Chapter 47 The Bond’s Last Light
Kael had held dying wolves before.
He had held fallen warriors.
He had even held Cassian’s lifeless body once—
a memory that never stopped haunting him.
But nothing—nothing—felt like holding Lina now.
Her body lay limp in his arms, her head resting against his chest, eyes closed, breathing absent or too faint to sense.
His world collapsed inward.
“Lina… please…” Kael whispered, voice raw.
The bond flickered in his chest like the last spark of a dying flame.
Aric dropped to his knees beside them, hands glowing as he hovered them over her chest.
“I can still feel her,” he murmured urgently.
“It’s faint—very faint—but she’s there.”
Kael clutched her tighter.
“Then bring her back. Do it now.”
“I’m trying,” Aric said, sweat already beading on his forehead. “But the creature didn’t just hit her magic. It hit her soul.”
Yara crouched beside them, eyes wide with fear.
“What can we do? What does she need?”
“A tether,” Aric said.
“Something to pull her spirit back into her body.”
Kael leaned over her, brushing hair from her face with trembling fingers.
“She has a tether,” he whispered.
“She has me.”
His voice cracked.
Aric placed one hand on Lina’s heart, the other over Kael’s.
“Then let the bond open fully,” he said.
“Let it pull her home.”
Kael didn’t hesitate.
He pressed his forehead to hers.
“Lina… please hear me.”
He cupped her cheeks gently, his thumbs brushing her pale skin.
“Come back. Come back to me. Please.”
The bond pulsed weakly.
Then faded.
“No,” Kael breathed, panic spiking violently.
“No, no, NO—Lina, don’t leave me—”
Cassian dragged himself closer, collapsing beside Kael.
“She went into the tether,” Cassian whispered. “The creature hit her soul the same way it tried to hit mine.”
Kael looked at him sharply, desperation flooding his eyes.
“Then help me bring her back.”
Cassian swallowed hard. “There’s… there’s a way.”
Aric stiffened. “Cassian—be careful. Your soul is still unstable.”
Cassian ignored him.
He reached out, placing two shaking fingers against Lina’s forehead.
“She’s not gone,” he murmured, eyes fluttering shut.
“I can feel her… drifting. She’s somewhere between here and the tether.”
Kael’s breath caught.
“Can you reach her?”
Cassian hesitated.
“Yes.
But…”
“But what?” Kael snapped.
Cassian opened his eyes slowly, his expression pained.
“If I reach for her, the creature will reach for me.”
Riven swore under his breath. “So he goes back to being possessed if it grabs him?”
Cassian nodded once.
“Or worse.”
Kael’s jaw clenched.
“You don’t risk yourself. You just got free.”
Cassian looked down at Lina, heartbreak twisting his face.
“She saved me,” he whispered.
“She walked into a realm she didn’t belong in… for me.”
Kael closed his eyes, agony rippling through him.
Cassian continued softly,
“Kael… she heard you inside the tether. You pulled me out because you refused to let go. Now you need to do the same for her.”
Kael lifted her hand, pressing it to his lips.
“Lina,” he whispered.
“I love you. I need you. I can’t breathe without you. Come back, please…”
The bond flickered faintly—
like a candle in a storm.
Cassian touched Kael’s shoulder.
“You’re still connected,” he murmured.
“But she’s far.
Too far… unless…”
Aric looked up sharply.
“Unless what?”
Cassian drew a shaking breath.
“Unless Kael gives her everything.”
Kael’s heartbeat stopped.
“What do you mean ‘everything’?”
Cassian met his gaze.
“Your magic. Your strength. Your soul-pulse. If you pour it through the bond, it will reach her. It will find her. It will anchor her.”
Silence fell like a blade.
Riven whispered, horrified,
“Isn’t that—dangerous?”
Aric answered quietly.
“If Kael gives too much… he could weaken his own soul. Or burn himself out. Permanently.”
Yara shook her head. “Kael, you can’t—”
But Kael wasn’t listening.
He pulled Lina fully into his lap, cradling her against him, his hands framing her face with trembling tenderness.
“Tell me how,” he whispered.
Cassian swallowed.
“Open the bond.
Not halfway.
Not just enough to share magic.
Open it completely.”
Aric’s eyes widened.
“Kael—if you open it all the way, you and Lina will share everything. Pain. Strength. Breath. Soul-light. If either of you falters—”
“I don’t care,” Kael said softly, fiercely.
“Tell me how.”
Cassian closed his eyes and placed his hand over both of theirs.
“Call her,” he said.
“Not with your voice. With your soul.”
Kael looked down at Lina—his Lina—her lashes soft against her skin, her chest barely rising, her lips pale.
He pressed his forehead to hers again.
And he let go.
Every wall.
Every shield.
Every inch of restraint.
The bond snapped open—
a flood of light, golden and silver, rushing between them like a roaring river.
Kael felt her.
Far.
Lost.
Cold.
Drifting.
He pulled.
Lina…
No answer.
He pulled harder.
Lina… sweetheart… please…
Still nothing.
Kael’s heart shattered.
He poured everything into the bond—every memory, every feeling, every moment he loved her:
Her laugh.
Her stubbornness.
The way she said his name.
The night she chose him without fear.
Her bravery.
Her kindness.
Her fire.
He sent all of it—
all of himself—
into the void where she drifted.
Lina…
I love you.
Come home.
The bond sparked—
flickered—
brightened—
Then—
A faint warmth brushed his mind.
Kael’s breath hitched.
“Lina…? Lina, sweetheart—answer me—”
Another spark.
Brighter.
Warm.
Soft.
Familiar.
Then a whisper—barely audible, like a dream:
Kael…
He choked on a sob.
“Yes. Yes, that’s it—follow me—come back—come back to me—”
Her presence grew warmer.
Closer.
Then—
A sharp gasp tore from Lina’s lips.
Her chest rose.
Her fingers twitched.
Her head fell against Kael’s shoulder as she sucked in a trembling breath.
Kael’s entire body broke in relief.
“Lina…” he whispered, voice shaking uncontrollably.
“Oh gods—Lina—don’t ever scare me like that again—”
She blinked weakly, eyes fluttering open, silver light flickering inside them.
“Kael…?”
Her voice was tiny.
Fragile.
Alive.
Kael crushed her to his chest, burying his face in her hair, releasing a sound between a sob and a laugh.
“You came back…”
His voice cracked.
“You came back to me.”
She curled her fingers into his shirt, pressing her forehead to his chest.
“I told you,” she whispered.
“I’m not leaving you.”
Cassian let out a trembling exhale.
Aric sagged onto his heels.
Yara wiped a tear discreetly.
Riven muttered, “Okay, that’s it, I’m crying and if anyone says anything I’ll stab them.”
But the victory was short-lived.
Because the moment Lina opened her eyes—
The barrier flickered violently.
Aric’s head snapped toward the forest.
“No…
No, no, no—
The creature—
It’s coming.”
A growl echoed through the trees.
Not angry.
Not furious.
Devastated.
Betrayed.
Hungry.
The creature had felt her return.
And it wasn’t going to wait.
Kael lifted Lina carefully but protectively in his arms.
His eyes turned pure gold.
“Let it come,” he whispered.
“This time… we fight together.”