Bile rose in my throat as I glared at her, the weight of that price nearly too much to bear.
“It’s that or death?” I asked, my voice a hollow, empty thing.
“Yes,” she confirmed. “Or I can take the bones from your body one by one, crack, crack, crack, but that’ll probably end in death too.” She laughed lightly like we were having some perfectly normal fucking conversation.
“And if I offer you my body, how long do you want it for?” I growled, knowing death would be preferable to an eternity in this bitch’s company. “When will Darcy be free of the curse?”
“Let’s say…three moon cycles,” she offered. “I can’t say fairer than that. Then when I send you back to your Vega mate, her heart will shatter piece by piece when she learns of what you have given me.”
“You underestimate us,” I said, my tone rising with the strength of our star bond. “We can survive anything.”
She grinned, but it was more evil than anything I’d ever witnessed. “We’ll see about that, Lance Orion. So do we have a deal?” She offered me her hand.
“You have to make a death bond on this,” I insisted, my heart beginning to beat erratically as it slowly accepted what I was agreeing to. “I need your word to be binding beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
She rolled her eyes then ran her palm across my sword, slitting it open and grabbing my hand to do the same. Then she slapped her hand against mine, the icy, wet touch of her blood vile against my skin as our blood rushed together – though I wasn’t sure hers was really blood at all.
“I swear upon the stars to honour the terms of our agreement,” she purred. “Your body will be willingly mine for three moon cycles, and when that time is up, I shall release Darcy Vega from her curse.”
“And you will release me from your captivity,” I snarled and she smiled coyly like she hadn’t been going to mention that.
“And I shall release you, Lance Orion, from my captivity. And if I do not uphold my side of the deal, I shall die.”
“Can you even die?” I snapped.
“All beings can die,” she said bitterly.
Magic hummed between us, confirming her mimicry of blood was enough to make this deal at least. But I knew there was one more part to this, a lump building in my throat as I accepted what I had to do.
“Do you agree?” she asked, victory burning in her eyes.
I hesitated, fear spilling through me at what I was about to be subjected too, but I had to. It was that or let Darcy be consumed by a curse which would tear away her magic for good. It would leave her mortal, not to mention that vile beast which was housed in her flesh and drove her against the people she loved. She was too good, too sweet to deserve that fate. And Solaria needed her more than she needed me right now.
Three moon cycles would pass. And no matter who I was when I came out of it, I would still love her. I would still be hers.
I knew my decision was already solidified, and that I wasn’t going to pull away even though terror was snaking through my body. But I could survive three moon cycles in hell for Darcy Vega. It would be agony in its purest form, but my body was nothing. Blue owned the part of me that mattered. And Lavinia would never be able to touch it. At least this way ensured I could return to my girl, ready to love her with every thump of my beating heart. I just prayed that when I was one day reunited with her, she wouldn’t blame me for this choice, and could find a way to forgive me.
“I agree,” I said firmly and the bond snapped painfully between us, the stars whispering as the magic wound beneath my skin and hers, light flaring around our palms and our blood drying to dust.
She released my hand and I found a red star burned onto the inside of my palm, glowing there for a moment before sinking beneath my skin and disappearing. Lavinia watched as that same mark settled within her own flesh and a smile curled up her lips.
It was done. I was bound, chained and owned by this foul monster.
“Three moon cycles,” she confirmed, reaching out to touch my throat and I felt a collar of shadow winding around it, cinching tight.
“There we are. All mine.” She floated towards me, tugging on a tendril of shadow that connected to the collar like a leash and she jerked me toward her by it, taking out a pouch of stardust from the cloak of shadow around her body. “Let’s go home, pet, I cannot wait to start breaking you in every way a man can be broken.”
H amish’s hand was locked tight around mine as the combination of our dwindling magic surged between us and we fought to hold back the Nymphs who chased our people in their retreat.