Chapter 16 #3
Malakai's grip on me tightens. "You block our bond deliberately," he says, his voice low and dangerous, vibrating through his chest into mine. "With fairy magic. You deny me access to my own mate's thoughts, her feelings. You keep yourself unmarked when fate itself demands I claim you."
I lift my chin defiantly, even as another wave of heat pulses through me. "Yes. I value my privacy."
"The light customs," Ivy adds carefully, "are quite different from shadow practices. Their magic requires mental boundaries. And incomplete bonds—especially fated ones—they're dangerous for Omegas. The heats become unbearable. Her body needs—"
"I sense you're hiding something else," Malakai interrupts, his gaze traveling between us with sharp intelligence. "Something important. Something more than just privacy concerns."
I maintain a carefully neutral expression. "I hide many things. That's the purpose of the potion."
Ivy meets my eyes briefly, a silent understanding passing between us.
The bond between us pulses with sudden clarity as the potion's effect continues to fade.
A flood of emotions—not just his but mine as well—flows freely between us.
My frustration. My anxiety. My unwilling physical response to his proximity.
And beneath it all, a terrifying longing that I can't suppress, can't hide from him anymore.
Malakai's lips curve into a slow, dangerous smile as he feels it all. "So my secretive Omega blocks our bond with fairy potions." He laughs suddenly, the sound both genuinely amused and slightly unsettling. "And here I thought married life would be mundane."
His attention returns to Ivy, who meets his gaze with unexpected boldness.
"You know," she says with a theatrical sigh, eyeing his bare chest with forced appreciation, "under different circumstances, I might enjoy being wrapped up in your shadows.
They're surprisingly...intimate." She pauses, then adds with a strained smile, "Though the Alpha pheromones and the burning sensation do dampen the appeal somewhat.
Is this how you seduce all your enemies, or am I getting special treatment? "
Through the bond, I feel his reluctant admiration for her courage.
"No more potions," he declares, addressing Ivy without releasing me. His hand slides from my throat to cup the back of my neck possessively, fingers tangling in my hair. "No more barriers. I want full access to what's mine. And I want my mate marked and claimed as she should be."
"She's not a possession," Ivy protests, her voice firm despite the slight tremor. "And the bond isn't meant to be used as a tool for control. The mating bite must be given freely or it means nothing."
"Isn't it?" Malakai challenges. "The fated mate bond exists precisely so bonded pairs can't plot against each other.
Can't deceive. Can't betray. The bite completes it, makes the connection permanent and unbreakable.
" His fingers tighten in my hair. "It exists to enforce loyalty through transparency. "
"It exists for intimacy," Ivy whispers, a flicker of her normal courage returning.
There's something in her voice—old pain, perhaps.
Ancient memory. "For understanding. For connection deeper than physical.
For love that transcends designation and duty.
You're twisting its purpose if you use it as a chain. "
I feel Malakai's hesitation through the bond, a flash of uncertainty quickly masked by renewed determination. "No more potions," he repeats. "Or your fairy friend's freedom in my court is revoked."
Panic rises in me at the thought of Malakai having unlimited access to my thoughts, my memories, my mission to kill him. "Please," I whisper, hating the pleading note in my voice. "I need some privacy. Some autonomy."
Something flickers across his face—not quite compassion, but perhaps understanding.
"What if," Ivy suggests carefully, "there was a compromise? A temporary barrier that only activates during certain hours? Privacy at night, connection during the day? And the mating bite... left until both parties are truly willing?"
Malakai's eyes narrow in consideration. "Explain."
"A modified potion," Ivy elaborates. "Less powerful than the full blocking formula.
It would allow basic emotional awareness but prevent deep mental access during sleep hours.
Like...like hearing music through a wall—you know it's playing, but can't make out the specific melody.
And it would help stabilize her Omega biology, prevent the destabilization caused by the incomplete bond. "
Hope flickers in my chest as I wait for his response.
"And what do I get in return for this...generosity?" he finally asks, his gaze returning to my face. His thumb traces my lower lip, a gesture both possessive and strangely tender.
"My cooperation," I offer, choosing my words carefully. "I won't fight against the bond when it's active. I'll...try to be more open during the day."
