Edmund exhaled slowly, his steps coming to a halt.
For a brief moment, the chamber felt too small for him. Too suffocating… as though the very air refused to stay in his lungs.
His hand fell to his side, fingers curling slightly.
Mother. There was no use denying it. If there was anyone who knew the laws better than any other… it was her.
And if there was anyone who would refuse him without hesitation… It would still be her.
His jaw tightened faintly. She would not see it as he did. Even though she loved him more than his other siblings she would never agree.
No mother would. Not when it came to the life of her own child.
To her, this was not cruelty. It was balance. The way things were meant to be.
But Ariel was not just a human. His chest tightened faintly at the thought. She was his.
The bond had already begun to take hold, whether either of them wished to admit it or not. He could feel his demon crawling out of his skin anytime she was close.
