I searched his face, looking for the beast that so terrified him. What was it like to have a monster inside you that would force you to do its will?
Terrible.
Normally, he had it under control without issue. But with this curse growing stronger by the day…
He turned and walked toward the center of the cavern. I followed, moving deeper into the mist. It flowed around me, icy cold, and I felt its touch everywhere. Almost as if it were trying to know me.
“Stop here.” Grey’s voice was soft.
We stopped.
The mist swirled, kicking up a breeze, then coalesced in the middle of the cavern, growing thicker and whiter right in front of us. It reached critical mass, then fell to the ground in a splash of opalescent water that lapped gently toward the tips of our boots.
Grey stepped back, and I mimicked the movement.
Breath held, I watched the water. It rose upward, forming an ethereal figure with no gender or race. The features were indistinct, but a sense of wisdom emanated from it.
Grey bowed, and I copied the gesture, not able to take my gaze from the strange form. I’d seen a lot of weird stuff during my time in the magical realm, but this might take the cake.
We straightened.
“Why have you wakened me?” the seer asked, its voice echoing with power that shook my bones.
“Thank you for appearing,” Grey said. “We are here for help, if you are so inclined.”
“Of what sort?”
“We are Cursed Mates,” he said.
The figure tilted its head, then drifted forward, so close that I could see through it to the other side of the cavern wall. The seer reached out an indistinct hand, hovering it over my chest, then over Grey’s.
“Yes, I can feel that. It has been a very long time since I have seen a pair of you. I assume you are here because you want to break the curse?”
Grey nodded. “We’d both like to survive.”
“Do you want to break the bond as well?” the seer asked.
Shock raced through me.
Break the mate bond?
I’d assumed it wasn’t possible. After we’d tried with Cyrenthia’s magic and failed, I’d assumed it was something that would always be there.
Did I want to break the bond with him?
Did it matter?
Even though we’d temporarily severed it, I’d still felt so strongly for him.
“You are uncertain,” the seer said. “Which is not unexpected.”
I said nothing. I’d never been quite so out of my depth as I was then.
“Is it possible to break the curse?” Grey asked.
The seer raised a shoulder in a shrug. “Not that I have ever seen.”
“So there is no hope?” Grey asked.