Taking my arm back, I walk away a few steps and solemnly stare up at the sky. 'Yiselda, I don't know what to do. It will destroy Magnus if he finds out I have a second mate, but I can't help these feelings towards Alec,' I confess, my voice barely a whisper.
In response, Yiselda grabs my arm, a forceful gesture that pulls me back into the house. The urgency in her movements prompts me to question our destination. 'Where are we going?' I ask.
'You must sever your bond with Alec for your own good and protection. We need to ask Alec how to do that,' Yiselda declares, determination driving her as she guides me up the staircase of books. With a swift incantation, we blink from the dungeon's entrance to the other side, standing outside Alec's cell.
Alec emerges from the shadows, his hand reaching out for mine, a familiar plea in his voice. 'Nina,' he says, and my instinctive response is to extend my hand towards his. However, Yiselda intervenes, pulling me back with a firm grip.
'Alec,' Yiselda growls, her tone assertive. 'Nina is Luna of Shadow Crest and fated mates with Magnus. You have to break the bond with Nina!'
Alec's refusal is immediate and resolute. 'No,' he declares, his gaze stern.
Yiselda presses the urgency of the situation, reminding Alec of the practical challenges posed by their circumstances. 'Alec, how do you suppose you will have a relationship with her behind these bars? If Magnus finds out, he won't allow her here again, and you know what will happen to Nina if she isn't near you frequently. For her sake, break the bond,' she urges.
In response, Alec's frustration boils over, and he lunges at the bars, startling Yiselda. 'I said no!' he shouts, his tone a fierce declaration.
Anxiety creeps into my voice as I address them, seeking understanding. 'What will happen to me if we stay apart?' I ask, my eyes darting between Alec and Yiselda. The guilt etched on Alec's face intensifies my concern.
Yiselda unravels the consequences of resisting the blood flame bond. 'The blood flame draws you together like the mate bond. You will begin to burn alive if you resist it or remain too far away from your blood flame for too long. At first, it starts with your skin spontaneously feeling warmer than usual, then it worsens to fever-like episodes, but it steadily worsens. Your skin will blister and burn until you return to your blood flame, or otherwise turn into ash and die,' she explains.
The revelation hits me like a physical blow, and I gasp, instinctively covering my mouth in shock. 'Magnus could never live without me. It would kill him too,' I manage to utter, my mind racing with the implications.
Alec's intense gaze meets mine, and he adds his own layer to the gravity of the situation. 'And it would kill me too if anything ever happened to you,' he confesses, his words laden with a deep emotional weight. We share a silent exchange, eyes locked, understanding the dire consequences that loom over us.
Yiselda interjects, the urgency in her tone cutting through the heavy silence. 'If you don't break the bond, you know she will die, Alec,' she warns, her voice a reminder of the harsh reality we face.
Alec, however, remains resolute. 'No, she won't. Magnus can accept that Nina has two mates. We can both have her and share her in order for her to live. If Magnus loves her that much and doesn't want her to die, then he will agree to it,' he asserts, a defiant determination in his stance.
Yiselda challenges his optimism, probing the complexities of human emotions. 'Do you think Magnus is willing to share his fated mate?' she counters.
'Our fated mate,' Alec corrects her, emphasizing his claim on our shared bond.
Overwhelmed by the situation, I collapse to my knees, hugging myself as tears stream down my face. Yiselda kneels beside me, rubbing my back to offer some comfort. 'If Alec doesn't break the mate bond, you will have to tell Magnus,' she advises sympathetically.
Wiping away my tears, I rise to my feet, determined to confront Alec. As I approach his cell, I grip the cold bars, my voice filled with a plea. 'Alec, please, breaking the bond is the only way for us to live and cease the pull between us, to cease these feelings and urges we have for each other.'
In an electrifying flash, Alec's hands shoot through the cold iron bars, cupping my face with desperate intensity. The world blurs as his lips crash onto mine, sending a jolt of euphoria through our entwined souls. The kiss is a revelation, a surge of emotions that reveals the missing piece of my soul, the void that only Alec, my other fated mate, fills.
The sensation of completeness with both Alec and Magnus as my fated mates is overwhelming. As we reluctantly break the kiss for a gasp of air, I take a stumbling step backward, swaying on the precipice of consciousness and collapse. Reaper flits through the air before settling beside me on the cold ground.
'Luna!' echoes simultaneously from Yiselda and Alec, their voices tinged with concern and urgency. Yiselda rushes to my side, cradling my head in her lap as she attempts to rouse me. 'Luna,' she repeats her words in a desperate plea.
Desperation grips Alec, and he pleads with Yiselda to release him. 'Yiselda, let me out. Let me help her!' His voice carries urgency and frustration.
Yiselda's head jerks up with a scowl across her face. 'Alec, you will never be free from that dungeon cell, and I certainly won't let you anywhere near the Luna,' she admonishes him, her protective instincts flaring.
Alec scowls back, a warning laced in his words. 'I will make sure you regret keeping me from my treasured Blood Flame, Yiselda,' he threatens, his eyes smouldering with determination and a hint of something darker.
Yiselda, unperturbed by Alec's threats, gracefully waves her wand over me, uttering an incantation. 'Awaken,' she commands. My eyes flutter open, and I find myself in a surreal moment, caught between the aftermath of a fateful kiss and the penetrating gaze of my fated mate, Alec. Yiselda assists me in sitting up. Her expression is a mix of concern and curiosity.
'Where am I?' I ask, momentarily disoriented.