Chapter 159

Violet’s POV

Part of me wondered it not worrying Theo was an excuse. If the years with Lucas not being the partner I needed had subconsciously trained me to stay independent. To never lean on anyone, even temporarily, because they couldn’t be trusted to hold me up.

Even still, Theo was right. So I leaned on him now.

I let out a torrent of tears, more than I had ever remembered crying. I sobbed and gasped, hyperventilated and drooled.

Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones. Maybe it was the magic. Maybe it was the freedom to fully feel everything knowing I would still be loved.

I could feel in Theo’s loosening muscles as well as through the bond how his anger abated. Maybe it wasn’t fair to lean on him now when he had every right to be angry. But I had a hunch that this was part of what he meant when he said he wanted me to choose him.

I remembered what Auntie had told me about how we could choose mate bonds and how the strongest bonds were the ones chosen by both parties and the Goddess. I didn’t want to weaken our bond by not fully choosing him.

No more secrets. No more lies. No more hiding.

Slowly, my sobbing faded, every manor of liquid from my face smeared onto Theo’s shirt. I pulled away, staring at it. “Gross.”

Theo tucked a finger under my chin to pull my gaze up to his. “I’ll wash it.” His eyes swam with gratitude that I was letting him in.

“I’m sorry I lost my temper,” he offered, kissing me on the forehead.

I shook my head. “I think it was warranted. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you my magic was unstable last night.”

He furrowed his brows. “Have you only known since yesterday?”

I nodded, and he sighed. “Then I definitely overreacted.”

“Still,” I wrapped my arms around his neck, “your point remains. I choose you, Theodore Nightshade.” Then I kissed him strongly on the mouth.

Once we had sufficiently made up, I turned to poor Auntie, who stood calm as ever, patiently waiting.

“And I apologize,” she said, “for assuming Theo already knew about your unstable magic.”

I cocked my head, smiling coquettishly. “I’m not sure you’re really sorry about that.”

Auntie smiled in return. “I’m really not.”

I rolled my eyes as I chuckled. Theo leaned down to whisper loud enough for Auntie to hear. “Have I mentioned how much I love your family?”

I pinched him teasingly, then focused back on my aunt. “Alright, let’s hear it. What’s causing my magic to be unstable?”

Theo draped his arm over my shoulders as I wrapped mine around his waist.

“Unfortunately, it’s a combination of things. The repression from your mother’s spell started it. As we saw in your memory, they were planning for you to stabilize the magic once the spell was broken with your pregnancy.”

I grew a little lightheaded and leaned into Theo a bit. He strengthened his grip on my shoulder.

“Had the repression been the only thing making your magic unstable, their plan likely would have worked.”

I did not like the sound of where this was going.

“Of course, the magic is made more unstable by being so strongly triggered by the pregnancy hormones, though again, we could have worked with that. What your parents did not, and could not have foreseen, was your already weakened state from Lucas’ rejection. On top of that, your magic is being tampered with by the spell of Eva’s forged mate bond.”

My limbs grew heavy, and I let go of Theo to sit in the grass. My mate joined me, asking down the bond if I was okay.

Just tired from the altrosis and needed to sit.

“It is the combination of all four factors – the repression, the triggering by your hormones, the weakening from Lucas’ rejection, and the tampering from the fake mate bond spell – that worries me.”

Theo tucked me closer to him. “What are our options?”

Auntie folded her hands in her typical stance.

“Now that your bond with Lucas has been formally rejected, only time will allow you to recover from that. Practicing magic will help release both the pent up magic from the repression spell and the increased magic flow from your hormones – plus it will help you master control over it. All three of these will buy you time, but unless we can undo the fake mate bond with Eva, addressing the other three will not be enough.”

I was tired. Tired of fighting for my birthright, of protecting myself from my own king, of fighting for my own marriage, and my own life. I had always been a fighter.

But suddenly I was so, so tired.

Theo nudged my head onto his shoulder. “Will the fake mate bond also impact me and Eva?”

“Assuming Eva doesn’t have magic, there’s no magic to destabilize. As for you, it shouldn’t impact you since you don’t have anything repressing or triggering your magic. On its own, the tampering from Eva’s bond shouldn’t pose a threat.”

I closed my eyes. “How much time do I have?” I murmured.

“There is no timeline for this sort of thing. With so many factors, your timeline decreases, but the more we address them, the more time you’ll have. But should you experience other symptoms, notify me immediately – including when you have more hallucinations.”

When, she’d said. Not if.

This was only going to get worse. I leaned heavier against my husband.

“You need to rest, Violet.” He leaned down to kiss my head. “We’ll figure this all out once you’ve slept.”

“Mhm.”

Theo stiffened a little beneath me. “Is this level of fatigue normal after an altrosis?”

“Yes, though she could be even more exhausted from the pregnancy and the unstable nature of her magic.”

The walk back to the village seemed so long. “We have to go now,” I struggled to sit up, “before I fall asleep.” I stumbled over my own hand, falling face first into Theo’s chest.

“Violet,” his voice was laced with concern as he wrapped his arms around me, “I know it’s not your favorite, but I think we should consider me carrying you back.”

“Or you could splinter.”

I glanced up at Auntie’s suggestion.

“Splinter?” Theo asked.

Auntie pulled out her phone and made a call, murmuring into the receiver too low for me to hear. It seemed strange that she had a phone. Technology seemed at odds with the Temple.

Auntie ended the call, tucking the phone into her robes. A moment later, Theo and I startled as Bennett appeared right before us.

“Splinter,” I repeated, nodding toward Bennett.

“The vanishing thing is called splintering?” Theo did not sound excited.

“The atoms splinter in the air as you…” I sighed heavily. “I’m too tired to explain the physics of it right now.”

Bennett extended a hand, but Theo leaned us away from him. “What about the baby?”

Bennett offered my husband a soft smile. “Splintering is safe for everyone at every stage of development.”

Theo was still hesitant until I nodded my head in agreement. “What do we need to do?”

Bennett’s smile stretched into a grin. “Take my hand, and don’t let go of your mate.”

I hooked my arms around Theo as he tightened his arm around me, reaching for Bennett with his other. Then I blinked, and the enchanted clearing was gone.