The world tilts and spins around me a moment before I’m ripped from Ryvan’s arms, spinning away into a darkened void. When I open my eyes, I’m back in the cottage near the veil. I glance down at my feet and notice I’m only wearing one slipper. Without the other one, the magic that protects the kingdom of Anara must have recognized that I’m human and expelled me, just as Ryvan explained it would.
I walk outside and my eyes immediately go to the barrier. The break I’d made only a few weeks ago is repaired and I cannot see anything beyond the glowing wall.
I move toward it and extend my hand, wondering if the slipper will allow me to pass.
Disappointment fills me when it does not. But perhaps this is for the best.
Tears sting my eyes and blur my vision as devastation consumes me. A deep ache settles in my chest and I can barely breathe. As hard as it was to see Ryvan with Lorala, I understand now that he must choose her for his bondmate.
We cannot be together.
He needs her Light Magic to balance his darkness; to help keep it hidden so he is not put to death for being Dark Fae.
I rest my hand against the glowing magic of the veil as another tear slips down my cheek. “Goodbye, my love,” I whisper. “I will love you. Always.”
Sadness tightens my chest and I turn and race through the forest. Branches pull at my dress, but I force myself to push forward, desperate to get as far away from the veil and the kingdom of Anara as possible.
I cannot bear to be here anymore. It is too painful to remain in the place where I first met him… where I fell in love with his glowing green eyes and his handsome smile.
I love him but I have to let him go. It must be this way. We cannot be together. I cannot protect him like Lorala can. I love him too much to allow him to risk his life by bonding to me.
