Chapter Forty-Two

As early spring eases Winter’s pressure on his mantle, Harry arranges a meeting with Lara at the botanic gardens. He apologizes for unknowingly binding her through their earlier rite, acknowledging Mab manipulated them both. Lara confirms she is now on Harry’s “hook,” and that Mab—not Harry—outplayed her.

Discussing consequences, Lara reveals the trap’s severity: her Hunger, having tasted unprecedented peace from Harry, would lose control and kill if she fed on mortals, destroying her reason and power and leaving her useless—or enslaved—to Mab. Harry, unwilling to be controlled, proposes they combine resources to outmaneuver Mab.

Harry offers concrete exchange: he will claim a boon Mab owes him to free Thomas and resolve the svartalf entanglements. He explains Mab’s binding nature regarding debts can be turned to their advantage. Lara, both skeptical and intrigued, asks what Harry intends to do with power over her.

To ground trust, Harry proposes a soulgaze. In the vision, he sees Lara and her Hunger intertwined—seductive, lethal, and uncertain even to herself. He promises ethical treatment, meeting her needs without deceit, and expects reciprocity. The soulgaze ends with both shaken but clarified. Lara acknowledges Harry’s uniqueness and, if he can save Thomas, agrees to stand with him. They commit to seeking Lara’s freedom and, together, to defy Mab.