Novels by Zuxi writes

We leave at dawn.Just me and Damon. Mira stays with the Queen Mother. Safe. Protected. Away from whatever happens next.She cries when we leave. "Don't go, Mama. Stay.""I have to, baby. I'll be back. I promise.""What if you don't come back? What if you leave like they did?"Her words gut me. Because she's right to be scared. Right to think everyone leaves."I'll come back. I swear. I'll always come back to you."She doesn't believe me. I see it in her eyes. The fear. The certainty that no one stays.It breaks something in me. But I go anyway. Because Kieran and Caius are dying and I put them there.The journey takes three days. North through forests. Through cold. Through wilderness that gets darker the further we go.We don't talk much. Just ride. Both lost in our own thoughts.I keep reaching for them through the bond. Kieran. Caius. Searching for any sign they're still alive.Nothing. Just emptiness where they used to be.What if we're too late? What if they're already dead? Wha

Three weeks after they leave, the healer comes to me."We need to talk," she says. Face grim."About?""The rejected mates. Kieran and Caius." She sits. Hands folded. "I've been monitoring them from a distance. Tracking their vital signs through magic. They're not doing well."My stomach drops. "What do you mean not well?""Broken mate bonds are fatal if not properly managed. The rejected mates need distance. Time. Healing. But even with all that, some don't survive.""You're saying they're dying?""I'm saying they're declining. Fast. Faster than normal. The bond breaking was traumatic. They're not recovering the way they should.""How long do they have?""Weeks. Maybe a month. Then the damage becomes irreversible. Then they die."The room spins. No. No, this wasn't supposed to happen. The witch said exile. Said separation. Not death."There has to be something," I say. "Some way to save them. Some treatment. Some magic.""There is one way. But it's dangerous. Forbidden. Hasn't been a

Two weeks pass.Mira grows. Thrives. Acts like a normal three year old. Happy. Curious. Alive.But she asks about them every day."Where's Kieran?" she asks at breakfast."Gone, baby. Remember? We talked about this.""When is he coming back?""I don't know.""What about Caius? Is he coming back?""I don't know that either."She cries. Every time. Sensing something's wrong. Something's missing. Something's broken.Damon tries to comfort her. Distract her. Give her everything. But it's not enough. She feels the absence.So do I.The bond with Damon is strong. Complete. But it's lonely. One connection where there used to be three. One presence where there used to be many.I reach for Kieran through the bond. Nothing. Just empty space.I reach for Caius. Same. Hollow. Gone.They're not dead. I'd feel that. But they're not here either. Not close. Not reachable. Just gone."You need to eat," Damon says. He's been watching me push food around my plate. "You've barely eaten in days.""I'm not

Two hours pass.Mira doesn't wake up.The healer works frantically. Magic. Medicine. Everything. Nothing helps."She's fading," she says finally. "The forced aging. The magic activation. It was too much. She's dying.""No." I hold Mira tighter. "No, she can't die. The gamble worked. The bonds are stable. She has to survive.""The bonds are stable but she's not. Her body can't handle what you did to it." The healer looks at me. "I'm sorry. I don't think she'll make it through the night."The room spins. My gamble. My stupid desperate gamble. It's killing her."There has to be something," Damon says. "Some way to save her.""There is one way." The healer hesitates. "But it requires breaking the bonds again. Requires Sage to choose. To redirect the magic. To stop trying to hold four bonds and focus everything on saving Mira.""What?" I don't understand. "The bonds are stable. Permanent. How does choosing help?""The bonds are stable because Mira's holding them. But she's dying from the s

Forty minutes pass.I'm still holding Mira. Still trying to decide. Still completely lost.Choose and lose two. Or gamble and possibly lose everything.My mother chose neither. Let herself break. Killed everyone.I can't do that. Can't let fear win. Can't destroy everyone through inaction.So what do I do?I look at Mira. Really look. She's so small. So helpless. So trusting.If I choose, she lives. Grows up. Becomes someone. Maybe wonders about the fathers she lost. Maybe resents me for choosing. But she lives.If I gamble, seventy percent chance she dies right here. Right now. In my arms. Because I was too selfish to accept loss. Too desperate to save everyone.That's the real question. Am I choosing for her? Or for me?Do I want to save everyone for her sake? Or because I can't handle the guilt of choosing?I don't know. Can't tell where my needs end and hers begin.The door opens. Caius."Your hour's almost up," he says. "Have you decided?""No. Yes. I don't know."He sits beside

"What are you doing here?" Damon demands.The witch ignores him. Walks straight to me. Eyes burning with urgency."You were about to choose," she says. Not a question."Yes. The bonds are collapsing. We have hours. I have to.""No. You don't. Not yet. Not until you know the truth.""What truth?" Caius steps forward. "We know everything. Triple bonds are temporary. We have to choose. That's it.""That's what I told you. That's what I needed you to believe. But it's not the whole truth." She looks at each of them. "The truth is more complicated. More painful. More impossible.""Explain," Damon orders. "Now.""The bonds aren't breaking because of time. They're breaking because of fear." She points at me. "Your fear. Your inability to choose. Your heart rejecting the premise. That's what's killing the bonds. Not time. You."I go cold. "What?""Triple bonds don't have time limits. They break when the person at the center breaks. When their heart can't handle the strain. When fear wins." Sh