Page 48 of Severed Heir

I turned back to Toni and Myla. “So... who’s sharing what bed tonight? Apparently, Cully and Fraser are.”

Her glare could’ve incinerated the kettle. “I’d rather spoon a snow beast than sleep beside Kian.”

Myla snorted. “Before Toni found out her forced bond was with Kian, they—”

Antonia jabbed her in the ribs. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence. It was a moment of weakness.”

I raised a brow. “What did you do?”

She slapped a hand over her mouth, groaning. “Dirty talk.”

I blinked. “What?”

“I dirty talked him, okay?” she hissed. “The night the bond was placed. Hesoundedkind of hot. And then I did it again—to figure out who it was. I didn’t expect him to get a godsdamned boner during combat.”

“You dirty talked Kian before you knew who he was?” I choked. “What if it was, like, a middle-aged guard?”

“Well, then a middle-aged guard has heard me moan,” she said flatly. “It’s been months since Alaric died, and I was feeling reckless.”

“What happened to Jace?” Myla asked, still laughing. “Seemed like he was your little shadow.”

“Jace is probably off trimming hedges at the school of Horticulture. His father’s some top-tier professor of leaves or whatever.”

Myla sighed. “Why are our love lives cursed?” Her eyes flicked to me. “Your brother hasn’t said a damn word to me since he found out we were friends.”

I kept quiet, but Antonia cocked her head. “We all know Severyn had a rider bond. It’s probably faint now, unless he’s your truemate.”

Myla’s jaw dropped. “You and who?”

“It’s nothing,” I said quickly.

She slapped her hand down on the kitchen table. “Who did you form a rider bond with? That’s against first-year rules.”

Antonia smiled. “The one and only, Archer Lynch.”

I didn’t acknowledge her assumption. “What is a truemate?”

“Legend says every Serpent ruler has a truemate,” Antonia added. “The one person who guarantees the bloodline will be strong. It’s like an urban legend.”

“And how do you know when it’s them?”

“No one but rulers know. They don’t flaunt their vulnerabilities. But some say that the moment they take the crown, they hear a voice in their mind.”

Antonia yawned with a stretch. “Portals and feelings make me exhausted. I’m going to bed.”

There was no way I was letting her leave after dropping that information on me. I asked, “Wait. Does every Serpent have a truemate?”

She nodded. “Unfortunately for you, a truemate is normally pureblooded from the realm they rule over. But sometimes a Serpent can’t resist those temptations. Now that he’s no longer at the academy, he has all the time to find her if he so desires.”

Archer had a truemate. And now I felt every shade of jealousy. Antonia saw it written across my face.

As she stood, she added, “But between you and me, I heard rumors it was Delair.”

“Delair?” I asked, too quickly. “Why do you say that?”

“She was a strong shadow wielder. They were close. I think they hooked up a few times at the Academy.” She shrugged, smiling faintly. “But who really knows? Legends, right?”

I wondered if I knew Archer at all. Was he grieving Delair? Was he pretending not to be? And then came the guilt. Of course he was upset, she’d been chosen as his lead.

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