Chapter 5
Iwoke slowly, consciousness drifting back to me like fog rolling in from the sea. The first thing I noticed was warmth—deep, luxurious warmth that seemed to seep into my bones and the soft brush of fur against my bare skin. The second was that I couldn't move my arms.
My eyes snapped open, heart immediately racing as I tested the restraints around my wrists. Shadows. Dark tendrils that looked like silk but felt unbreakable, binding my arms above my head to the carved wooden headboard. I could move my legs, thankfully.
"No, no, no," I whispered, panic clawing at my throat.
Memories of the night before crashed over me in vivid detail—Taveth's hands on my body, his voice commanding my submission, the overwhelming sensation of something fundamental shifting inside me.
The mate bond. Gods help me, he had actually done it.
I pulled against the restraints, testing their strength even though I knew it was futile. These weren't ropes that might fray or metal chains that could be picked. They were made of shadow magic, extensions of Taveth's will given form. They would hold until he chose to release them.
I twisted my body, trying to see more of my surroundings.
The room was unfamiliar—spacious and surprisingly beautiful, with high ceilings and intricate carvings decorating the stone walls.
Morning light filtered through narrow windows, illuminating dust motes that danced in the air.
This was no prison cell, but it might as well have been.
My body ached pleasantly, the kind of soreness that comes from thorough lovemaking. The thought made heat rise to my cheeks even as anger bubbled in my chest. How dare he? How dare he claim me without my consent, bind me to his bed like some conquest, some possession?
I examined the shadow bonds at my wrists more carefully. They appeared almost liquid, flowing around my skin without cutting into it, yet when I pulled, they held firm. I could feel them humming with power, with his power.
"Taveth," I called out, hating the way my voice trembled. No answer came. I was alone.
I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing.
Panic wouldn't help me now. I needed to think, to plan.
But how could I plan when everything had changed so fundamentally?
I could feel it inside me—the bond—like a golden thread connecting me to someone I barely knew.
Even now, some treacherous part of me yearned for his return, craved his touch again.
This was his home. Taveth's private sanctuary, and I was bound to his bed like a possession waiting for his return.
The thought should have filled me with rage, but instead I felt something far more complex.
Beneath the fear and indignation was a treacherous warmth, a satisfaction that felt alien to my nature.
Part of me—a part that was growing stronger by the hour—actually enjoyed being here.
Enjoyed being claimed and marked and kept. His mate.
The word sent a shudder through me that wasn't entirely fear.
Images from the night before flashed through my mind—his hands gripping my hips, his mouth on my neck, the way he'd claimed me with a ferocity that should have terrified me but had instead awakened something primal within me.
I'd responded to him, gods help me. I'd arched into his touch, begged for more, surrendered to whatever this was between us.
The heat between us was similar to that I had felt with Tarshi and with Sirrax, but Taveth was something else, and the darkness that I felt in him had only intensified with our pairing.
We were bound together now, and fighting the bond was unthinkable, but alongside the dark fire that raged between us, I could still sense the golden pull of my other two mates, and the agonising emptiness that came from being separated from them all.
I had seen Tarshi from a distance that day, in his beautiful dragon form.
Septimus wouldn’t be fair, that I knew by now.
Had they found the others after the battle?
Would Tarshi reveal Sirrax’s true nature to the others when they found me gone?
Would they protect him? Would they come for me?
More and more questions rushed through my mind, and my heart sped up, panic fluttering in my chest as I pulled harder on the restraints.
Then I felt him. That dark presence at the edge of my mind was suddenly right there, close by.
I looked up as Taveth appeared in the doorway, and despite everything, my breath caught.
He had washed away the scent of our joining, but nothing could diminish the raw magnetism that seemed to radiate from him.
His white hair was bound back, and he wore simple black clothing that somehow managed to make him look more dangerous rather than less.
But it was his eyes that captured my attention—those ice white depths that seemed to see straight through to my soul.
