For all my budding plans involving the rats during the day, my nights continued to leave me restless and haunted by nightmares. I dreamt of the men in the forest, or of my father cutting Alexia and using her as a weapon against me. Sometimes it was Leander who met the edge of his knife, and upon waking, I’d find myself looking for scars while he inspected my broken hand. Other times, it was the same dream I’d had for years.

I wanted to scream, to beg, anything to make my lungs work again. But I couldn’t. I was in my father’s office. I’d asked about the Bridal Path, and his anger had lashed out at me. Spots began to form over my vision, covering my sight until the light would be swallowed by the dark. I was going to die in the darkness. Suffocating, and unable to even claw at my throat through the silence.

My eyes darted around the room desperately, looking for help that would never come. My father’s wrath would kill me, and all because I’d fancied myself wearing a wedding dress. For the first time since I’d had this recurring nightmare, my eyes drifted to the corner of the room. Shadows writhed as if alive, forming a shape. The darkness blinked and two furious yellow orbs met mine as the bestial frame of Caspian pulled itself out of the shadows.

“Let her go, Jasper!” Caspian growled.

With an irritated “hmph,” my father released his compulsion on me, and I was no longer silent. I collapsed to the ground gasping for air—

“Caspian!” I sat up with a gasp, my hand immediately flying for my throat.

He’d never been there before. I’d never heard him raise his voice against my father to even know what it sounded like, and it had been furious.

‘I used to think that I was sparing you by making you forget the times when I’ve lost my patience with you...’ Wasn’t that what the duke said?

I hugged my knees to my chest. That dream in particular had always felt painfully real, and it had never made sense why. Until now. It had to be a memory, a memory that I’d been forced to forget. I ground my teeth together violently, trying to calm my breathing before I spiraled into an attack.

“Was he always there?” I wiped the sweat from my forehead, while rubbing at my eyes.

Caspian had never been a part of that dream before. Had my mind just projected him to be there? Or had he always been there, and I’d been forced to forget, just like I’d been forced to forget the memory?

A quiet intake of breath startled me, and the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. The sense that I wasn’t alone was suddenly overwhelming. I lowered my hand to scan the darkness of my prison. I almost didn’t see the shadows shift. Something breathed across from me, something so large that it took up nearly half the room.

A quiet whisper came from within the darkness as his eyes caught the reflection of dim light and glowed like a cat. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

I leaned forward, reaching out my hand until it brushed against fur so dark, it was nearly shadow itself. Wings rustled against his back, and I knew he was real. The Eidolon was here, as if the dream had summoned him.

Caspian... Weeks of emotional turmoil slowly rose to the surface. He’d betrayed me, spied on me, and told my father everything. He’d only ever argued with me, teased me, and shown me just how little I mattered to him by his dismissive attitude. I wanted to hate him.

“Why are you here?” The question came out cold.

“It doesn’t matter.” Caspian’s tone didn’t match my own, lacking in its usual fight. “You don’t have much time.”

“You needn’t come all the way here to tell me that.” I laughed bitterly. “Your concern changes nothing.” Unless my father had sent him as insurance that I wouldn’t be able to run.

Caspian shook his head, not following my train of thought as he motioned to the window. Outside, the faint traces of early morning light were blocked out. Skeptically, I eyed him as I rose to my feet and walked over to the wall. I could see another ship had come to move alongside us, but it was too close to see the sails.

“We’re about to be boarded.” He said, interrupting my thoughts.

Alarm bells rang out in my mind. Attacks were rare, but not unheard of this close to the coastline. Not with the provinces who rebelled against the empire’s rule.

“Who?” I asked.

“Pirates.” Caspian’s reply was a low, disapproving growl from deep in his throat.

“How did they find us? How come we didn’t fire cannons before they were too close to even attempt a defense?!” Not that I knew much of naval battles, but what I did know was that even smaller merchant ships were supposed to be equipped to protect their goods.

I moved to the door, trying the handle only to find that it still locked from the night before. “Dammit!” I exclaimed, pulling at the handle in frustration. “Leander?!” I shouted, hitting the wood with my good fist. “Leander, wake up! Open the door!”

Caspian watched me, almost appearing smug that the door didn’t budge. “Hours ago a dense fog came out of the water. They hid in it until they were nearly alongside us. There wasn’t time to do anything else.” He let out an agitated sound. “They must have an elemental with them.”

My brows furrowed at the term. “What’s an elemental?”

He made an exasperated sound of disapproval at my lack of knowledge. “They’re a type of Magebound, but they’re uncommon in the empire. I haven’t seen one outside of the isles this lifetime. They’re dangerous, and most of their bloodlines have been lost to war—can you please stop beating on the door? He’s not going to come.”

