I manifested my presence to be hidden—undetectable—so I could slip away from Gideon. From the shadows, I watched him search for me, frantic and broken, but this had to be done. I needed to find myself again.
I had been through too much—too much love, too much pain, too much loss. My soul was bruised, and I needed silence to heal.
As I hid, a sharp prick flared along my wrist and sternum. I looked down.
The word self-control was etched into my wrist, glowing faintly. Beside it coiled a delicate serpent mark. I touched my sternum and saw a soft, celestial moon shining there, warm against my skin. My breath caught.
"This must be Gideon's bond mark…" I whispered.
Once he was far enough away, I turned and ran—anywhere but back to Vesper or Gideon.
I thought I'd be fine without intimacy. I was wrong.
My life force wasn't fading, but my body ached for sensation. The craving gnawed at me like hunger. I had to stop more than once, steady myself, breathe, and fight my own impulses just to keep moving. Every step was a battle between will and want.
I poured everything into control.
I sought shelter among tall trees and manifested supplies—more than before. Eriu had taken her fill, and I would use what remained to protect myself. For a moment, I thought of returning to my refuge, but Nori knew where it was. They would find me through her, even if she didn't mean to betray me.
So I kept walking.
Eventually, the forest thinned, and I reached a wide shore. Crab-like humanoids and sea-star folk crowded the sand, digging trenches and piling mounds. Waves whispered at their feet.
I approached carefully.
"Excuse me… I'm lost. Can you help me?"
A crab-man smiled. "Straight behind you is Xerxes. North leads to Sylva and Avion. East is Juno. West is Bolivé. Across the sea—Mariner's Bay and Dypsoria. Beyond that: Mongo, Savannas, Eremos."
"What land is this?" I asked.
"Sora. Ruled by sea lions and giant walruses."
I watched them dig. "What are you building?"
"To protect the shore from high tides."
"I can help."
I dropped to my knees and began digging with my hands. The sand moved easily under my will. Mounds rose where I touched. Shells glittered in my palms. The crabs stared in awe.
"How am I doing?" I asked brightly.
They didn't answer.
They scattered.
A shadow fell over me. I turned—and my breath stopped.
Red-orange hair. Broad shoulders. Golden eyes.
Him.
The stranger from that forgotten night.
I covered my face and tried to slip away, but he caught my shoulders gently yet firmly.
"It really stayed," he murmured, brushing my neck. "My mark."
I stiffened. He recognized me instantly.
"I never thought I'd see you again," he said softly. "I wanted to apologize. I was… too wild with you."
I didn't know what to say.
He released me. I studied him now—tiger-like, regal, powerful.
I turned to leave.
"Did you ever find the one you were calling that night?" he called. "If not… I could take his place."
I froze.
I remembered him. I remembered the night. But the words he said stirred something blurry at the edges of my mind.
I turned back toward him, studying his face. "That night… I remember you. I just don't remember everything I said."
He smiled faintly. "Then let me help you remember."
"Sienna," I said after a beat.
"Zulu."
Why was a tiger-beast here, on the coast? Last I saw him, he ruled forest lands.
"I can't talk now," he said. "I oversee this shore. Wait there—by the rocks."
I did.
By sunset, he returned. "Were you bored?"
I shook my head.
We sat together as the sky burned orange.
"Zulu… why are you here?" I asked.
"I was exiled," he said quietly. "My clan took my throne and crowned my cub. His mother was… ambitious."
He looked at my neck.
"If I tell you about that night, will you take me with you?"
I touched my neck slowly.
His mark was still there.
Another bond.
Another thread.
Eriu's web tightened around me, and for the first time, I was tired of all of it.
This power.
These bonds.
These fates.
I wanted an ending—my own.