"Good morning, Aeveth," he said, his voice carrying that same strange harmonic I remembered from my dreams. Only now I understood what created those undertones—the shadows that lived in his mind, shaping his words even when he didn't realize it.
"Don't call me that," I said, pleased that my voice came out steady despite the turmoil inside me.
He tilted his head, studying my face with predatory intensity. "Why not? It suits you. Beautiful and bright, but capable of burning those who aren't careful."
"Because it's not my name." I met his gaze directly, refusing to show weakness even bound as I was. "My name is Livia."
"I know your name," he said, moving closer to the bed. "Just as I know you're angry about the restraints."
"Then remove them."
"No." The word was calm, matter-of-fact, as if he were discussing the weather. "Not yet."
"Why?" The question came out sharper than I intended, edged with frustration and fear.
He settled on the edge of the bed, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. When he reached out to brush a strand of hair from my face, I had to fight not to lean into the touch.
"Because you would run," he said simply. "And this city is not safe for Imperial citizens. There are those among my people who would kill you simply for existing."
"So you keep me prisoner instead?"
"I keep you safe." His hand moved to rest against my throat, not threatening but possessive. "You are mine now, Aeveth. The bond between us makes that clear. But you don't yet understand what that means."
I could feel it then, stronger than before—that alien presence lurking at the edges of his mind.
It purred with satisfaction at his words, encouraging him to tighten his grip, to assert his dominance more forcefully.
The realization that something else was influencing him should have been reassuring, an explanation for his behaviour that didn't make him entirely responsible. Instead, it terrified me.
"What are those things in your head?" I asked quietly.
He went very still, his hand freezing against my throat. "What?"
"The shadows. I can feel them through the bond. They're not just magic your control, are they? They're something else. Something separate."
For a long moment, he didn't respond. I watched emotions flicker across his face—surprise, concern, something that might have been fear. When he finally spoke, his voice was carefully controlled.
"You shouldn't be able to sense that. The bond is new, it should take time to develop that kind of connection."
"But I can sense it," I pressed. "They… they influence you somehow."
His jaw tightened, and I saw his pupils dilate slightly, as a wave of darkness flooded my mind. I gasped, though it didn’t hurt. Whatever the shadows were, they weren't pleased that I could perceive them.
"They are called the Veyr-sha," he said finally. "An ancient magic that flows through the mountain, through our people. It grants us power, but..."
"But what?"
"But it comes with a price." He moved his hand from my throat to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing across my skin with unexpected gentleness.
"The stronger our connection to the shadows, the more they influence our thoughts and actions.
Most of our people learn to live in balance with them.
Some..." He paused, something dark flickering across his features. "Some are consumed by them entirely."
"And you?" I asked, though I dreaded the answer.
"I walk the line," he admitted. "The shadows are strongest in me, which makes me powerful but also... dangerous. Especially when it comes to protecting what I consider mine."
The casual way he referred to me as a possession should have sparked my anger, but instead I felt that treacherous warmth again. The mate bond was definitely affecting my reactions, making me respond positively to displays of possessiveness that would have infuriated me before.
"Is that why you bound me?" I asked. "Because the shadows told you to?"
"Partly." His honesty surprised me. "But also because I wanted to. Because the thought of you tied to my bed, waiting for my return, appeals to something fundamental in my nature." His eyes darkened. "The shadows simply make it easier to act on those desires without guilt."
At least he was being honest about his motivations, even if those motivations were deeply disturbing. I tested the restraints again, more out of habit than any real hope of escape.
"How long do you plan to keep me like this?"
"Until I'm certain you won't try to leave." He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. "This bond between us, Aeveth—it's permanent. Unbreakable. Fighting it will only cause you pain."
"And accepting it?"
"Accepting it will bring you pleasure beyond anything you've ever imagined." His lips brushed against my neck, and I had to bite back a gasp. "I can give you everything, Aeveth. Safety, comfort, a place of honour among my people. All you have to do is stop fighting me."