Page 69 of Severed Heir

“Good,” he said. “Now light the lanterns.”

I glanced at the wick in the corner of the balcony just as he gave the thread between us a subtle tug.

Pain exploded behind my eyes, like I was being dragged underwater by something ancient and merciless.

The lantern sputtered. Then every light in the city blinked out.

“Your quell seems off,” he murmured.

I wanted to tell him the truth, that Rok was still borrowing my power, that our bargain in Malvoria hadn’t ended.

My back slammed into the railing. I threw up my arms, breath sharp and uneven, and then the flame answered. Ash burst from my fingers, wild and untamed. Across from me, he lifted his hand. Starlight flared in his palm, and one by one, the lanterns flickered back to life.

“I’ve never trained my shadows before,” I said, voice cracking. “At the last trial… all I did was steal the light.”

He stepped closer and brushed a strand of hair from my face. “Why do you have a new scar?” His voice stayed low. “This was healed weeks ago.”

I pulled back, brushing his hand away. “Malvoria initiation.”

His posture shifted. “Rok cut you?”

“It’s nothing,” I said. “It’s over.”

His voice hardened. “I’ll kill him.”

“No,” I whispered. “What happened to me there doesn’t matter.”

But that one sentence told him everything. There was more. And he knew it.

“It matters to me.”

I hesitated. “Let’s just say I didn’t rise in the ranks.”

His voice dropped. “I need you to tell me exactly where he fucking touched or hurt you. I need to make sure he pays for it.”

I looked down. “He was the first to know I was a Serpent. After he branded me.”

“After?” His voice was tight now, strained around the edges.

“I’ve healed.”

“Where did he brand you?” His voice cut. “I didn’t see it when we...”

“It doesn’t matter,” I hissed. “None of it matters. That place is horrible. Something needs to change.”

A wild flicker crossed his face. “It matters to me when a worthless guard touches something that is mine.”

“Yours?”

He reached for my hand, lacing our fingers together, shadow to shadow.

“My greatest suffering began the moment I couldn’t care for you the way I wanted. I failed you.”

Then, of course, the bond intruded.

“This is tragic, Severyn.”

I shut it out. Buried it. But part of me, some desperate part, wondered if the false voice could be Klaus. Because all this talk of dragons and bonds had my thoughts wandering. Maybe it wasn’t someone from the institute at all. I had seen a ripper beast masking Klaus.

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