MADELINE
I watched Cian choke.
He was choking on Morrigan’s cooking, That was my first thought, which seemed impossible because the woman could make even simple bread taste like heaven. But his fork clattered to the table and Ronan was already moving, slamming his hand against Cian’s back with enough force to dislodge anything stuck in his throat.
Except Cian’s face told me this wasn’t about food.
His hands clawed at his chest like he was trying to rip something out from inside. His eyes went wide and unfocused. The color drained from his face so fast I thought he might pass out right there at the table.
"Cian?" Morrigan’s voice cut through the silence.
He didn’t answer. He just sat there, gasping, his fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt. Then, just as suddenly as it started, he went still. Like someone had flipped a switch and turned off whatever had been tormenting him.
But the look on his face got worse.
He stared at his plate like he’d never seen food before. Like the entire world had just shifted on its axis and he was the only one who noticed. His breathing was shallow and uneven.
"Cian, what’s wrong?" Morrigan leaned forward, her own plate forgotten.
He looked up at her. Then at Ronan. Then at Elara. His gaze swept across the table and landed on me for half a second before moving on. When he spoke, his voice sounded hollow.
"Fia. I can’t feel her."
The words hung in the air like smoke.
Then he was moving. The chair scraped back so violently it nearly tipped over. He stumbled toward the door, his legs unsteady but his purpose clear. He needed to get to her. Now.
I pushed back from my own seat without thinking.
Wilhelm’s hand clamped around my wrist.
"No," he said quietly.
I tried to pull away. "He needs help."
"We have things to do." His voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight behind it made me freeze.
I yanked my hand free anyway. "I can’t. It’s Cian."
Morrigan stood before I could take another step. Her face was composed but her eyes were wet.
"Don’t," she said.
I stopped.
She pressed her lips together, blinking rapidly. "He looked so horrified. Goodness knows what happened to her. But Cian will be full of different emotions right now and the last thing you need to do is stand in his way."
"I don’t want to do that." My throat felt tight. "I want to help him."
"I want to help him too." Her voice cracked slightly. "He’s my son, for goddess sake. But Cian is in his own head right now. Whatever happened..." She paused, drawing in a shaky breath. "I hope to the goddess it’s not bad. Not feeling your mate is a scary thing."
She pressed a hand over her mouth and the tears started falling in earnest. "I know what it was like when his father died." The words came out broken. "I pray to the goddess that Fia is fine."
She turned away from the table, her shoulders shaking. "Excuse me."
Elara rose immediately. "Aunt." She followed Morrigan out of the dining room, leaving just Wilhelm and me in the oppressive silence.
I ran both hands through my hair and let out a breath. "Fuck."
"It is sad, I’m sure." Wilhelm’s tone was measured and clinical. "But our family comes first."
I turned to look at him. Really look at him. His expression hadn’t changed since Cian ran out. There was no concern or sympathy. Just that same calculating look he always wore when he was thinking three steps ahead.
"You heard Elara," I said. "Aldric isn’t here. He went back to his estate."
Wilhelm tilted his head slightly. "Like I said, my gifts have grown significantly. All we need is an anchor. Something from him and I can create a temporary bridge and latch onto any animal nearby him." He paused. "I’ll need you as well. The farther the target, the shorter the viewing window."
My mind was still on Cian. On the way he’d looked at that table. On the emptiness in his voice when he said he couldn’t feel her.
"Oh, get it together." Wilhelm’s voice sharpened. "The man just told you he doesn’t love you anymore."
"I know that." The words came out harsher than I intended. "But I still care for him."
Wilhelm stood and grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the door. "Let’s go get something from that bastard’s room."
I let him drag me through the halls. My feet moved on autopilot while my mind kept circling back to Cian’s face. To the fear I’d seen there. To the absolute certainty in his voice when he said the bond was gone.
We reached the corner near Aldric’s quarters and found a sentinel posted outside his door.
