Chapter 7
ISOLDE
Helping Kastiel seal the rift in my door gave me a lot to think about. I kept glancing at the scorch mark in amazement. I’d never really thought about the good I could do with my power. Or the upside to learning more about being a succubus.
My father had assumed I would come into my abilities the same way he had, with very little guidance. But when you discovered as a young child that you could make people do things, it left a mark.
The afternoon slowly slipped into evening, but the quiet in my suite felt heavier than it should have.
I tried to lose myself in the new cozy mystery The Abyss had left for me, but the words kept blurring on the page. Every few minutes, my mind drifted back to the way Kastiel’s shadows had curled gently around my wrist. It had been the gentlest touch, but I felt it deep in my bones.
The mate bond hummed constantly now, as though the contact with his shadows had lowered my barrier even more. I kept having to pull it back, the effort leaving me drained and shaky.
My stomach growled, and I realized some of that might be because I hadn’t eaten more than a small snack since breakfast with Kastiel. Instead of calling his name so The Abyss could let him know I needed him, I murmured, “Could you show me the way to Kastiel? A short walk would do me a lot of good.”
The light sconces by the door lit in answer, making me grin.
“Thanks.”
When I left the suite, the lights led me to the elevator and down a long hallway toward the lobby.
As I got closer, I heard low voices. At first, I ignored them, but something about the tone made me pause before I turned the corner.
One voice was cold and authoritative. The other was unmistakably Kastiel’s.
“…unacceptable risk,” the stranger was saying, his voice clipped and formal. “You know the gate is at its most vulnerable during the Festival of Midnight.”
“The festival is over,” Kastiel replied.
“And the risk still exists in the days after,” the other man argued. “As head of security, you are obligated to prioritize the safety of The Abyss and the gate above all else. Remove the succubus immediately, Kastiel, or I will be forced to recommend your immediate removal from your position.”
My knees wobbled so much that I had to brace one hand against the wall.
Kastiel’s reply was edged with steel. “She stays under my protection. I will not send her away.”
“That’s not your decision to make.”
“The Council—”
Kastiel didn’t let him finish. “The Council has no say here. This is Adan’s domain, and I have his backing.”
Jerking back, I pressed against the wall. The Council knew about my issue with my aura. Although Kastiel sounded confident as he faced down their representative, this was a disaster I had not anticipated.
“You would risk your entire career and the trust Adan Deville has placed in you for one unstable succubus? If you continue to harbor her, the Council will view it as a direct threat to the stability of this entire institution.”
Kastiel’s voice hardened. “Let them view it however they want. Isolde is not a threat. And even if she was, I protect what is mine.”
A tense silence stretched before the representative spoke again, his voice even colder than before.
“You are making a grave error, Skaithe. Fated mates are sacred, yes, but not at the expense of the gate. If her power continues to destabilize the veil, the consequences will fall on your head. Do not expect the Council to show mercy just because you claim the bond.”
“I don’t need the Council’s mercy,” Kastiel growled. “I need them to stay out of my hotel and away from my mate.”
The argument continued, their voices rising and falling, but I couldn’t listen anymore. I backed away, my chest tight, guilt crashing over me like a wave.
This was my fault.
Kastiel was risking everything for me. Because fate had decided to tie him to someone as broken as I was.
Rushing back to my suite, I didn’t even notice the sconces lit my way again.
Once I was safely behind the closed door, I rushed into the bedroom and sank onto the edge of the bed, my fingers twisting in the duvet until my knuckles turned white.
Tears burned at the corners of my eyes as I thought about the quiet conviction in his voice when he told me I wasn’t dangerous.
The heat in his eyes when he looked at me like I was worth every risk.
He had stood up to my father. Faced down a Council representative. He was willing to lose the one place that had given him purpose, all for me.
I was ruining his life.
The guilt was crushing, heavier than anything I’d ever felt. I had spent years terrified of my powers, convinced they could only harm people. Now they were harming the one person fate had chosen for me. I couldn’t let this continue.
If I stayed, the Council’s pressure would only get worse. Kastiel could lose everything he’d built at The Abyss. The hotel itself—which had been so welcoming—could suffer because of me.
I had to leave.
The decision settled like lead in my stomach, but once it formed, it felt inevitable.
I would slip away tonight. If I disappeared, the Council would have no reason to threaten Kastiel.
My father could stop worrying about the political fallout.
And Kastiel could go back to the life he’d built before I stumbled into it and turned everything upside down.
I knew I’d miss him with everything inside me, but when he showed up at my door, it was bittersweet.
He carried a covered tray that smelled incredible.
“I thought you might be hungry. I have herb-crusted chicken, roasted vegetables with honey glaze, wild rice, and fresh bread still warm from the oven.”
“That sounds amazing. Thank you.”
He set the tray on the table in front of the couch, then straightened, his dark eyes scanning me with that same protective intensity he’d shown me from the moment we met.
“And I brought enough for two again.” He sat on one end of the couch and patted the cushion to his left. “Sit. Eat with me.”
I hesitated only a second before sinking onto the couch. We ate in relative silence at first, the clink of silverware the only sound breaking the tension humming between us.
The food was perfect, but I could barely taste it. Every time Kastiel’s gaze lingered on me a little too long, the mate bond flared, sending another soft spark dancing along my skin. It felt more natural now, like my reaction to him was meant to be. But it was too late because I had to leave.
My mind was whirling with the unfairness of it all, making it hard to eat, let alone speak.
As we finished dinner, I knew I couldn’t let him keep risking everything for me. When he got up to leave, I went to my toes to press a kiss against his cheek. “Thanks for dinner. It was perfect.”
Flames swirled in his eyes, his demon close to the surface. “My pleasure, little spark.”
Tears slipped down my cheeks when the door shut behind him. I let them flow freely until I straightened my spine and headed into the bedroom.
I packed a small bag with a few outfits The Abyss had provided, the newest book I’d been reading, and the soft robe I’d slept in. My hands shook as I wrote a short note for him, pressing the pen to paper through blurred vision.
Kastiel,
I’m so sorry. I never wanted to put you in this position. You’ve been kinder to me than I deserve, and I can’t keep risking everything you’ve built here. Please don’t come after me. I’ll be okay.
Thank you for believing in me when I couldn’t believe in myself.
— Isolde
I folded the note and left it on the nightstand where he would find it. Then I sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for the hotel to grow quiet, my heart aching with every passing minute.
Hours passed, and the hallways grew still. When the clock on the wall showed it was well past midnight, I slipped the bag over my shoulder and cracked open the door to the hallway. The corridor was empty, the wards humming softly.
My heart ached as I took one last look at the door to Kastiel’s suite. The mate bond pulled at me, warm and pleading, begging me to stay.
But I couldn’t.
I stepped into the hallway and closed the door softly behind me, tears blurring my vision as I headed toward the elevator. And I reminded myself that I was doing this for him.
Even if it felt like tearing my own heart out.