Let Kieran wonder what I'm thinking.
Let him worry about what comes next.
Right now, I need distance before I do something I'll regret.
The ancient stone seems to whisper beneath my feet as I walk away, leaving them all standing in the echoing silence of a Hall that has taken something precious from us all.
Our choice.
Chapter 21
Darian
Fuck.
Chapter 22
Kaia
My shadows coil tight and sharp around me, responding to my fury. Even Mouse's usual calming presence can't soothe the storm brewing inside me.
"You knew," I say, my voice deadly quiet as I finally break the silence. "You knew exactly what this place would do."
Kieran meets my gaze steadily, but there's something ancient and tired in his golden eyes. "Yes."
The simple admission makes my shadows lash out before I can stop them. "Why?" The word comes out raw, scraping my throat. "Why would you do this?"
"Because we needed—"
"Don't," I cut him off. "Don't you dare talk about need. About balance or ancient wisdom or whatever other excuse you've prepared." My hands shake as I step closer. "Tell me how these bonds were really meant to form."
His jaw tightens, but it's Malrik who answers, his voice soft with realization. "Love," he says, and the word seems to echo in the ancient chamber. "They were sealed through love. Through choice." His silver eyes meetmine. "That's what I've been feeling. What we've all been feeling, but couldn't understand."
"The bond forms naturally," Kieran admits reluctantly. "Growing stronger as hearts align. The final sealing…" He pauses, looking away. "It was meant to happen during lovemaking. A choice made in perfect trust and devotion."
The truth of it nearly brings me to my knees. What should have been beautiful, sacred even, twisted into this forced connection. My shadows writhe with shared grief and fury.
"You stole that from us," I whisper. "You took something that was supposed to be about love and turned it into another chain."
"Kaia—" Finn starts, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.
"No." I turn back to Kieran. "You didn't just force these bonds. You took away our chance to choose them. To let them grow naturally. To fall in love on our own terms."
The silence that follows feels heavy enough to crush stone.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" My voice shakes with barely contained fury. "These bonds—they're not just magic. They're not just convenient connections you can force into place when it suits you."
My shadows surge with my anger, and I catch Bob actually positioning himself between me and Kieran like he's ready for battle. Patricia's frantic note-taking has turned sharp and aggressive, while Mouse's growl vibrates through the stone floor.
"The timing—" Kieran starts, but I cut him off.
"The timing?" I laugh, but there's no humor in it. "You mean your schedule? Your plans? Because that's all that matters, right? Not the fact that these bonds are supposed to be sacred."
Malrik steps forward, his silver eyes intense. "The ancient texts spoke of bonds formed over years. Of connections that grew stronger with each shared moment, each choice to stay." His voice carries the weight of generations of shadow realm knowledge. "They were never meant to be forced."
"But they were always meant to form," Kieran counters, though his voice lacks its usual certainty.
"Eventually," I snap. "Through trust. Through actually falling in love. Through choosing each other every single day until the bond grew strong enough to seal itself." My hand presses against my chest where I can feel them all now, these connections I didn't ask for. "Not like this. Never like this."
