The world stopped.
One heartbeat, I was on fire.
Kaelen’s hand was under my shift, his fingers brushing the heat between my legs, his voice a rough command in the dark—*Say you’re mine*—and I was seconds from obeying. Not because of the bond. Not because of the curse. But because I *wanted* to. Because my body ached for him, my magic surged toward him, my heart had already whispered his name in the silence between breaths.
And then—
The door exploded open.
Guards in black armor flooded the chamber, their eyes glowing crimson, their weapons drawn. Behind them, framed in the archway like a specter of judgment, stood Oberon—High King of the Fae, immortal ruler of the Law of Union, master of lies and oaths. His golden eyes burned with power, his crown of living ivy pulsing with ancient magic. And beside him—Lysara, draped in crimson silk, her smile sharp as a blade, her gaze triumphant.
The moment shattered.
Kaelen didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just slowly, deliberately, withdrew his hand from beneath my shift and rose from the bed, his movements calm, controlled, *dangerous*. He didn’t look at me. Didn’t offer a word of comfort or command. Just stepped back, straightened his coat, and faced the intruders like a king who had been wronged.
But I could feel it—the bond. It didn’t fade. It *screamed*. A pulse of raw, unfiltered emotion tore through me: fury, possessiveness, *humiliation*. This was *our* moment. *Our* choice. And they had stolen it.
I sat up, clutching the edge of the silk sheets to my chest, my breath still uneven, my skin burning where his fingers had been. My magic churned beneath my skin, wild and electric, reacting to the violation, to the interruption, to the way my body still throbbed with unspent need.
“Explain this,” Oberon said, his voice like wind through dead trees, cutting through the silence like a blade.
Kaelen turned, his expression unreadable. “You barged into my chambers uninvited. I believe the explanation is yours to give.”
“You were in violation of the Law,” Oberon said. “The Blood Seal demands the bond be consummated by the full moon. Not before. Not in secret. And certainly not while the Seal’s condition remains unconfirmed.”
“The condition is clear,” Kaelen said. “And we were preparing to fulfill it.”
“Preparing?” Lysara purred, stepping forward. “From where I’m standing, it looked like you were *in the middle* of it. His hand was under her shift. Her legs were wrapped around him. And her magic—” She inhaled deeply, her eyes fluttering shut. “—was *screaming* with arousal.”
My face burned.
Not from shame.
From rage.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I snapped, rising from the bed, the shift clinging to my body, my bare feet cold against the stone. “We were testing the bond. That’s all.”
“Testing?” Oberon’s eyebrow arched. “With his hand between your thighs?”
“The bond responds to proximity,” I said, lifting my chin. “To touch. To magic. We were conducting a ritual assessment.”
“Liar,” Lysara said, smirking. “You were seconds from letting him *claim* you. And you *wanted* it.”
“Enough,” Kaelen said, his voice low, final. “You’ve made your point. Now leave.”
“I am not your subject,” Oberon said. “I am the enforcer of the Law. And the Law says the bond must be proven *in the Council Chamber*, before witnesses, under magical scrutiny. Not in the shadows, not in secret, not while you attempt to circumvent the rules.”
“Then bring the Seal,”