I shook my head, pounding harder. “He has to come. He has to let me out.”

“Leander is preparing above with the rest of the crew for the attack.”

My heart sank as I lowered my fist. “What’s going to happen to them?”

“Pirate attacks are always a risk on this side of the Emerald Sea. Every man onboard knows how to fight.” Caspian replied confidently. “They’re going to fight.”

I clenched my fist, whirling on him. “You know, I can’t help but wonder why you’re here. I must be hundreds of miles away from Astalia by now, and you choose now to manifest? Tell me, how long have you been spying on me this time? Are you lying in wait until I’m officially handed over to the Count so that you can return to my father with the news?”

I hadn’t even thought to take Caspian’s involvement into consideration. He was never far from my father. If he was lingering, then it wouldn’t matter if I escaped Leander. The Eidolon would watch me escape and bring me back whenever it was convenient for him!

“I wasn’t spying on you.” Caspian argued, sounding offended. “I’m sorry for what’s happened to you, truly I am. But please set aside your venom for just a moment. I deserve every drop of it but I didn’t come here to fight.”

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“Fine.” I conceded, crossing my arms over my chest, awkwardly adjusting around the splint. “How long were you watching me just now?”

Caspian’s wings rustled against the cramped space of the room, a sign of discomfort. “I was about to wake you when you said my name...” He trailed off, his bright eyes searching mine. “I didn’t know if you—I realized too late that you hadn’t seen me. I was afraid to startle you.”

“Why are you here then?” My cheeks burned. I wasn’t about to tell him why I shouted his name. His ego would go through the roof if the beast knew I’d been dreaming about him.

Caspian turned to look out the window. “The captain is going to try and bargain with them. The hope is that in exchange for cargo, they won’t engage us in a fight, and there will be less loss of life on both sides. They’d be allowed to board and take what they can carry.”

Lessons on strategy came to mind. I could understand not wanting to risk a fight, but how could any pirate be trusted to keep their word?

Caspian’s face mirrored my own doubt. “Regardless of what the captain tries to negotiate, you’ll doubtlessly hear the sounds. Whether it's fighting, or looting. If they come below deck, they’ll likely work their way to the other side of your door. I’m hoping that they’ll test the latch and decide it’s not worth the effort to check any further. Don’t give them a reason to check.”

”So I’m supposed to silently wait here while everyone else possibly fights off pirates?!” I choked.

“And what would you do if the door were open, Daelyn? Think. You don’t know how to fight.” His face was much too close to mine as he snarled at my ignorance. “These are seasoned murderers. They won’t spare you because you’re a woman, and if they do you may come to wish that they hadn’t!”

I recoiled as if slapped. “And if everyone else is slaughtered I’ll starve to death locked in this room.”

We were nearly nose to nose as I refused to let him intimidate me. “I know that I can’t fight, but I would rather die attempting to defend myself than starve to death because I was a coward. I can do something. Give me a sword and I can help.”

“You’re not going to help, and you're not going to be left alone to starve.” An angry growl reverberated through Caspian’s chest at the thought, surprising me. “Please, there isn’t time to convince you. Let me protect you.”

I was surprised into silence, only able to manage a nod of acceptance.

He exhaled, as if he’d expected more of a fight.

“Unwrap your hand.” He ordered.

“Why?” It was less of a question and more of a statement.

There were so many questions building up inside of me that I struggled to contain them and cooperate. But Caspian’s expression left no room for my stubbornness, and I was reminded that he was far more than a housecat. I didn’t know how he had gotten onto the ship, or where he’d been hiding all this time, but I had no doubt that if push came to shove, he would attack the pirates himself if necessary.

I struggled to untie the knot Leander had made yesterday morning, needing to use my teeth to help undo it. I unwound the cloth, letting the linen fall to the floor in a heap. I did my best not to flex more than my fingertips. There had been signs of permanent damage, as Leander had predicted weeks ago. A sharp pain that was guaranteed to come if I brought my finger tips together with my thumb.

Caspian padded over and inspected the bruises, gently nudging my hand this way and that way with his nose. Not unlike how Leander checked it in the mornings. Then, unlike Leander, he breathed upon my hand, and the warmth of his magic seeped into my skin. My mouth dropped as I stared at him in shock.

Caspian was an Essencebound.

My own Magebinding stirred at the proximity, as if waking from sleep. It wanted the Eidolon. If my magic were personified, it would be its own beast. A creature that lived caged to my core, and recently discovered its door. A tendril of magic rose to scrape lovingly against the inner barrier of my skin.

It would be easy to bind him. It seemed to coo seductively in my thoughts.

My heart pounded at the idea. Could I even bind an Eidolon? His mouth was mere inches from my fingers as he breathed his magic into my skin.

