it was."
Through our connection, we both felt the same horrifying realization.
We weren't prisoners.
We were experiments.
And the Emperor was coming to collect his results.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Heavy boots. Many of them.
"They're here," Riven said quietly.
I looked at Sera. Through the bond, I felt her terror. But also something else.
Trust.
She trusted me to get us through this.
I didn't deserve that trust. But I'd fight to keep it anyway.
"Stay close," I told her. "Whatever happens, we face it together."
She took my hand. The chain marks pressed together, burning hot.
"Together," she agreed.
The door opened.
Imperial guards filled the room, their swords drawn.
Behind them, High Priestess Morvaine smiled like a snake who'd just caught two mice.
"The Emperor is waiting," she said sweetly. "And he's very eager to meet the perfect blood-bond."
Through our joined hands, through the bond, through every fiber of connection between us, I felt Sera's question:
Can we survive this?
I squeezed her hand once.
Then I lied.
Yes.