Page 51 of Furever Bound
The suggestion that they abandon generations of carefully built sanctuary hit Maddox like physical blow, especially when evacuation would mean separating Sera from the supernatural energy that enabled her psychic development.
"Sera's abilities are tied to this location's concentrated supernatural energy," he said with alpha authority that made even the elders pay attention. "International relocation could destabilize her psychic connection or destroy her manifestation capabilities entirely."
"Which might resolve the federal interest problem," Bram restated.
"And as I have said before, it might kill her," Maddox replied with protective fury that resonated through every supernatural resident gathered in the glade
"So we're back to resistance or surrender," Maeve said with tactical assessment that forced acknowledgment of impossible choices.
"There's another option," Sera said quietly, her voice carrying determination that made Maddox's stomach clench with dread about what she was considering.
"Which is?" Varric asked with careful attention.
"Voluntary cooperation. We talked about this before when Grimjaw first appeared and Elena was taken in," she said with calm resolve that sent ice through Maddox's veins. "I submit to federal evaluation while establishing conditions that protect the community from ongoing harassment."
"Absolutely not," Maddox said with alpha finality that made several Council members step back slightly.
"Maddox," Sera began with patient tone that proved she'd been thinking through options that prioritized community welfare over personal safety.
"No," he interrupted with protective authority that brooked no argument. "We're not negotiating your freedom for temporary federal appeasement."
"We're negotiating community protection for individual sacrifice," she corrected with gentle determination that proved her commitment to their sanctuary transcended personal considerations.
"Individual sacrifice that includes permanent separation from supernatural energy that sustains your abilities," he pointed out with academic precision that made the true cost of her proposal crystal clear.
"And permanent separation from the mate bond that anchors your psychic stability," Elder Varric added with supernatural wisdom that forced acknowledgment of consequences she might not have considered.
The revelation that federal custody could damage their completed bond sent protective fury racing through Maddox's system with intensity that made his control strain against itself.
"The mate bond is unbreakable," Sera said with confidence that proved she didn't understand the full implications of federal interference.
"The mate bond can't be severed," Varric corrected with gentle honesty, "but it can be damaged by forced separation, psychiatric intervention, or medical procedures designed to suppress supernatural sensitivity."
"Meaning what exactly?" Sera asked with growing alarm as she processed implications she hadn't anticipated.
"Meaning federal custody could leave you permanently disconnected from the abilities that brought us together, the community that accepts you, and the mate bond that completes you," Maddox said with raw honesty that proved the stakes extended far beyond individual freedom.
The weight of potential loss seemed to settle around them like November snow, and through their bond, Maddox felt Sera's growing understanding that protecting their community might cost everything that made survival worthwhile.
"Then what do we do?" she asked with vulnerability protective tenderness.
"We fight," he said simply, the declaration carrying weight that transformed academic discussion into declaration of war. "All of us, together, for the right to exist without federal oversight."
39
SERA
The federal agents arrived at dawn with the kind of military precision that transformed Hollow Oak's peaceful streets into a occupied territory, their black SUVs and tactical equipment creating an atmosphere of siege that felt designed to intimidate rather than investigate. Through her bedroom window, Sera watched them establish what Elena euphemistically called "enhanced security protocols" while residents went about their morning routines with the stubborn determination that had sustained mountain communities through generations of government interference.
"How many?" Maddox asked from beside her, his enhanced senses obviously tracking threats she couldn't perceive while their mate bond carried his protective fury like electricity through her nervous system.
"Too many," she replied, counting vehicles and personnel that suggested Elena had requested significant federal backup for what should have been a simple custody transfer. "This isn't about acquiring one psychic individual anymore. This is about establishing permanent federal control over the entire community."
"Which means running is no longer an option," he said grimly. "They've committed too many resources to abandon the objective now."
Through their bond, she felt his calculation of defensive options, his protective rage at threats to their sanctuary, and underneath it all, his absolute certainty that he would fight any force that tried to separate them.
"Sera," he said carefully, his voice carrying weight that meant he was about to say something she might not want to hear, "there's something you need to understand about mate bonds and federal custody."
