Chapter 31 #2
“Vampires aren’t the only supernatural that can be made,” Kai said, sending calming waves down the bond to keep me from hyperventilating. “No one really knows how it happens for sirens.”
“Sirens?” I gasped and then looked at Rani again. Were those faint scales I saw on her knuckles or just a trick of the morning light? Maybe it was wishful thinking. I wanted an explanation, right?
“There’s no other way she could survive drowning,” Ezra added and pointed at the rope. “She was obviously bound. She couldn’t have survived as a human. It also explains why I felt her. How I knew.”
None of this made any fucking sense. My best friend couldn’t be a siren. All the evidence in the world couldn’t…It didn’t…
Easy. Kai wrapped his arms around me and squeezed. Breathe for me, princess. Come on, in through your nose.
I forced air into my lungs and then back out.
Kai’s arms gave me something solid to focus on, and I clutched at him for all I was worth.
It was all too much. The past twenty-four hours drained me of any strength I had left to deal with the dreadful surprises life tossed at my face.
Yes, my best friend was alive, but she was utterly changed.
How would she feel when she woke? Would it even stick, or could she turn back human if she stayed out of the water for a while?
I wasn’t sure how any of this worked or how to even begin to navigate what it meant for the future. Rani was going to wake afraid and alone, and I would be no help to her.
She won’t be alone, Kai told me. Look.
I unclenched my eyes and peered over. There was pink in her cheeks now as her body warmed. Her hand clutched a fistful of Ezra’s hair, and her head was tucked in against his shoulder as he held her like she was something precious. They fit together—perfect puzzle pieces.
He won’t let anything happen to her; the same way I’d never let anything happen to you.
I shook my head. We’re bonded. It’s different.
Is it?
I shook my head again like that would knock my thoughts in order and make it all make sense.
All the clues were there, and I focused on trying to put them together.
The way Ezra looked at her as if she was his entire world.
The way he went feral at trying to find her and was ready to destroy everything in his path when he couldn’t.
How he felt her and knew she was alive before I saw her on my map.
Holy gods…even before all that. His attraction to her and slight obsession.
How she claimed she couldn’t stand him, but her gaze always followed him when he was around. They…I think they were…
Bonds. Kai smiled, his relief mirroring my own.
I remember him telling me he worried that Ezra would never have one, because he was half-human. Turns out, nature had a way all along.
She’s going to eat him alive, I giggled, and Kai laughed with me.
I tried to envision a future with the four of us here, where our worlds first collided.
In my mind, the fantasy unfolded. Years rolled out before me in a blur of college classes and movie nights.
Arguments in the living room over what to watch next, while Kai cooked something delicious in the kitchen.
Rani and I giggling about overprotective bonds and the best ways to drive them crazy.
Holy shit, was she going to give Ezra absolute hell, but I couldn’t wait to watch them fall in love.
Excitement grew at the thought of her and I graduating, with our bonds standing proud in the audience.
The unwavering support when the time came to meet our respective families, and the absolute joy on my parents' faces when they met the girl I loved like a sister.
Rani and I in beautiful dresses as we married our bonds in the human way, as we built our lives and fought each and every day for the happiness we deserved.
It was the life I’d always dreamed about, the one I prayed for late at night when only my deepest wishes kept me sane.
There was a lot still to do before these dreams could become reality, and I wasn’t foolish enough to think our battle with the djinn was over.
Far from it. Treacherous roads dotted our journey, but we’d be ready for them.
I had plans—ones that needed to be modified to fit the man at my side, and a best friend who needed my support this time. Updating my parents would be a delight, but I knew they would be happy for me and respect my decision.
Maybe I could even convince them to rejoin society. Being fully bonded meant my immunity and protection extended to them now, as far as the tribunal was concerned. The djinn were another concern entirely but they wouldn’t be attacking anytime soon. And when they did, we would be ready.
Despite it all, the future was bright. Ezra cradled Rani closer, and I swore I could see the love pouring out of him. Bonds. It was the most powerful magick there was. Nothing could stand in its way.
It’s really going to be okay, isn’t it?
Kai left a tender kiss on my forehead, his love streaming down to me bright like the sun finally cresting the clouds.
As long as you keep looking at me like that, princess, everything will be all right.
To find out what the djinn have planned and to get updates on our favorite couple, keep an eye out for book 2! The love story will center around Rani and Ezra in
SIREN BOUND