Adrian held Ari as tightly as he could, my lifeline, afraid if he let her go, then she would disappear, be deported to the Prison Realm. He knew he hadn’t finished the Banishment mantra, there were a few words left. A few words and I would have lost her forever. But if karma was going to teach him a lesson, it’s exactly what it would do, take her away.
Because I do not deserve her anyway.
The idea made him cry more, shaking as he still lay in her lap, feeling Ari dampen his hair with tears of her own as her cheek pressed into his head. The heady emotions didn’t help alleviate the pain, as all of his guilt, his anger, his sadness weighed heavily in the mate-bond, unintentionally smothering his kamará within its wake. But he accepted their punishment as they all took turns hammering at hi
