Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
Corin woke to the unfamiliar sensation of calm.
His body felt heavy, weighted down by exhaustion, but his mind... his mind was different. The constant storm that had raged inside him for as long as he could remember had quieted to gentle waves lapping at distant shores.
He lay perfectly still, afraid any movement might shatter this fragile peace.
Only gradually did he become aware of his surroundings. The soft mattress beneath him.
He was in bed.
In a large one.
To his right lay Jamie, features softened in sleep, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
The sight made Corin smile.
Jamie was fine. He was safe.
Movement to his left drew Corin's attention. Azelon sat in a chair beside the bed, watching him with those intense eyes that seemed to see straight through Corin and to his heart.
"How do you feel?" Azelon asked in a soft tone of voice, so as not to wake Jamie, probably.
Corin took inventory of his body, his emotions, the space between thoughts where chaos usually lived.
"Empty," he finally replied. "No... not empty. Quiet. Like my thoughts aren't screaming at me anymore." He lifted a hand, studying his fingers as if they belonged to someone else. "What did you do to me?"
Azelon shifted closer, perching on the edge of the bed. "I created a link," he said. "A tether between us."
"Like the bond you have with Jamie?"
"It's not quite the same." Azelon's tail curled around his own leg as if he were a little nervous. "His was accidental. Yours was a choice."
Corin glanced at Jamie's sleeping form. "So we're both connected to you now?"
Azelon's fingers traced patterns on the bedsheet, not quite touching Corin. "All three of us are connected. To each other."
The implications of those words settled over Corin like a weighted blanket. He closed his eyes, focusing inward, searching for the connections Azelon described.
There—a steady warmth that felt distinctly like Jamie, solid and unwavering even in sleep. And there—a cooler current that carried Azelon's essence, controlled but no longer distant.
"I can feel you both," Corin whispered, opening his eyes in wonder. "How is this possible?"
"I don't know," Azelon admitted. "Such bonds usually take years to form, with intention, between Tideborn who choose each other." His gaze drifted to Jamie. "Not by accident… or this quickly."
Corin remembered the storm in the forest, the sensation of his power flowing into Azelon, Jamie completing the circuit between them.
Was this the fault of his chaos magic?
Had his magic simply reached out to take what he wanted with no regards for anything else?
"You could have died," he said. "Taking my chaos like that."
"I couldn't lose you." Azelon's voice roughened, and everything inside of Corin tightened. He'd only ever seen Azelon as strong. Never like this. Never vulnerable.
And he'd softened because of Corin?
It was almost too much to take in.
Azelon stood and held a hand out to Corin. "Come with me. There's something I need to do."
Corin hesitated, glancing at Jamie.
"He'll sleep a while longer," Azelon assured him.
Corin still didn't want to leave Jamie, but whatever Azelon had to show him seemed important. When he got out of bed, though, his legs trembled unexpectedly.
Azelon caught his elbow to steady him.
The contact sent a jolt through the new bond between them.
This was good. Touching.
It felt right.
Even more so when Azelon gave him another smile. "Later," he promised, and then he led him through the store's corridors until they arrived at the door to the Tideborn pool room, which opened at their approach without being touched.
Inside, the pool seemed to glow even brighter than before.
Azelon approached the water's edge wordlessly.
Corin followed, lowering himself to kneel beside Azelon. "What are we doing here?"
Instead of answering, Azelon removed his tunic, revealing the full extent of his markings—beautiful patterns that flowed across his chest and down his arms, pulsing with inner light.
"Among my people, there is a ritual," he began, his fingers trailing just above the water's surface. "When a Tideborn makes a life-decision that affects their lineage, they must inform the Council."
Understanding dawned on Corin. "You're contacting them? Now?"
Azelon nodded. "I've put this off too long."
"And you won't any longer?"
"I've made my choice." Azelon met his gaze steadily. "No matter what changes might come in Council policy, no matter what amends I might make. This severs my connection to the Tideborn forever."
Corin's heart slammed against his ribs. "And you're sure? About us? About this bond?"
Azelon's expression softened. "I knew this had to be done from the day I pulled you from the drowning dreamscape," he admitted. "I just couldn't accept it."
"Why not?"
"Because choosing you—and now Jamie—means betraying everything I was raised to believe.
" Azelon gazed into the water. "That bonds between Tideborn and outsiders corrupt our magic.
That our bloodlines must remain pure." He shook his head.
"Even after they exiled me, I held onto the hope that someday. .."
The unfinished sentence hung between them.
"You could have gone back," Corin said softly. "If you'd left me. Taken a Tideborn mate instead."
"Yes."
"But now you don't want that anymore."
Azelon turned to him. He touched Corin's cheek, a gesture so tender it made Corin's breath catch. "I have everything I want right here."
Corin's heart skipped several beats as Azelon's gaze lingered on him and he felt the truth in his words. The Tideborn was happy. Happy to be with Corin.
