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“He made a mistake, you mean,” I said, my voice trembling.

“No.” Kage’s voice was sharp. “It wasn’t a mistake. I told you, when a wolf finds his mate, he knows. I felt something for you on that cliff, right from the start. The vow wasn’t a mistake. It was destiny.”

“Or more like possession,” Lysander muttered.

“Destiny?” I repeated. “We’re each in different houses. We have nothing in common.”

Lysander shook his head. “When we came for you, do you remember what I did?”

I stared at him. “You held me in midair.”

He nodded. “You think I can do that with just anyone? For anyone? It’s the same as with the dreams.” He looked tired, as if trying to convince me was exhausting him. To be fair, it had already been a long morning.

“I didn’t agree to this,” I whispered. “And you two, you were … already together?”

Kage nodded. “That doesn’t mean we don’t want you.” For a second, he let it drop—that shield he’d had up for weeks. The shield that had been hiding the desire he felt when he looked at me. Now he lowered the wall, and I felt it. I gasped as Kage’s eyes held mine. Lysander, I realized, was on his feet. He’d already taken a step toward me.

I held up my hand. “Stop. Don’t come any closer.” He paused. “You don’t get to do this,” I said, my voice shaking. “You don’t get to touch me. I am not your fucking archon.”

“You are,” Lysander said, his voice soft. “We’re a triad. And this bond, we couldn’t break it even if we tried. I’m sorry—you possess us. We’re yours, even if you don’t want us.”

Kage looked at me, his face masking once again. “We know you didn’t choose this. That you don’t want it.”

“I …” I took a deep breath. “I don’t want anyone. I just want to be alone.” I looked at Lysander. “Tell me how this works.”

“We’re something rare. They used to call us a power triad, a triad formed from a union of three houses.” He smiled slightly. “There were once power quartets. But apparently they were even more rare.”

“And you know this how? Because you read it in some book?”

Lysander’s eyes flicked to Kage. “It’s a secret of my house. It’s why Orphos forms triads the way we do. We’re always hoping it will happen. But … I never expected this.” He met my eyes then. “We never expected you. But fuck, Regan, do we want you.”

It was all too much. I started to back away. “I need—”

“You need to be alone,” Lysander said quietly. “We understand. We will never push you. But we will protect you.”

“Forever,” Kage said from the tub. His gaze was dark as he looked at me. “Don’t ask us to stop, because we fucking can’t. You have to give us that much.”

“I can’t breathe,” I whispered. My voice was thin. “I need to lie down.” Neither of them moved to stop me. I turned on my heel, going back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind me.

Outside, my hands shook as I undid buttons and tugged my clothes off. The beautiful outfit I’d chosen with such care now reeked of rotten blood. I found a basin, filled it with water, and scrubbed a cloth over my dirty skin until it stung. I inspected my body in the mirror over the dresser. No bites, no breaks. Just exhaustion. I pulled on a fresh robe, wrapping the soft fabric around me, and sank into bed, staring up at the canopy. The black silk was embossed with silver stars. From inside the bathing chamber, I could hear lowered male voices. I couldn’t make out any of the words.

I closed my eyes. Tried to breathe. It was a new day, but my body no longer cared. I was so tired. But I couldn’t rest. Eventually I heard the bathwater drain. Then, footsteps. The door opened.

When I turned my head, both men stood there. Clean, with wet hair. Both had white towels wrapped around their waists. Kage looked a little sheepish, like the idea of covering up had been an afterthought.

Lysander looked at me carefully. “We’ll go now. But if you need us, one of us will be near. Always.”

I swallowed. “I’m so tired.” I hated how small my voice sounded. “But I can’t sleep.”

Kage’s expression softened first. Lysander’s eyes moved over my face, concern filling his eyes, like he was checking for something he’d missed. They exchanged a look. “We can lie on the floor,” Kage suggested, his voice hesitant.

My pulse jumped.

“We won’t touch you,” Lysander promised. His voice was rougher than it should have been.

The bed I was lying in was massive. I exhaled slowly. “Lie next to me. But … not too close.”

Kage’s mouth twitched. “Yes, Headmistress.”