Chapter 8 Lindsay
EIGHT
LINDSAY
The word hangs in the air.
Today.
My stomach knots. The mark on my arm hums warmer, like it heard every word. Across the room, Raiden’s jaw is tight, shoulders braced like he’s holding back something that’s barely leashed.
He shakes his head once, sharp. “The tether could be wrong.”
No hesitation. No softening.
Veyne’s expression doesn’t flicker. “And yet, here we are.”
Professor River folds his arms. “It’s the Veilbind, Tsukino. You know the purpose.”
Raiden’s gaze cuts toward him. “It’s intimate,” he says. “That choice should matter.”
“For personal bonds, yes.” Professor River’s tone cools a fraction. “This is for training. Temporary. Once she’s stable, the bind dissolves.”
The words settle like cold stone in my chest. Temporary. Dissolves. But no one is looking at me. No one is asking what I think. The room feels smaller with every breath. My pulse won’t settle; my fingers curl against the edge of my sleeve.
I glance at Raiden without meaning to. He meets my gaze for half a second, but I can’t read him. I force a breath in. My throat feels too tight to speak.
The Headmaster looks between us. “You’ll report to the ritual chamber in one hour. It is two doors down from Combat Casting. Don’t worry about classes the rest of the day. Professor River will oversee the bind.”
One hour. And I really have no clue what the hell it is, but I’m pretty sure being magically bound to someone isn’t something to be taken lightly if they have a whole ass ritual chamber for it.
Raiden’s jaw flexes once. “Understood.”
I manage a nod, though my knees feel shaky under me.
Headmaster Veyne’s gaze finally lands on me fully. “It’s the best option, Miss Blake. Without the bind, you won’t last long here.”
A statement. Not a threat. Not a comfort. Just a fact.
Professor River steps to the door, opening it and stepping out. “Dismissed. Prepare yourselves.”
“Prepare ourselves?” Okay. Can he be any more cryptic?
I don’t move, but Raiden doesn’t look back as he turns, long strides carrying him out ahead.
I stay frozen for a beat longer, breath lodged in my chest. Do they really expect me to just…
I don’t know, do this without any information?
First the letter basically telling me I have to come, with the shadow monsters as encouragement, now this.
Professor River glances over his shoulder. “Miss Blake. Walk with me.”
I swallow hard and follow him into the hall. My hands won’t stop fidgeting, so I shove them in my pockets and try to pretend I’m not unraveling.
“Shouldn’t I—” My voice cracks, so I clear my throat. “Shouldn’t I know more about what’s about to happen to me?”
Professor River doesn’t stop walking. “The Veilbind is a controlled link. A tether between two magic signatures, anchored by a ritual that allows you to safely channel your power.”
“That doesn’t sound very temporary.”
He gives me a sideways glance. “It’s designed to dissolve once your aura stabilizes. But yes, while it lasts, it is… intense.”
“Intense how?”
“Emotionally. Energetically. The bond feeds off proximity, shared focus. You’ll feel his magic. He’ll feel yours. It’s why we don’t use it lightly.”
“Great,” I mutter. “So I’m being forcibly soul-glued to a guy I’ve spoken to maybe twice.”
He stops and turns fully toward me. “You’re not being forced. You can walk away. But if you do, your magic will continue to spike until it either consumes you or rips open the Veil again.”
So… not forced, just…boxed in by certain death. Cool.
“You’ll need to cleanse first,” he continues, as if we’re just checking things off a list. “Water, salt, grounding oils.
Then you'll be fitted with a spell woven collar to help anchor the tether during its first phase. Ritual whites are provided. No metal. No enchantments. No distractions. Clear mind. Open intent.”
I blink. “What, like a magical hazmat suit and some essential oils?”
His lips twitch, but he doesn’t smile. “It’s about control. And consent. Even temporary bonds require both. Raiden is trained. He will not harm you.”
But will it harm me anyway?
I don’t ask that out loud. Instead, another question pushes its way forward—the one I’ve been holding onto since the moment all of this started.
“What exactly is the Veil?”
That gets a pause. A real one.
Professor River glances at me, then continues walking, slower this time.
“The Veil is a barrier between realms,” he says.
“A boundary that keeps the worlds from bleeding into each other. Your world—the mortal one—is only one thread in the tapestry. There are others. The Fae realms. The Underworld. This one.”
I frown. “And this one is…what? The magical suburbs?”
His mouth twitches again. “Not quite. Think of it as a mirrored realm. Structurally similar to yours, but layered with magic. Shifters, Bloodborn, Bone witches, Veil mages—this is where our kind exist openly. Without needing to hide.”