How did Corin get to be so lucky?
"I'm going to send my final message," Azelon said, facing the pool again. "I wanted you to witness it."
He placed both hands into the water, which immediately began to glow more intensely. His markings responded, light flowing down his arms and into the pool, creating patterns that shifted and reformed beneath the surface.
Azelon spoke an incantation in a foreign language, words flowing like water. Corin couldn't understand them, but their meaning was clear from the emotions flowing through their bond, grief, certainty, hope… determination
The water swirled faster, forming a vortex at the center of the pool. Light coalesced there, brightening until Corin had to shield his eyes.
When the brightness subsided, a face had formed in the water—blue-skinned like Azelon, but older, much older.
"Azelon," the watery figure said. "We did not expect to hear from you again."
"Elder Lysian," Azelon replied, his own voice formal. "I come to make a declaration."
The figure's expression remained impassive, but something like sadness flickered in its eyes. "You have found your path, then?"
"I have." Azelon's back straightened, pride evident in his posture. "I have taken non-Tideborn mates. The bond is formed and cannot be broken."
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the gentle lapping of water against the pool's edge.
"You understand what this means," the elder finally said. Not a question.
"I do." Azelon's gaze never wavered. "I renounce my claim to Tideborn lineage. I will not return."
The elder's gaze shifted, focusing on Corin for the first time. "Is this one of them?"
Corin felt a surge of protective fury from Azelon through their bond, though his expression remained neutral.
"He is," Azelon confirmed. "And his name is Corin."
The elder studied Corin for a long moment. "You would bind yourself to such instability?"
"His magic is balance to mine," Azelon replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. "As is our human mate's stability to us both."
"Human?" The elder's eyes widened slightly. "You've bonded with a human?"
"I have." A hint of defiance crept into Azelon's voice. "The same choice that earned my exile is now my freedom."
The elder's image wavered, as if the connection was weakening.
"Then it is done," they said, their voice tinged with what might have been regret. "Your name will be struck from the records. Your line ends with you."
"My line continues," Azelon countered. "Just not in the way you recognize."
The elder shook their head slowly. "Goodbye, Azelon. May you find peace in your choice."
The image dissolved, the water settling back into gentle ripples. Azelon withdrew his hands, droplets clinging to his skin like tears.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Corin watched emotions play across Azelon's face—regret, resolution, and finally, a peace he'd never seen there before.
"Are you okay?" Corin asked.
Azelon turned to him, features softening. "I've carried the weight of possible return for so long. It's... strange to set it down."
"Are you sad?"
"No." The certainty in that single word resonated through their bond. "But I grieve what might have been, had my people been different."
Corin hesitated, then reached for Azelon's hand. Their fingers intertwined, and the bond between them hummed to life. More brightly.
"Thank you," Corin said. "For choosing us. For choosing me."
Azelon squeezed his hand. "I should have done it months ago."
"True," Corin conceded. "But then you would not be the stubborn Tideborn I fell for."
The corners of Azelon's lips lifted. "Is that so?"
"If you can love my chaos, I can love how immovable you are." He gazed into the depth of Azelon's eyes. He did love this man.
How could he not?
He was the rock his magic crashed against without breaking.
"Can I..." Corin began, then faltered, suddenly unsure.
He wasn't going to be rejected again. Not after everything, but still…
That he should get to touch Azelon now felt unreal.
Azelon reached out to him as if he were a frightened kitten. "Yes," he said, answering the unspoken question.
Yes.
The word resounded with Corin.
He leaned forward, closing the distance between them. Unlike their desperate kiss in the hallway days ago, this one was gentle, exploratory. Azelon's lips were cool against his, but warming quickly.
The bond between them flared at the contact, emotions flowing back and forth until Corin couldn't tell where his ended and Azelon's began—wonder, relief, desire, hope.
All of it more intense than Corin had ever felt it.
All of it more wonderful.
When they finally parted, both were breathing harder.
"We should return to Jamie," Azelon said, voice rough once more. "He'll wake soon."
"What will we tell him?" Corin asked. "About the bond?"
"The truth." Azelon said with a smile.
Corin couldn't argue with that.
Together they made their way back through the store, which seemed to respond to their passing by opening the doors before they reached them.
As they approached the bedroom, Corin felt a stirring through the bond—Jamie, beginning to wake. The human's emotions were muted by sleep but growing stronger, curiosity and confusion mingling with something deeper.
They entered to find Jamie propped up on one elbow, hair tousled, eyes still heavy with sleep. He blinked at them, gaze moving from their faces to their joined hands.
"Did I miss something?"
Azelon guided Corin to the edge of the bed, their hands still linked.
"Everything," Azelon said, a rare smile softening his features. "And nothing yet."
Jamie's eyebrows rose. His gaze moved between them, assessing, understanding dawning in his eyes.
"About time," he murmured, lips curving into a smile that made Corin's heart stutter.
About time indeed.