Chapter 36 #2
Genevieve stood at the top, dressed in robes with shimmering golden patterns as dusk deepened.
Her white hair cascaded in thick waves to her waist, and she grasped a staff resembling a mage’s rod, crowned with a large, crystalline amber stone.
The village fell silent, everyone’s attention fixed on her.
I craned my neck to Gregory. “What’s happening?”
His hand rested on my lower back as he bent close. “The ceremony is starting.”
Genevieve raised her staff. “Children of Mossfen! The Mother Goddess’s Blessing has touched our village once more!
She does not forget us. Tonight, she grants her Blessing to those who have found their mates.
” Her eyes swept over the gathering. “And to those she has chosen as destined partners to walk this life side by side. For everyone still searching, take this as a sign of hope. The goddess’s Blessing is genuine and complete!
” She lifted her staff a fraction. “Let all newly paired couples step forward!”
The people in the square stepped back, creating an open space in front of the stone stage. Couples moved into the opening. Two women walked forward, followed by an older man and woman. Then two men joined the group—a diverse mix of pairings from all through the village.
“That’s us.” Gregory gently urged me forward, and I walked beside him, moving out of the crowd to join the other couples. We stopped directly beneath the stage.
Genevieve raised her staff again. “In these challenging times, when shadows test our borders, it is more important than ever to hold onto our faith! To celebrate the bonds that make us strong!”
She tilted her head to the sky, where the last orange rays met the deep purple of night.
“We choose this hour, the twilight, for this Blessing. It is the moment when the twin sisters, sun and moon, find harmony in the sky. As such, a bond must also find balance. Everything contains both brightness and darkness. Every bond will face challenges, but it will also bring boundless joy.”
Raising her staff high, Genevieve began to speak in the same language Lyra used when she healed me, with words that flowed smoothly.
As she spoke, thin streams of gold—like liquid energy—harvested from the fading day poured into the crystal.
Genevieve tapped her staff once on the floor, releasing a silent burst of golden particles that drifted down onto the couples below.
I held my palm up, letting the cascade wash over it.
The particles touched my skin and dissolved, seeping into me.
Peace settled in my bones, expanding in my chest as a sense of completeness made my eyes sting.
My vision blurred with unshed tears, and I turned to Gregory.
He wasn’t paying attention to the golden shower.
His stare remained locked on me, filled with raw longing in his blue eyes.
My breath caught in my throat, a stuttering hitch. That look, it wasn’t for the crowd. It wasn’t for the Blessing. It was only for me. And in that second, I didn’t care who was watching.
I rose onto my toes, gripped his shoulders, and sealed my mouth to his.
He responded immediately, wrapping one arm around my waist, lifting me off the ground, and locking me against him.
He bent me backward, using his strength to support my weight as he deepened the kiss, sealing the moment between us in front of everyone.
Gregory eased me back up until my boots touched the cobblestones, and the cheers from the village burst into a roaring wave.
A smug grin spread across his face, that infuriating, handsome beast, and somewhere in the noise, Lyra’s shriek of delight cut through, making me smile.
This was my life now, and it was anything but empty.
“What now?” I asked, but the celebration nearly swallowed my words.
Gregory’s grin widened. “Dance?”
The question was so unexpected that it almost short-circuited my brain. “What?”
“Dance,” he repeated as a lively tune sprang to life, a wild melody of pipes and a driving drumbeat that vibrated up from the cobblestones themselves.
Before I could even process the jump in tempo, Lyra was there, a haze of pale sunshine yellow. She grabbed my free wrist and Gregory’s arm. “This is the fun part!”
She yanked us into the open space without waiting for an answer. The other couples were already moving, and the crowd joined in. They jumped to the beat, their boots thudding on the stone in a lively rhythm.
Lyra whirled us into a circle. I stumbled, unable to keep up, yet I laughed anyway, breathless and genuine—a sound I hardly recognized. I glanced at Gregory. He followed the throng, moving his massive frame with surprising ease. But best of all, he was smiling.
He radiated a pure joy that erased the lines of pain and regret I’d come to know, stealing the breath from my lungs. The constant noise in my mind stopped. The memories from the crystal, the fear of Mordaine, and the lingering ghosts of my old life ceased their screaming.
The gnawing emptiness I’d carried for more than two decades, the void that had defined me since Mom lay on that kitchen floor, sealed itself shut. I had found my place. And this man, this beautiful, smiling man, was the one who filled it.