lia's

e last threads of dark magic from Lysander's soul, the malevolen

ough both of us, and I was beginning to understan

est as another wave of agony crashed over us. "The curse isn

s jaw clenched so tightly I was surpri

ssed my forehead against his shoulder, trying to center mysel

ndmother really knew

what might have been an attempt at

ng, I almost smi

more than just his physical pain. Five years of carefully b

to say words that felt like swallowing glass. The nights he'd

ing back to look at him.

id, eyes still closed. "The

Lysander standing at his window, wat

before turning back. The relief and terror

tilling in their work. "Any time in the past

s sorry? That I'd made a mistake? You'd built a new life, Delia. A life without t

t your choi

politics, from the pressure of being an alpha's mate, from having your worth determ

life force. I jerked back instinctively, breaking our connection, and Lysander

aze of agony. "You have to maintain cont

my hands on his shoulders. The moment we reconnected, the cur

zed. Not just the work of one bitter woman, but

'd ever been deemed insufficient by the Ashworth fa

every whispered insult, every closed door, every comparis

capegoats, the forgotten names left out of family histor

ustice, the way they smiled while cutting us down wit

uder, heavier. And now, it lived in me, this legacy of

ugh gritted teeth, "were rema

aged, his breathing laboured.

my healing efforts waged war in his system.

lization hitting me like a physical bl

dampened hair falling acro

bond. To truly destroy it, we'd have to..." I swallowed hard.

was deafening. Even the can

the quiet like a blade. "Absolutely

urse feeds on the broken bond, on the pain of rejection. Onl

n. A complex tangle of hope and fear and

carefully, "you

hat's rather the point, isn't it? It has to

I'd once loved with every fiber of my being. The man who'd h

me a choice with no pressure,

It's not me saying what you did was acceptable, or tha

kno

at there's any future for us

w that

ret's barely concealed horror. Rupert's careful neutrality. Cordy's knowing smile.

ng my hands over his heart.

d disappeared in a blaze of light and sensation and the over