"Not enough," he dismisses. "I want more."
His shadows caress my skin through the thin fabric of my dress, reminding me of their touch in the corridor. The bond pulses with his satisfaction at my body's immediate response.
"Stop," I whisper, but without conviction.
"What more do you want?" Ivy asks.
Malakai's eyes never leave mine as he answers. "Three truths," he says softly, his voice dropping to that deep Alpha rumble. "Freely given, without deception."
"What truths?" I ask warily.
"First, the complete truth about your training in the Light Court—who taught you, what skills you possess." His thumb traces small circles on the inside of my wrist. "Second, what else you hope to gain from this arrangement besides your brother's safety."
He pauses. "And third...the truth about why you saved my life from the assassin when letting me die would have solved all your problems."
The last request makes my breath catch. Of all the truths he could demand, he's chosen the one I'm least prepared to give, because I don't understand it myself.
"Deal," I agree before I can reconsider.
"And in return," he continues, "I'll allow the modified potion and give you one truth. Whatever you want to know. And I won't force the mating bite until you ask for it."
The last part surprises me. Through the bond, I feel his sincerity—he genuinely won't force the bite, even though every instinct he has must be screaming at him to claim his unmarked Omega.
"That's not fair," I protest. "You get three truths, and I only get one?"
A slow smile spreads across his face. "You get a potion, your friend's life, and the freedom to remain unmarked for now. I'd say that balances the scales quite nicely, wouldn't you?"
His gaze slides briefly to Ivy, the threat clear.
"I'll think about what truth I want to ask for," I reply, unwilling to show how much his offer intrigues me.
"Take your time," he says, confidence evident in every line of his body. "But choose wisely. I only make this offer once."
Ivy remains silent, her eyes darting between us with unusual caution.
"For the record," she finally says, "I think this arrangement could work. Better than the alternatives."
"No one asked you," I mutter, still reeling from the implications of our deal.
Malakai watches us with an expression I can't quite decipher—something between amusement and calculation. With a dismissive flick of his wrist, he dispels the shadows holding Ivy.
She drops lightly to the floor, immediately stepping back and rolling her shoulders.
Though she appears composed, I notice a slight tension in her posture that wasn't there before.
She rubs her arms where the shadows held her, and I see faint marks—not bruises, but something like burn marks from magical incompatibility.
"I find I'm beginning to understand you better, wife, having met your...companion," Malakai says, his gaze lingering on Ivy with newfound interest.
"Ivy is not representative of my general temperament," I say stiffly.
"Thank the stars for that," Ivy agrees, making a visible effort to recover her usual demeanor, though her voice carries a subtle tremor. "One of me is quite enough for any realm."
Despite everything, I feel my lips twitch toward a smile. Malakai notices, his own mouth curving in response.
"I look forward to hearing your truths," he says, moving toward the door. "Tomorrow, after the morning council meeting." He pauses, glancing back with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "And, Omega? I expect those answers to be...illuminating."
The double meaning in his words sends a shiver through me that has nothing to do with fear. As he leaves, his shadows trailing behind him like a living cloak, I find myself wondering which is more dangerous—his cruelty or these moments of unexpected restraint.
The fated mate bond pulses between us, carrying his final thought as he disappears down the corridor: Mine to understand. Mine to possess. Mine to claim when you're ready to beg for my bite.
And beneath my anger and confusion, a treacherous part of me—my Omega nature—responds with anticipation rather than dread.
As the door closes behind him, Ivy sits on the edge of my bed and sighs, her hand unconsciously rubbing her throat where the shadows had tightened. I notice the faint shimmer of marks there, already fading but still visible.
"Well," she says with a small smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, "that was certainly interesting.
And painful. Very, very painful. Your Alpha has quite the presence.
" She pauses, then adds more softly, "But he didn't force the bite, Sera.
He could have. Every instinct he has must have been screaming at him to mark you while he had you in his arms, while you're going into heat. But he didn't."
I sink down beside her, my body still trembling with unmet need, my scent gland still aching for a bite that didn't come.
"That doesn't make him good," I say, but my voice lacks conviction.
"No," Ivy agrees, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "But it makes him better than you thought. And that, my dear friend, might be the most dangerous thing of all."