Synopsis
I was three drinks past caring when I tapped "Accept All Terms" on an app called FateBind.
One second I was on my couch in my pajamas. The next, I was on my knees in a forest with two moons, and three men were arguing over who owned me.
Kaelith — Fae lord. Ice-cold. Antlers like living bone. Spoke about me like a clause in a contract.
Riven — Dragon. Gold eyes. Radiated heat that made my skin hum. Spoke about me like I was already his.
Soren — Shadow. Dark coat, darker smile. Spoke about me like I was the most entertaining catastrophe he'd ever witnessed.
The contract bound all four of us. Shared custody. Competitive claim. A proximity rule that meant I couldn't be more than ten feet from two of them without everyone feeling pain.
Every touch made the bond stronger. Every argument made it worse. Every night the contract invented new ways to push us closer while they fought over who deserved to be closest.
I told myself I wouldn't choose.
The contract said I wouldn't have to.
It lied.
Chapters
1.1
Chapter 1: Three Disasters and One Very Bad Contract — Part 1 of 2
993 words
1.2
Chapter 1: Three Disasters and One Very Bad Contract — Part 2 of 2
993 words
2.1
Chapter 2: Three Versions of “Mine” and Zero Peace — Part 1 of 3
738 words
2.2
Chapter 2: Three Versions of “Mine” and Zero Peace — Part 2 of 3
738 words
2.3
Chapter 2: Three Versions of “Mine” and Zero Peace — Part 3 of 3
738 words
3.1
Chapter 3: One Touch, Three Disasters, Zero Brakes — Part 1 of 2
838 words
3.2
Chapter 3: One Touch, Three Disasters, Zero Brakes — Part 2 of 2
838 words
4.1
Chapter 4: Clause Warfare and the Art of Making Everything Worse — Part 1 of 2
796 words
4.2
Chapter 4: Clause Warfare and the Art of Making Everything Worse — Part 2 of 2
796 words
5.1
Chapter 5: Helpful Relatives and Other Natural Disasters — Part 1 of 2
867 words
5.2
Chapter 5: Helpful Relatives and Other Natural Disasters — Part 2 of 2
867 words
6.1
Chapter 6: The Dinner Party from Every Hell — Part 1 of 2
816 words
6.2
Chapter 6: The Dinner Party from Every Hell — Part 2 of 2
816 words
7.1
Chapter 7: Truth Serum, Fairy Wine, and the Moment Everything Snapped — Part 1 of 2
858 words
7.2
Chapter 7: Truth Serum, Fairy Wine, and the Moment Everything Snapped — Part 2 of 2
858 words
8.1
Chapter 8: Bodies Don’t Lie and Neither Does the Bond — Part 1 of 2
811 words
8.2
Chapter 8: Bodies Don’t Lie and Neither Does the Bond — Part 2 of 2
811 words
9.1
Chapter 9: Friendly Fire Is Still Fire — Part 1 of 2
838 words
9.2
Chapter 9: Friendly Fire Is Still Fire — Part 2 of 2
838 words
10.1
Chapter 10: No Doors, No Distance, No Mercy — Part 1 of 3
775 words
10.2
Chapter 10: No Doors, No Distance, No Mercy — Part 2 of 3
775 words
10.3
Chapter 10: No Doors, No Distance, No Mercy — Part 3 of 3
775 words
11.1
Chapter 11: The Morning After the Almost and the Truth That Cut — Part 1 of 2
800 words
11.2
Chapter 11: The Morning After the Almost and the Truth That Cut — Part 2 of 2
800 words
12.1
Chapter 12: Public Mission, Private War, and the Moment I Started Bleeding Out — Part 1 of 2
960 words
12.2
Chapter 12: Public Mission, Private War, and the Moment I Started Bleeding Out — Part 2 of 2
960 words
13.1
Chapter 13: Three Doors, Three Hours, One Fraying Heart — Part 1 of 2
853 words
13.2
Chapter 13: Three Doors, Three Hours, One Fraying Heart — Part 2 of 2
853 words
14.1
Chapter 14: The Night the Bond Stopped Asking Permission — Part 1 of 2
811 words
14.2
Chapter 14: The Night the Bond Stopped Asking Permission — Part 2 of 2
811 words
15.1
Chapter 15: Aftermath Math and the First Real Wound — Part 1 of 2
756 words
15.2
Chapter 15: Aftermath Math and the First Real Wound — Part 2 of 2
756 words
16.1
Chapter 16: The Contract That Was Always a Knife — Part 1 of 3
670 words
16.2
Chapter 16: The Contract That Was Always a Knife — Part 2 of 3
670 words
16.3
Chapter 16: The Contract That Was Always a Knife — Part 3 of 3
670 words
17.1
Chapter 17: The Night the Sky Burned and We Lost the Plot — Part 1 of 2
701 words
17.2
Chapter 17: The Night the Sky Burned and We Lost the Plot — Part 2 of 2
701 words
18.1
Chapter 18: The Exit Clause and the Three Ways to Beg — Part 1 of 2
670 words
18.2
Chapter 18: The Exit Clause and the Three Ways to Beg — Part 2 of 2
670 words
19.1
Chapter 19: The Fight That Finally Drew Blood and the Silence After — Part 1 of 2
617 words
19.2
Chapter 19: The Fight That Finally Drew Blood and the Silence After — Part 2 of 2
617 words
20.1
Chapter 20: Three Public Declarations and the Edge of the Knife — Part 1 of 2
632 words
20.2
Chapter 20: Three Public Declarations and the Edge of the Knife — Part 2 of 2
632 words
21.1
Chapter 21: The Night Before the Verdict and the Way We Chose to Burn — Part 1 of 2
729 words
21.2
Chapter 21: The Night Before the Verdict and the Way We Chose to Burn — Part 2 of 2
729 words
22.1
Chapter 22: The Last Battle and the Habit We Couldn’t Kill — Part 1 of 2
639 words
22.2
Chapter 22: The Last Battle and the Habit We Couldn’t Kill — Part 2 of 2
639 words
23.1
Chapter 23: The Hour the Old Contract Died and the Choice That Cut — Part 1 of 2
712 words
23.2
Chapter 23: The Hour the Old Contract Died and the Choice That Cut — Part 2 of 2
712 words
24.1
Chapter 24: What Remains When the Light Fades — Part 1 of 2
754 words
24.2
Chapter 24: What Remains When the Light Fades — Part 2 of 2
754 words
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