Sera's POV
"Help me."
The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. Kael's silver eyes widen in shock—like he can't believe I'm actually speaking to him instead of running away.
"You should... go," he gasps, his form flickering again. Monster. Man. Monster. "Too dangerous... can't control..."
But I feel it now—the bond pulling tight between us. Pain radiates from my chest, sharp and burning. His pain. Our pain.
If he dies, I die.
I should be terrified. I should hate him for trapping me like this. But looking at him collapsed in his own blood, hurt because he protected me, killed for me—I can't just walk away.
Even if he is a monster.
"Tell me what to do," I say, moving closer. "How do I help you?"
"Can't." Kael shakes his head, and blood drips from his mouth. "The wounds... too deep. Needed... to make a point. Let them... hurt me. So they'd know... the cost."
"You let them hurt you?" My voice rises. "Why would you do that?"
His eyes meet mine, and they're so human it makes my chest ache. "Had to... show them. You're protected. Anyone who... touches you... faces me. Even if... it kills me."
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" I'm yelling now, kneeling beside him. "You bonded us together! If you die, I die! Did you forget that part?"
A ghost of a smile crosses his face. "Didn't forget. Just... didn't care. You're... safe. That's... what matters."
The pain in my chest spikes, and I gasp, doubling over. It feels like someone's squeezing my heart. The bond is tightening, pulling us closer to death with every second.
"Stop talking and tell me how to fix this!" I demand.
Kael's hand moves slowly, like it weighs a thousand pounds. He touches the glowing marks on my arm—the bond symbols. "The magic... connects us. Your life... flows through me. Mine... through you."
"I know that already!"
"Then you know..." He coughs, more blood. "You can... heal me. If you... want to."
I stare at him. "How?"
"The bond... works both ways. You feel... my pain. But I feel... your strength. Your... humanity. Give it... to me. Let the magic... flow."
"I don't know how to do that!"
"Yes... you do." His eyes are starting to close. "You're a Truthseeker. You see... through everything. Even... magic. Just... look at the bond. Really look. You'll... see."
His eyes close completely, and panic floods through me. No. No, he can't die. I won't let him.
I close my eyes and focus on the marks on my arms. They're warm, pulsing with light. I push my awareness into them, following the magic like a thread.
And suddenly, I see it.
The bond between us appears like a glowing rope of golden light, stretching from my heart to his. But Kael's end is fraying, breaking apart, darkness creeping in where the light should be.
He's dying. Right now. Right in front of me.
I grab the bond with my mind—it feels real somehow, solid—and I pull. I pull life from my side and push it toward his. The magic resists at first, like it doesn't want to flow backward. But I push harder, forcing it.
"Come on," I whisper. "Work. Please work."
The bond flares bright, almost blinding. Power rushes out of me and into Kael. It feels like I'm pouring out my own blood, my own breath, everything that makes me alive.
Kael gasps, his eyes flying open. They're glowing—bright silver, like stars. The wounds on his body start to close, skin knitting back together, blood stopping its flow.
His form stabilizes. Man, not monster. Just for a moment.
Then I feel it—I've given too much. My legs collapse under me, and everything goes dizzy and dark.
Strong arms catch me before I hit the ground.
"Sera." Kael's voice sounds different. Clearer. More human. "Sera, stop. You're killing yourself."
"Can't... stop," I mumble. "You're not... healed yet."
"I'm healed enough." He pulls me against his chest, and I can hear his heartbeat—strong and steady. "Stop now, or the bond will take everything."
I let go of the magic, and it snaps back like a rubber band. The world spins.
"Why?" Kael asks quietly. "Why did you save me? I'm the monster who took everything from you."
I look up at him. His face is human now—sharp features, dark hair, those incredible silver eyes. Handsome in a dangerous way. This is what he looked like before the curse.
"You're also the monster who saved me," I say. "Who killed his own people to protect me. Who bonded his life to mine so I couldn't be sacrificed." I pause. "And because if you died, I'd die too. I'm not ready to die yet."
He laughs—actually laughs. It sounds rusty, like he hasn't done it in years. "Honest. I like that."
