“Very well,” he said, attempting that last kiss. She turned her face so he was met with only the curve of her smooth brown cheek. He paused and then pressed his lips to it, allowing them to linger for a moment. She held completely still, blinking as he pulled away.

“Goodbye,” he said, receiving no response as he stood and headed for the door. He opened it and looked back, but she continued staring out the window, pretending he was no longer there.

Then he dipped his head and entered the hall, where a group of soldiers waited. They surrounded him, forming four corners, as they led him through the palace towards the throne room. The wide doors stood open, revealing a space already filled with hundreds of nobles who had arrived for the occasion.

Garnet, the Aurora King, sat hunched on his throne, his shoulders bent and his head hanging limply. His once robust frame had shrunk, his skin stretching over angled, protruding bones. Shadows darkened his eyes, and his hair, once thick and black like Rion’s, had been leached of its color, trailing in thin wisps of near white.

Garnet had been taken by the Withering decades ago, yet he still lingered, clinging to this shallow excuse for life. Rion couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t just descend and put himself out of his misery.

He entered the room and stopped, surveying the crowd. He would convince his father to descend or find some way to bend the rules of the Torch. He was done waiting, and this bonding made the matter even more urgent. Without the ascension, this bonding was worth less than nothing. While he would come into his full power, all it really did was leash him to a woman—a family—for which he felt nothing.

A path ran through the center of the crowd. As he strode down it, he couldn’t help but feel he was headed for the gallows, heads bowing as he passed. He rolled his neck, trying to dispel the pinch between his shoulders. This was the decision he’d made, and now he’d live with the consequences. There was no other choice.

At the front of the room, his father and mother watched over the proceedings. They were thrilled about their first grandchild, but they wouldn’t have much time to spend with the baby—not if he had his way.