NOTHING HAS EVER FELT SO RIGHT
WREN
Abonding between a Blessed and an Inherited, as it turns out, is not a small affair. Skyler takes me to the cabin she shares with three others, which boasts of a large common area and smaller individual rooms for sleeping.
Talking enough for the two of us as we stand in the middle of the common room—her roommates are nowhere to be seen—Skyler helps me into a pale green, almost white lace dress that hugs my curves and falls to the ground.
She fusses with my hair, styling it into an intricate bun before lining my eyes and painting my lips.
When I look at myself in her small mirror, I can scarcely believe this is my reflection. I look . . . happy. My eyes are bright, rivaling my Mark’s shine, my cheeks are rosy, and when I smile, I feel it in the depths of my being.
The gown is low cut, the scooped neckline revealing swaths of skin, and the soft fabric feels equally rich and delicate. My necklace—the last physical reminder I have from my parents—hangs on my neck in a place of honor.
“Where did this come from?” The dress is far more elegant and refined than the other garments I’ve seen women wearing around camp.
Skyler walks around me, brushing a stray curl away from my face and tucking it back into my bun before our gazes meet in the mirror.
“It’s been in my family for a long time. My great-grandmother wore it when she sealed her bond with my great-grandfather.” Skyler’s voice is uncharacteristically soft, a small, wistful smile playing on her lips. “They were both Blessed.”
“Oh, Sky.” Frowning, I reach for the laces at my back. “This is a family heirloom. It must mean so much to you. I can’t—”
She puts her hand on mine, gently pulling my fingers away. “You can wear it, and you will. This moment is important, Wren. Not just for you and Gabriel, but for all of us.”
My hand falls to my side. “What do you mean?”
Skyler touches my arm, guiding me to the door, and she talks as she walks. “Bonds are rare.”
“I gathered as much.” Even now, I can remember the chaos that had erupted when the seer first proclaimed Gabriel and I are fated.
Gesturing for me to follow, Skyler kicks the door shut behind her, and we start down the worn trail connecting the cabin to the main hall.
“Even when magic was plentiful and there were scores of Blessed and Inherited who walked the land, bonds were considered sacred gifts from the gods. Signs of favor, of good things yet to come.”
The trees thin, and the faint hum of conversation reaches my ears. I can’t focus on what others are saying, though. There’s a tug in my stomach, drawing me forward, and I know Gabriel is already there, waiting for me.
Nerves flit around in my stomach, and I’m so focused on what the Hunter and I are about to do, I forget to tell Skyler about how much the gods hate me.
“It is an honor to have you wear my great-grandmother’s gown to seal your bond,” my friend concludes as we take the last turn and head up the path towards the main hall.
It’s a familiar trail, but the scenery has changed since this morning.
The usually empty area in front of the building is packed with bodies. I try to count all the people, but it’s an impossible task. It appears most of the community has turned out for this, save for those on duty.
The onlookers are standing in two groups, leaving a clear path between them.
My eyes drift down it to the end where a wooden platform has been erected.
The seer stands there, leaning on her cane and wearing the same lilac dress as the first day I met her.
The pale green streaks in her white hair seem starker in the suns’ waning light, or perhaps it only appears that way because her hair is unbound and flowing to her waist. Her violet Mark pulses brightly from its place of prominence on her neck.
I don’t look at Evelyn for long. My eyes swing to the right where Gabriel stands tall. Mist is beside him, a midnight statue peering into the crowd with silver eyes.
My heart, which has been doing its best to beat regularly since the shock of seeing my sisters earlier, thunders. My breath catches, and the thrumming deep inside me becomes more insistent.
Suns, the Hunter is a magnificent sight. Dressed head to toe in black with his sword at his side, he is equally regal and rugged, a powerful combination that has warmth pooling below my navel.
Everything within me urges me to keep moving and stand next to this man who is mine. Not only because of our fated bond, but because time and again, Gabriel has proven over the past few months that he is prepared to be my partner in every way.
And he loves me.
My stomach flutters, and I float down the path. When I’m halfway, Gabriel turns his head. His eyes meet mine, fields of green beckoning me forward, and everything else fades away. The crowd, the setting suns, and even my sisters in the front row next to Gabriel’s friends disappear.
There is just the two of us, like the first day in the woods when he opened his eyes and my world changed. I hold Gabriel’s gaze as my feet carry me the rest of the way to the platform, and he steps towards me.
“Birdie,” he murmurs, his voice low and warm and meant for my ears alone. Taking my hand, he draws me towards him. “You are a suns-damned vision in that dress.”
I bite my lip. “You like it?”
“It’s beautiful, but you could be wearing nothing but a sheet, and I’d still find you stunning.” His grip tightens around my fingers, and he leans in close. “I’ll enjoy peeling that dress off you tonight and showing you how much I love you.”
“Oh.” Heat rushes to my cheeks, and my mouth dries. “I would . . . enjoy that.”
He quirks a brow, amusement tugging on his lips. “Would you?”
“Yes.” I step towards him. “You look good, too. Really . . . nice. Handsome. You’re handsome.”
That’s a better word, although it still doesn’t do the Hunter justice. He looks like he was handmade by the gods, sculpted to perfection. I still can’t believe he loves me and wants to seal our bond, connecting himself to me for eternity.
Before I can speak again, which surely would’ve been an awkward experience, Evelyn clears her throat. Silence falls over the assembled crowd.
“People of the Wilting Roses,” she begins, her Mark pulsing in time with the working of her throat.
