Page 199 of Severed Heir

Holy Gods. They were going to make Klaus fight in the Serpent Trial. Force him to bleed for the king’s title.

“That’s not him,” I whispered.

“I know,” Archer said softly, his gaze locked on the figure as though looking at a ghost.

I seized his arm, forcing myself to stay focused. “How did you sever your bond?”

His fingers curled against the air, as if reliving it. “I didn’t have a choice, Severyn. The guards were in my mind.”

“What choice?” I pressed, voice rising. “What did you do?”

Reina stepped from the line like she was approaching a mirror fractured down the center. “In our darkest moments, we don’t think of the consequences,” she said. “Archer made a bargain with the Forgotten to sever his bond. It may come due tomorrow or in ten years. Maybe when you have children and you’re forced to leave them behind. Or maybe it’ll come during the trial, when they pit you against your own people for the king’s crown.”

She paused, her breath catching. “Or maybe... they’ll make you fight againsther.”

“Enough,” Archer snapped, his voice low and edged with finality. “You’ve said enough.”

He thrust his hand forward, shadows spiraling from his palm as a portal tore open between us. Without waiting, he gripped my arm and pulled me through. The darkness collapsed behind us, swallowing the battlefield whole.

We landed outside his estate, the sky above us streaked in lavender dusk. My knees nearly buckled. I was hurt and disoriented.

“Why?” I demanded, rounding on him. “Why did you sever the bond? What could possibly be worth protecting?”

His gaze didn’t waver. “You,” he said simply.

The word hit like a blow to the chest.

“The guards were in my head,” he said quietly. “They sensed something between us. And they did find your power, Severyn. They wanted to corrupt it. To turn you into a weapon.” He swallowed, jaw clenched. “They would’ve made you slaughter Demetria’s civilians… then forced you to bring the monsters back to life.”

“They tried.” My voice cracked. “You sacrificed your quell. Your kingdom.”

“I laid down my life for my home,” he said. “And you are my home.”

“Why was the bond between us so important to them?”

Archer’s voice dropped, barely above a breath. “It wasn’t our rider bond they sensed.”

“Then what bond was it?”

He looked at me, truly looked at me, and in his gaze, there was no armor left. “They were hunting my truemate.”

The world tilted.

“Your truemate?” I echoed.

“There’s a reason your quell never hurt me,” he said, stepping closer. “Because it never could. We were always meant to find each other.”

My heart thundered.

“But… shouldn’t your truemate be from Night? To preserve the bloodline?” I asked.

“Whatever god sent you to me must’ve known I didn’t need more shadows,” he said, voice low. “I needed fire. I needed light.”

He reached for my hand, holding it like it was the only thing keeping him tethered to this world. “You were raised in frost, Severyn. But you’ve always been the heat. You are the powerful one.”

I swallowed hard, my heart rattling in my chest. “How long have you known?”

His thumb brushed my wrist. “Since I claimed my grandfather’s title. I won’t make excuses for Andri. Falling in love with his truemate while married is wrong, but I understand it now, because I felt you in my mind for two years.”

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