Page 120 of Severed Heir

I stood at my sides. “You never wanted me. Not really. You hated what a bond would reveal. You said I wouldn’t like what was in your mind.” My voice cracked, but I didn’t stop. “You had your chance, Damien. And you ruined it.”

“You were enamored with Archer the moment you saw him. He killed seven for you, pretended to withhold a cure, and now Kian is forced into Malvoria while a war is beginning. Love should not kill others, Severyn. It shouldn’t become tyranny. I’m not saying you should choose me, but the other choice doesn’t exist. You don’t fight for your heart when he’s holding your breath captive.”

“Then show me your mind, Damien. Show me the secrets—everything. I’m not going to sleep with you, so don’t give me that look. But rider bonds form between wards. I want a moment.”

“You’ve seen my mind, and you ran from it.” He turned away before I could answer and I didn’t stop him. I didn’t call out or apologize. I let him leave, and I didn’t care to fix what was already broken.

For a second, I considered sleeping outside. Escaping the suffocating weight of this place. But I’d asked for honesty, for access to his mind, and he’d denied me again.

I didn’t plan on sleeping tonight. Not with the memories. Not when I could still feel Archer’s hands on me, even in the silence Damien had left behind.

The invitations were sent out three mornings later. Off-white parchment laced with silver foil, announcing the unification of two realms. A marriage. With my name beneath his.

Severyn Lynch.

The death of me.

Frost should have blanketed the hills by now. The roots should have withered. But in Ravensla, the coldest thing was the midnight mist. The heat never faded, and I was beginning to hate the sunlight that never left. Even the copper-rich soil kept blooming. No wonder this realm thrived. Nothing ever died when it was supposed to.

I wanted to burn the estate. Burn the entire Continent if that was what it took to escape. A small fire would do for now. Just enough smoke to cover my exit.

Damien hadn’t said a word the morning the invitations were sent, but when he stormed out onto the porch, his shirt half-buttoned and eyes blazing, I knew he’d seen the fire.

“Burn the whole damn estate down, Severyn,” he shouted. “See if I care.”

I shrugged, keeping my expression flat. “I haven’t used my quell in a week. If I don’t release it soon, I’ll start burning everything I touch.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie.

He kept coming, jaw clenched. “Marriage is a contract. We don’t have to share a bed or even speak. You can live in Demetria. Your father gets his sunlight back, and everything works out.”

I scoffed. “And you’re fine with a loveless marriage?”

His smile twisted. “With you? Yes.”

“And without me?” I asked, voice quieter now. “You’ll find what I won’t give you with someone else?”

“There are plenty of offers.”

My hands curled into fists. “I won’t be made a mockery.”

He didn’t breach my shield. He didn’t have to.

“You have two choices,” Damien said. “Marry me completely, or don’t. But we stay bound by name alone. I’ll find the rest elsewhere.”

I didn’t blink. “That’s the difference between us. You think love is something owed.”

“Don’t paint me as heartless.”

“Then stop acting like it.”

His voice lowered. “You’re not afraid to love me. You’re afraid that loving us both would break you.”

I pulled my shield tighter around my mind. “No, Damien. I’m not afraid of love. I’m afraid of belonging to you.”

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

My breath caught. That hadn’t come from his mouth. It came from inside. Holy gods. I just heard his thoughts.

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