I take a deep breath and tamp down the flash of excitement that flickers through me. There’s a part of me that’s begging to be made whole and a part of me that’s nervous about what that means for me. I shake that thought away. I said I’d do everything to help the Gryphons, and that means being as powerful as I can be, regardless of how much that scares me or whether it makes me more of a target than I already am.
“Even if I can’t restore your marks and abilities, your Sept rune isn’t something you’re born with. It shows up when it wants to, when magic has compatible Bond wielders for you. I’ve seen Sept runes that are triggered by loss or trauma, or one day they just show up out of the blue for no obvious reason whatsoever.” He rubs a hand over his buzzed white hair and half shrugs. “There’s really no rhyme or reason when it comes to magic. We’ve been gifted with the ability to use it, but no one knows how or why it works the way that it does.”
I run the comb through my hair and do a little underwater dance when it finally glides smoothly through all my locks. I open my mouth to ask Wekun how he knows I will have a Sept or pack of Bond homies, but a group of male gryphons tromping my way makes me pause. Sinking down until water edges my chin, I back up in the warm pool of water that’s being fed by a quiet, misty fall. The pool I’m in trickles down into several other pools below me, like a stairway of natural jacuzzis that ultimately lead to a calm river that steals the water away to who knows where.
The group of male gryphons part, and I see Treno, Zeph, and Ryn. I realize that the gryphons surrounding them are serving as guards, and I find myself wondering what went down after I left them to deal with things on their own. As though the three of them can suddenly feel my eyes scanning over them, their heads snap to where I’m currently bathing.
I freeze, not sure how I feel about seeing them again. A handful of hours apart isn’t nearly enough to begin to recover from all the bullshit. I feel Pigeon fluff up all her feathers, equally agitated by their presence. Wekun must sense the change in atmosphere, because he suddenly sits up and looks over in the direction of the guards.
Zeph’s eyes flick over to Wekun and then back to me, and fury ripples through him. He takes a step in our direction, but two of the guards around him move to get in his way. His nostrils flare, and the tic in his jaw starts up. He’s clearly pissed that I’m bathing in front of Wekun, but he’s once again letting his temper get the best of him. Wekun couldn’t care less about my naked ass.
Zeph mumbles something, and I look to find both Treno and Ryn shooting daggers our way too. I turn, no longer willing to absorb any more of their anger, and the guards guide them to a lower pool that’s thankfully far away.
I’m silent for a moment as I try to wash the rage that was just aimed at us from my skin.
“Wekun, can mate bonds be severed?” I ask as I rinse my hair and body one last time, ready to get out and get on with things.
It’s quiet for several beats.
I look over at him so I can gauge his response. He’s looking down at the group of gryphons, his eyes fathomless and far away. I watch him for a moment, and just when I accept he’s not going to answer, he does.
“Yes, they can be severed. It’s brutal, and I don’t recommend it, but it has been done.”
I turn away from his sympathy-filled, champagne gaze and stare down at Treno’s runes on my chest. Thoughts swirl in my mind, and I wade through them as I trace the black marks with my eyes.
“When you try to bring my runes back, I’d like you to sever my mate bonds too.”
I look up at him, so he can see the determination in my face and in my eyes. I want him to see that my request isn’t a rash decision, and that spite isn’t the catalyst for my appeal.
I let the pain I feel bleed into my gaze, and I open myself up so that he can witness the emotional wounds I’ve been collecting from being attached to these males. I’m slowly dying inside, and not just me, but I need him to witness how wrong and awful the mate bonds are for them too. I know we’ll all be better without each other.
He studies me for a moment and releases a resigned exhale.
“If that’s what you want,” he starts, pausing like he’s waiting to see if I’ll take the words back.
“It is,” I answer instead, relief swirling in my chest, as the rest of me hardens with resolve.
I take one last look at the lower pools and the three gryphons currently cleaning off in them. Ryn looks up at me. I know he’s too far away to have heard anything, but his eyes are conflicted all the same. We stare at each other, and his gray and white wings spring from his back. He doesn’t take his eyes off of mine, and they flicker between frustration and sorrow. I turn away and climb out of the hot spring. Wekun turns away, but I can feel my mates’ eyes on me, and goose bumps crawl up my arms.
“Let’s do it then,” I tell Wekun as I reach for the makeshift towel that’s been laid next to the pile of clothes he acquired for me.
Pigeon sends me a flash of desolation and then a steady stream of resolve. I withdraw inside myself and
