The safehouse was a crumbling apartment deep in the old quarter, far from the coven's surveillance. A single lantern flickered on the table, casting long shadows as Arielle sat cross-legged on the floor, her hands still trembling from the overload.
Selene sat opposite her, their coat draped over a chair, the silver needle resting on the table like a sleeping serpent. They hadn't said much since the rooftop, just occasional glances at the threads outside the grimy windows.
Finally, Arielle broke the silence. "He said… you hum louder than the tether. What does that mean?"
Selene's gaze lingered on the needle before meeting hers. "It means the tether exists because of me. Draven isn't lying about that."
Arielle's pulse skipped. "You said you severed a bond. But… what bond could cause that?" She gestured vaguely toward the skyline, where the black tether still pulsed faintly.
Selene's expression flickered, something raw breaking through their usual calm. "Mine. My soul-bond to Draven. He wasn't always like this. He was my mentor. My… everything."
The lantern's flame hissed as a draft swept through the room, threads outside trembling faintly.
"When he started feeding on the weave," Selene continued quietly, "the coven ordered me to stop him. I thought severing our bond would weaken him. Instead, it created the tether — a wound in the weave he could feed through."
Arielle stared, the weight of it settling in her chest like lead. "So… this is your fault."
Selene didn't flinch, but their shoulders tensed. "Yes. And if I could cut myself loose entirely to fix it, I would. But I can't. The tether won't close unless Draven is unraveled — or unless someone else takes my place to anchor it."
The hum in Arielle's chest thrummed painfully at that, as if the weave itself understood what Selene wasn't saying.
Before Arielle could respond, the threads outside snapped violently, their glow flaring red. A chorus of faint screams echoed through the streets.
Selene's hand went to the needle. "He's not waiting for the coven anymore. He's coming for us directly.