"Besides," I add, "if I'm stuck with you forever, you better stay alive. I'm not dying in some stupid fortress because you picked a fight."
"I picked seventeen fights," he corrects, and there's dark humor in his voice. "Technically."
"That's even stupider."
We sit there in silence for a moment. Him holding me. Me too weak to move. The bond between us humming softly, settled now, balanced.
"I can't let you go," Kael says finally. "The bond is permanent. Even if I wanted to free you—and I don't—I couldn't. You're trapped here. With me. Forever."
"I know."
"And you'll hate me for it."
I think about that. About my village burning. About Lyra's betrayal and Father's cowardice and Lord Damon's cruelty. About Elder Mordain sacrificing innocent people for ten years.
"Maybe," I admit. "But right now? Right now I'm just tired of being scared."
Kael's arms tighten around me slightly. "You don't have to be scared here. Not anymore. I'll kill anything that tries to hurt you."
"I know. That's what I'm afraid of." I look up at him. "You killed seventeen of your own people for me. How many more will die because of me?"
His expression goes hard. "As many as necessary."
"That's not okay, Kael."
"I don't care." His eyes burn into mine. "You're mine now. Mine to protect. Mine to keep safe. The cost doesn't matter."
A chill runs through me. Not fear exactly, but something close. He means it. He would burn the whole world if it meant keeping me alive.
"You're really a monster, aren't you?" I whisper.
"Yes." He doesn't deny it. "But I'm your monster now."
Footsteps echo in the hallway—multiple sets, running fast. Kael tenses, shadows starting to swirl around him again. His eyes shift from silver to red.
"Stay behind me," he growls.
But I grab his arm before he can stand. "Wait. What if they're coming to help?"
"They're not." His voice is pure ice. "I can smell their fear. Their anger. More rebels."
The footsteps get closer. I hear voices—Shadowborn voices, harsh and grinding.
"The human made him weak!"
"Kill her, free the king!"
"She's corrupting him!"
Kael moves faster than I can see. He's in front of me, massive and terrifying, all monster now. His roar shakes the entire fortress.
"MINE!" he bellows at the approaching Shadowborn. "She is MINE!"
They burst around the corner—at least a dozen of them, all armed with weapons made of shadow and bone. They freeze when they see Kael standing over me.
"My king," one of them says, "please. The bond is destroying you. Let us end her quickly. You'll survive. You're strong enough."
"No," Kael says simply.
"But my king—"
"I SAID NO!" Kael's power explodes outward, and the Shadowborn are thrown back against the walls. "She is bonded to me. She is under my protection. Anyone who touches her dies. Are we clear?"
The Shadowborn look at each other. Some nod reluctantly. Others look murderous.
One steps forward—bigger than the rest, with scars across his face. "And if we refuse? If we kill her anyway?"
Kael smiles, and it's the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. "Then I'll kill every single one of you. And I'll enjoy it."
The scarred Shadowborn's eyes narrow. "You'd slaughter your own army for one human?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Then the scarred one laughs—a horrible, grinding sound. "Then you've already lost, my king. You're not our leader anymore. You're her slave."
He moves so fast I barely see it. Straight for me, claws extended, murder in his eyes.
Kael catches him mid-lunge and snaps his neck with one twist.
The body hits the floor.
"Anyone else?" Kael asks the remaining Shadowborn, his voice deadly calm. "Anyone else want to test me?"
They run. All of them, scattering like rats.
Kael turns back to me, and his eyes are silver again. Human again. "Are you hurt?"
I shake my head, but I'm trembling. "You just killed him. Just like that."
"Yes."
"Because he tried to hurt me."
"Yes."
"How many more will you kill, Kael? How many more before this ends?"
He kneels down so we're eye to eye. When he speaks, his voice is gentle but absolutely certain.
"All of them, if necessary. Every single one. I told you, Sera. You're mine to protect. And I keep what's mine."
The bond pulses between us, warm and unbreakable.
I realize with horror that I believe him.
And worse—part of me doesn't want him to stop.