Page 117 of Prince of the Phantom Sky

“Then I’m coming with,” Aryn nodded. He seemed older, his features catching up to the depths of his voice. His floppy hair had grown out, with stubble lining his chin. Kora gripped his hands harder.

“I’m safe with Raiden,” she promised. “We need to go to Skybell Castle, to figure out what’s happening in my mind, and how to fix it before Barron gets to me. Raiden wants to research deflection runes. Sirona has scoured the healer’s books here for me, and I’ve practically torn Aerion’s history library apart.”

In that moment, Kora realised just how much she appreciated the prince. Aerion had never been anything but welcoming to her. They’d scoured his books together, searching for clues on Devanian magic, including the divine. But his library was too recent, too polished.

Aryn’s lips twitched at the mention of Aerion. “And his biology scriptures.”

Of course he would know.

“When I come back, you’ll have to tell me what’s going on between you two. You were cosy at The Lost Lagoon.”

A deep red blush bloomed on Aryn’s cheeks. “Or I could come with and tell you.”

“You’re incessant!” Kora sighed, reaching for her gifted midnight-and-pearl dagger, sheathing it to her thigh.

“It’s . . . hard for a skildaj to be away from their bonded,” Aryn swallowed audibly. “This may weaken our connection.”

Kora paused. “What do you mean?” Had Aryn not told her everything? Had he somehow manipulated her into a connection? Was Raiden telling the truth?

“The Tvinnr Fyr demands some level of proximity. Being far away from each other causes strain, it could weaken one or both of us. It’s like a thirst that can’t be quenched. It’ll demand us to reunite eventually.”

Kora paled, her heart thudding unpleasantly. “You never told me that when I accepted.”

Aryn fidgeted. “I . . . I needed it back. I could feel it dying within me, the longer we went without it becoming reestablished. And you needed help with boosting your power. I will always protect you, Kora. I need to.”

“So you pushed it onto me for your own selfish reasons?” Kora snapped, backing away. “You lied to me about the extent of this!”

“It’s not changed anything!” Aryn’s ethereal power returned, his control slipping. Kora flinched as the air charged, a channel of power filling the confines of her room. “We’ve not changed. The bond strengthened you, helped you regain your ability faster. It means we can always find each other. That when together, we can channel energies.”

She stuttered. Her power had surged recently, her accuracy sharper when sparring with Aryn, the wielding more effortless and less draining. But she’d thought she’d accomplished it all through her own determination and strength. She was so wrong.

“There’s more you haven’t told me!” Kora’s rage blinded her to Aryn’s words. “What else haven’t you mentioned?”

Aryn stuttered, his words failing him. Kora whirled, grabbing her satchel.

“What’s wrong?” Raiden’s presence curled around her mind. Warm and soft.

“Annoying males!”

“Sometimes, the Tvinnr Fyr can force a deeper bond,” Aryn spoke to the floor. “If it sees your blood-bond as a match for another within the weave of fate, it will create a mating bond.”

A chill skittered down her back. What.

“Are you telling me that we’re pre-destined lovers?” She shouldered her satchel, clipping it across her chest, her hands trembling. She’d never seen Aryn that way. He was like the brother she never had, the foundation of stability and comfort. An ever-present warm stone anchoring her chest. One of the few lights in her life that soared through the darkness of her mind.

Aryn’s eyes flared. “No! Just that it’s possible in some cases.”

Kora stormed for the door. “You better hope for Aerion’s sake that it isn’t.” Aryn recoiled in response and Kora paused. “That’s it, isn’t it? The issue between you two, is me.”

“When we returned, he wanted me to take the Tvinnr Fyr with him. He believes we’re . . . destined. But I couldn’t whilst still connected to you, I could feel it, hanging on. Only death could break our bond now.”

Almighty Thanos.

“Why force it? You can’t make decisions like that!” Kora gritted out, unable to understand his decision. Why sacrifice love for her? “You had a chance at something real, Aryn. Why waste it? It could still create a mating bond between us down the line. Aerion would never forgive you for that. I would never forgive you.”

She’d been ensnared before by a male. She had vowed never again. The next male to grace her heart would be chosen, away from manipulation, away from fate.

“You’re important, Kora. You may not understand or see it, but I will always put my life before yours. I love Aerion. I always have. And I always will. But for our survival, the world’s survival, you come first. I have to do this.”