Page 85 of Shadows Rising

Chapter 42

Finn

The bond snaps into place like a lock turning.

I feel it from across camp, where I’ve been pretending to check the perimeter while actually avoiding the lake. The sensation is familiar now—I’ve felt it before when Aspen and Kaia came together, that sudden click of completion, like puzzle pieces finally finding their fit.

This time, it cuts.

My knees hit the ground before I can stop them, chaos magic sparking wild around my fingers as the realization crashes over me. It’s Malrik. Of course it’s fucking Malrik. I should have seen this coming. Should have prepared for it.

But knowing something’s going to hurt doesn’t make the blade any less sharp when it finally finds your ribs.

The bond settles between them with a finality that makes my chest hollow out. I can feel it through my connection to Kaia—not the details, thank every god in existence, but thecertainty. The way her magic has shifted, aligned, found its anchor in someone who isn’t me.

“Shit,” I breathe, pressing my palms against my eyes. “Shit, shit, shit.”

My chaos magic responds to the spike of emotion, painting the air around me in streaks of color that die as quickly as they form. Even my power doesn’t know what to do with this particular brand of devastation.

I should stay here. Should give them privacy, space, whatever the hell people need after they’ve just locked their souls together for eternity.

Instead, I find myself walking toward the lake.

Because I’m an idiot. Because I apparently enjoy pain. Because some masochistic part of me needs to see what I’ve lost with my own eyes.

The water comes into view through the trees, moonlight turning the surface to liquid silver. At first I don’t see them—just the gentle lap of waves against the shore, the soft glow of moss drifting across the water like fallen stars.

Then I spot them.

Kaia curled against Malrik’s chest in the shallows, her hair dark with water, shadows drifting peacefully around them like they’re singing lullabies. His arms circle her protectively, chin resting on top of her head. Even from here I can see the way she melts into him, boneless and trusting in a way that stops my breath.

She never looked that peaceful with me.

The thought hits like a sucker punch, and I have to grip the nearest tree to stay upright. I turn to leave before I can witness any more of their happiness, but my boot snaps a branch. The sound echoes across the water like a gunshot.

Malrik’s head lifts, silver eyes finding mine through the darkness. For a heartbeat we just stare at each other, and I see something flicker across his face—not guilt, exactly, but understanding. He knowswhat this costs me.

“Didn’t mean to crash the celebration,” I mutter, forcing my usual grin even though it feels like it might split my face in half.

He doesn’t answer. Doesn’t need to. We both know I’m the one who walked away.

I stumble back through the trees, chaos magic sparking erratically around me like my power’s having its own breakdown. My feet carry me to the far edge of camp, away from everyone, away from the bonds I can feel humming with contentment that isn’t mine.

I sink onto a fallen log, pressing my face into my hands.

“Well,” I tell the empty air, “that’s just fucking perfect.”

Bob drifts out of the shadows nearby, hovering at a respectful distance. His usually militant posture has softened into something that looks suspiciously like sympathy. Even Kaia’s shadows feel sorry for me now.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I warn him, but there’s no heat in it. “I knew this was coming. We all did.”

Bob flickers once—gentle, understanding—then settles into a loose guard position. Not abandoning me, but not crowding either. Somehow that makes it worse.

Because this is what I do, isn’t it? Create something beautiful and then run scared when it becomes real.

The memories come in a rush, sharp and merciless:

Standing in Malrik’s room back at the academy telling them both exactly how I felt. “I have feelings for both of you. And I’m pretty sure you both feel the same way about me.”

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