Page 23 of Eluvonia
“Shit,” he breathes. “Kaida, that means—”Then, very slowly, he closes his eyes and exhales. “You’re joking,” he says, but he already knows I’m not.
I shake my head.
He mutters another curse, running both hands through his hair this time. “That’s… that’s permanent.” His voice is tight.
I let out a bitter laugh. “Trust me, I’m aware.”
Declan rubs his temples. “Okay. Okay. We need a plan.” He starts pacing again, his mind clearly racing through every possible scenario. “You need to find out how she’s able to do this—if we can figure out the source, maybe we can convince your father to—”
“To what?” I snap. “Undo it? That’s not how this works, Declan. The bond is sealed. If one of us dies, the other loses half their soul. We’re stuck like this.”
Declan grimaces. “Well, shit.”
I slump against the nearest wall, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Yeah.”
A long silence stretches between us. Declan is thinking—hard. I can see it in the way his brow furrows, the way his fingers tap against his arm. Then, finally, he speaks.
“Alright. If we can’t break it, we need to work with it.”
I glare at him. “What part of this situation makes you think I want to ‘work with it’?”
He sighs, crossing his arms. “Listen. If she has access to earth magic, she’s either incredibly dangerous or incredibly valuable. If we can figure out how she’s doing it, maybe we can control it. That gives you leverage.”
I narrow my eyes. “Leverage for what?”
“To get your father to loosen his hold on you,” Declan sayssimply. “If you can prove you’re the one who holds the key to her abilities, then maybe—just maybe—you’ll have the upper hand for once.”
The thought is… intriguing. I hadn’t considered that angle. My father values control above all else—if I become the only one who can truly controlher, then I become indispensable.
Declan watches me carefully. “You’re already stuck with her, Kaida. You might as well make it work in your favor.”
I exhale sharply, dragging a hand through my hair again. “I hate how much sense you make sometimes.”
Declan smirks. “I know. It’s a real burden being this intelligent.”
I roll my eyes, but the frustration in my chest lessens—just a little.
“Fine,” I mutter. “We’ll figure it out.”
Declan grins. “That’s the spirit.”
I sigh, pushing off the wall. The weight of my new reality still presses down on me, but at least now, I have a direction.
Chapter 9
AERIS
When I step out of the bathroom, the first thing I notice is Kaida sprawled out on the couch. His arms drape over the backrest, his long legs crossed casually, one over the other. His head leans slightly back, eyes closed, the dim light catching the sharp angles of his jawline. The black sleeveless tunic clings to his chest, accentuating the hard lines of his muscles. He still wears the gray wraps that coil tightly from his fingertips to just below his elbows, but I can’t help noticing something dark seeping out from the top of the wraps—like shadows straining to break free.
For a moment, I’m transfixed, the sight of his shadows moving with a life of their own pulling me into some sort of hypnotic daze. They ripple, stretching toward the floor before curling back to him, a restless, sentient dance.
“Are you going to stand there and gawk at me all night?” The sudden bite of his voice startles me, making me jump.Kaida doesn’t even bother opening his eyes at first, though he tilts his head slightly in my direction, one brow arching with lazy amusement. Finally, he raises his head, those ice blue eyes glaring at me with just enough spite to set my teeth on edge.
“I wasn’t gawking,” I snap, crossing my arms over my new tunic. The soft fabric brushes against my skin, and I can’t help but admire its design —cream-colored, with neat little buttons running up the front. Paired with fitted brown pants, complete with straps and satchel-like pockets on the thighs, it’s an upgrade from the rags I was wearing before and I don’t hate it.
Kaida snorts and stands, his movements slow and deliberate, like a predator sizing up prey. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his black pants, his shadows following him, coiling tightly around his frame as he approaches. “Well,” he says, smirking faintly, “you smell better now. At least I can stomach being around you.”
I bite my lip to keep from snapping back, but he notices, his grin widening. “It’s bedtime, little Fae,” he announces, his tone dripping with mockery.