Wilhelm didn’t hesitate. He whispered something under his breath and the man’s eyes rolled back. He crumpled to the floor like a puppet with cut strings. Wilhelm waved his hand and the lock clicked open with a soft snick.
The room inside was pristine. Everything had its place. The bed was made with military precision. Not a book out of alignment on the shelf. Not a speck of dust anywhere.
"This man is a psycho," Wilhelm muttered, moving to the dresser and pulling open drawers.
I stayed near the door, watching him rifle through Aldric’s things.
"What can we even take as an anchor?" He pushed aside neatly folded clothes. "Nothing here seems like he would look at twice."
He pulled out a watch from the back of one drawer and held it up to the light. "Hey, this looks expensive. Perhaps this."
I moved closer, studying the timepiece. It was beautiful. Ornate. Probably worth more than most people made in a year.
"What happens to the anchor, given the distance?" I asked.
"Degradation."
I almost smiled. "Yeah. Let the expensive watch degrade. Aldric will not suspect a thing."
But even as I said it, I shook my head. "Drop it. I don’t think he even has a connection to that thing."
I crossed to the bookshelf and ran my fingers along the spines. These were different. These had been touched. Read. Valued.
"His books, however." I pulled one free. "These mean something to him. I know him enough to know that."
Wilhelm came to stand beside me, eyeing the worn leather binding. "Well, let’s get to work."
We made our way back to my room. I locked the door behind us and pulled out my scrying bowl while Wilhelm cleared space on the table. The book went into the center of the bowl. We stood on opposite sides, our hands meeting over the rim.
Wilhelm closed his eyes and began whispering. The words were old and ancient and they made the air in the room feel heavier.
Power thrummed between our joined hands. My own magic rose to meet his, twining together like threads in a rope. The bowl started to lift. Slowly at first, then faster. It rose into the air with the book still inside, spinning in lazy circles.
Wilhelm’s eyes snapped open. They were pure white, no iris or pupil were in there as blank white orbs that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light just stared back.
He sucked in a sharp breath. "I’m connected."
His head tilted like he was listening to something I couldn’t hear. "I believe I’m a roach." He paused. "Now I just have to find him."
"Have you found him yet?" I kept my voice low, not wanting to break his concentration.
"No. The estate is big enough."
I chewed my lip. "Can you switch animals? Maybe to something that can track a scent."
"I can’t. Distance has its constraints. I cannot choose the beast I possess."
We waited. The bowl continued spinning above us, the book a dark blur at its center. My arms were starting to ache from holding the position but I didn’t dare move.
"Wait." Wilhelm’s blank eyes focused on nothing. "I found him."
"What is he doing?"
"He’s carrying a tray of food."
I frowned. "There’s nothing special about that."
"I’ll keep watching."
The silence stretched. I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears. Could feel the pulse of magic flowing between us.
"Wait." Wilhelm’s voice went sharp. "He’s heading to the underground level. Why would he be heading to the underground level with food?"
My stomach dropped. "I don’t know. But don’t lose him."
Wilhelm smiled despite those eerie white eyes. "Trust me, I won’t—"
He didn’t finish.
Something slammed into him. I felt it through our connection, like a shockwave that rippled from him to me. His nose exploded with blood. It poured down his face in thick streams.
The book in the bowl burst into flames.
Wilhelm fell. He went down hard, his body hitting the floor with a sickening thud. Then he started convulsing. His limbs jerked and spasmed. His back arched off the ground. Blood from his nose spread across the floor in a dark pool.
"Will!" I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands hovering over his chest, not sure where to touch, what to do. "Will!"
I grabbed his face between my palms and his skin was burning hot. His eyes were still white, still rolled back in his head.
I slapped his cheek several times as his condition worsened in seconds. "Wilhelm!"
He didn’t respond. He just kept seizing on my bedroom floor while smoke from the burning book filled the air above us.
I had to do something.