He is a creature of spirit, I cannot bind him. I argued.

But his flesh is that of a beast. The voice of my magic countered. What matters is the form.

My hand grew painfully hot under the influence of his magic. Whatever Caspian was doing, this was not merely to combat the swelling as Leander had done. The meat of my hand began to lose its ache, while the bones became less brittle.

The decision was made before I could think of the consequences. I cried out in a false whimper as my hand spasmed to knock into his mouth. My fingers just barely brushed against the wet warmth of his tongue.

“I’m sorry.” Caspian drew back, alarmed. The disruption extinguished his magic like a candle flame. “It was necessary to your well-being to intervene. If anything does happen, you’ll need both hands. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

But I was only half listening as the Bloodbinding within me was already clawing its way out of my core. It rose up, reaching for the saliva coating my fingers to ensnare him.

With the rats, my magic had been fast as a striking snake, and I’d had to command them quickly in order to remove their fear. I was much more careful in creating my connection with Caspian than I had ever been with the rats. I let instinct guide me as I carefully wove my magic around Caspian. I could feel the moment his essence reacted to my presence, even if he himself did not. It was surprised.

As the warmth of his binding returned to envelope my hand, my own binding attempted to soothe his red essence against the invasion. To trick it into accepting our tether. That’s when I saw the threads. Through my magic, I could see that there were already threads wrapped around his soul.

An angry tangle that wove tightly across his body, like he’d been bound many, many times. My own magic stilled against the surface, unable to bond him. There were so many strings that they’d hidden the true color of Caspian's aura with their red glow. My chest tightened, realizing just how suffocated he was.

I knew that they were my father’s work, even if I didn’t understand how he had done it. My Bloodbinding writhed with my irritation. I knew that there could not be more than one master, and the only way to remove my father would be to sever the existing threads that connected them. But there were so many. Would they need to be removed one at a time? I didn’t know if I could. All the commands were laced together so tightly that I couldn't even see where to separate them from, and there wasn’t time to linger.

There was one thread that was thicker than the rest, almost as if it was made of many threads to wrap tightly around his neck. When I looked closer, I could see that all the threads were actually connected by the thickest of their lot, twisting right at his throat.

There. The thought was and was not entirely my own, as instinct continued to guide my actions.

Pulling at the magic to hone it like a blade, I aimed at the trunk. The threads frayed, vanishing from my second sight like mist. The tether connected to the duke went slack and fell away. Beneath the threads, Caspian’s essence shone a brilliant blue and gold.

With his binding gone, my own reached out with barely restrained greed. I tugged it back, before it could lash onto him, forcing the magic to settle gently as a blanket. My own bond solidified around the Eidolon, leaving a shimmer of my own aura wrapped around him.

Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief as I retreated back into myself. It seemed like hours had passed while I undid my father’s bonds, yet only seconds had moved as a momentary look of confusion crossed Caspian’s face. It vanished quickly as his magic withdrew from my hand.

“How does it feel?”

Tentatively, I flexed my hand, almost forgetting why we’d been so close to begin with. I could feel something strain when touching my fingertips together, but the sharpness was duller.

“Better than it was. I had no idea that you could heal.” I marveled, carefully closing my fist for the first time in weeks.

“Most of the healing was already complete, I just enforced what was already done. You’ll still want to be careful with it, but if anything happens and you need to hide or escape, I’d feel better knowing that you have both hands free.”

I shook my head in gratitude. “You didn’t have to help me at all.” And when he realized that his kindness had bound him to me, he’d never forgive me for it.

“No I didn’t.” Caspian agreed, “But since I did, I’d appreciate it if you listened to me, just this once. Stay silent, and don’t let them find you. I will be back.” Caspian promised, and as shouts rang from above his form vanished. Melting like a mist before my eyes.

Guilt immediately washed over me. At the first opportunity, I had completely betrayed Caspian’s trust. I flexed my left hand again, too distracted by what I’d just done to appreciate the gift he’d given me. Regardless of any potential good I’d done by removing my father’s bindings, I’d only changed his master, and left him a slave. I was no better than the duke.

Except, I had destroyed the duke’s connection, hadn’t I? I had destroyed years of commands in a single swipe. It felt… good. I had achieved something that I hadn’t even considered possible, binding a mythological creature, an Eidolon. It didn’t matter that my father had somehow managed to do the same, not anymore. I’d robbed him of his beast, how could he remain godsblessed if his Eidolon went missing? He wouldn’t.

That brought a satisfied smile to my face. The guilt was still there, but not enough to regret what I’d done. I could always find a way to undo it in the future, if I wanted too.

I just didn’t know if I’d want to.