My steps slow. “So the Veil separates them all?”
“It protects them from collapsing into each other. Portals—like the one you came through—are controlled rifts. Set paths. But when the Veil tears, that control breaks. And things that shouldn’t be here…cross over.”
Like the shadow thing in my apartment.
“And I’m the one ripping holes in it.”
He stops again, turning toward me with a more serious look. “You’re not trying to. But yes. Uncontrolled magic—especially magic that doesn’t yet understand its origin—puts stress on the Veil. That’s why the tether exists. To contain the pressure.”
“Neat,” I say. “So it’s not just my life on the line. It’s all the realms.”
His expression is unreadable. “Now you understand the urgency.”
I nod slowly as it all settles heavy in my chest.
So, not only am I a walking magical explosion, I’m apparently the unstable wildcard between the mortal world and whatever the hell lives in the Underworld.
Awesome.
“So what do I do now?”
“Return to your dorm. You'll find what you need there. Cleanse. Center. Then meet us at the ritual chamber in one hour.”
And with that, he turns and walks away, cloak whispering behind him like the whole thing is already decided.
One hour.
And then...whatever this Veilbind is, I won’t be able to undo it, until my aura is stable. I take a slow breath, trying to steady the hammering in my chest.
Ahead, the corridor is already emptying. A glimpse of movement at the far end, Raiden’s figure retreating, shoulders squared, stride clipped. He doesn’t look back.
I press a hand to my sleeve, fingers brushing the mark. The pulse beneath my skin is stronger now, as if it knows what’s coming.
Veilbind. One hour.
My stomach twists. I know just enough now to be terrified—enough to understand that this bond is more than magical duct tape. It’s intimate. Raw. Exposing. I’ll feel him. He’ll feel me. And Raiden made it very clear he wants no part of it.
I force another breath and turn the corner and nearly collide with Nolan. He skids to a stop, wide-eyed. A wrapped sandwich and an apple are clutched in his hands.
“Lindsay!” Relief floods his face. “I—I was waiting. I wasn’t sure how long they’d keep you—so I, uh—” He holds up the food, cheeks pink. “Figured you missed lunch.”
The knot in my chest loosens, just a little.
“You didn’t have to—” My voice cracks, and I swallow. “Thank you.”
Nolan grins, handing them over. “Of course. You looked like you needed it.”
I tuck the apple into my bag, fingers trembling slightly as I unwrap the sandwich. The smell alone reminds me how empty my stomach is. I take a bite, even though with my nerves it might make it come back up.
Nolan’s gaze flicks over me, concern deep in his eyes. “What...what did they say?”
I take another bite, buying a moment. The bread is dry, but it helps.
When I finally answer, I say softly, “I have to undergo a Veilbind. With Raiden Tsukino.”
Nolan’s eyes widen. “Raiden? But that’s...”
“Yeah.” I take another breath, shaky. “Apparently, I don’t have a choice. And it’s intimate. And I have to cleanse myself. Do you know how insane all of this actually sounds?”
Nolan shifts, clearly wanting to say more but stops himself.
Instead, he nudges my elbow lightly. “You’ll get through it. It might be all of that stuff, but if the headmaster thinks you need it, then it will help.”
I nod, though my stomach still churns. A chime echoes faintly through the hall—one of the ward bells. It reminds me that I still need to get ready before the hour is up.
I force a breath and straighten. “I need to go.”
Nolan’s brow knits. “Do you want me to—”
“No.” I manage a small smile. “But...thank you. For everything.”
He hesitates, then gives a crooked smile. “Raiden’s not a bad guy. You could have a Veilbind to someone worse.”
"Yeah. Lucky me." I clutch the sandwich tighter and head for the stairs, each step feeling heavier than the last.
By the time I make it back to the overflow dorm, the hallway is empty. No whispers. No footsteps. Just the low hum of whatever faint magic pulses through the walls and the creak of the old floorboards under my boots.
No one’s in the room. Or if they are, they’re quiet behind drawn bed curtains. Hiding or pretending not to notice me. Fine by me.
I move automatically toward my spot by the window and sink onto the edge of the mattress. The springs groan beneath me like even they’re bracing for what’s coming.
I glance down.
The sandwich in my hand is completely crushed.
I drop it into the small waste bin at the foot of my bed with a sigh and pull the apple from my bag and set it on the nightstand. I’m not hungry anymore. How could I be?
Because apparently, food’s no longer the priority—not when I’m about to be tethered to someone I barely know. Not when my magic, my existence, is unraveling something as terrifying and invisible as the Veil.