“I am honored to stand here with you today as we bring together two of the gods’ own.
A Blessed”—she places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes—“and an Inherited.” She repeats the action, touching Gabriel’s arm.
Evelyn continues, her voice filled with pride as she explains that many decades have passed since the last bond was sealed among their people. She speaks of the gods and how this is a sign they have not forgotten about the Kingdom of Myreth.
I’m not sure she’s right about that last part, but I keep the thought to myself.
“It’s time for the bonding to begin,” Evelyn announces.
Hushed murmurs sweep over the crowd, and then silence reigns once more. It’s heavier than before, weighted, as if everyone recognizes the significance of this moment.
The seer’s tone shifts as she continues speaking. Softer and lilting, it’s almost song-like.
It takes a heartbeat for me to realize she’s no longer speaking in the common tongue, and another for shock to settle in—I’ve heard this language once before, on the day of Amelia’s Giving Ceremony.
I should feel afraid, but I don’t. Even though I don’t understand the meaning of her words, there is something comforting about them. As if part of me recognizes and finds security in them.
The blessing—because that’s what it must be—doesn’t last long. Evelyn switches back to the common tongue and turns to Gabriel.
“The gods and the suns, in their brilliant glory, have seen fit to bestow upon you one of the greatest gifts known to our people. It is an honor and a privilege to be granted a fated bond, and an even greater one to accept the gift and seal it for all eternity.”
“I understand,” he murmurs.
“Do you, Gabriel Charles Aiden Moreau, confirm that you are here of your own free will?”
“I am,” he answers, his thumb sweeping down my hand, his touch grounding me even now.
“Good. And do you accept this bond?”
The air thickens, and the crowd behind us seems to hold their breath. The Hunter’s eyes, brimming with so much love that I can barely breathe, meet mine.
“Yes. I am choosing to be here, and there is nowhere else I’d rather be.” It’s like he’s speaking directly into my soul as he says, “I wholeheartedly accept this bond.”
The thrumming in my chest picks up speed as if someone were plucking at the cord of our connection. Stronger than ever, it refuses to be ignored. My forehead warms, and a blue sheen joins the seer’s violet glow.
I barely hear Evelyn as she repeats the question, directing it to me. Even so, my answer comes easily. “Yes. A thousand times, yes. I accept this man, and our bond. I am here of my own free will, prepared to seal myself to him.”
“Wonderful.” Smiling, Evelyn turns to Gabriel. “You know what to do.”
He must’ve spoken with her ahead of time because he inclines his head and releases my hand. His eyes never leave mine even as he produces a dagger from gods only know where.
“I love you, Wren,” he murmurs. “I always will, from now until the end of our days.”
He retakes my right hand, holding it open. Before I can react, Gabriel runs the blade across the tender flesh of my palm. I gasp, and there’s a sharp sting as the skin folds back. Crimson rises to the surface.
Gabriel moves quickly, repeating the action on his left palm. Blood trails down our hands, but no one else seems alarmed.
“May the gods bless you. From this moment until the end of time, may you always walk in the light of the suns, guided by their brilliance,” Evelyn proclaims, reverence in her voice.
Something urges me to move, to press my palm against Gabriel’s, and he must feel the same pull because he guides our bleeding hands together.
The moment they touch, a blinding white light flares, stealing my sight. The air itself seems to pulse, a living, breathing creature. A ripple of pure power steals the breath from my lungs, and if the gasps behind us are any indication, others feel it as well.
Gabriel’s fingers weave around mine, a grounding force.
A moment later, there’s a shift. I feel it in the air and deep in my soul.
The wind, which had been blowing through the trees, dies down. The birds pause their evening symphony.
A tingling sensation starts in my palm, spreading beneath my skin until it’s touching all of me. With every moment, I feel more aware of Gabriel than before. His hand on mine, his nearness, even the steady sound of his breaths.
And inside me . . .
I thought I’d felt the bond with Gabriel before. I thought that when my magic first came in on my birthday, I understood what it would be like to be bound to him. To need to be close to him.
I was wrong. That feeling was nothing but a ghost compared to what I feel now.
My bond with the Hunter is firm, as solid as the platform on which we’re standing or the clothes on our backs. It’s threading through me, weaving itself into the very structure of my being, connecting me to him.
It should be uncomfortable, but instead an intense feeling of rightness resonates through me. As if for the first time in my life I am truly whole.
This is the person I was always meant to be.
I feel like myself, but more. When I breathe, my lungs draw in more air. My pulse is steadier. My magic is a stronger presence within me.
It seems like an eternity passes as the bond settles, but when it does, the white light fades and my vision adjusts.
Gabriel is the first thing I see. He’s gazing at me with a mixture of awe, reverence, and love, as if he can’t believe this has truly happened. I don’t blame him. That day in the woods when he gave me his “gift,” I never would’ve imagined we’d end up in this place.
The Hunter turns our joined hands over, keeping our fingers laced, and exposes the soft centers of our palms.
The cuts are gone, replaced by glowing swirls that are imitations of my Mark. They sit in the center of our hands, bright blue markings inked into our palms.
I glance at Evelyn in question, and the corners of her eyes crinkle as she smiles.
“Now, you are twice Blessed.” She steps forward, touching my forehead. “Here, where everyone can see that the gods have chosen you.” She places her hand on the edge of my palm. “And here.”
“What is it?” Gabriel asks.
“These markings belong to both of you.” Evelyn taps my palm. “No one else save your bonded partner can see these. They are between you and the gods. But as long as the marking is there, you will know that your bonded remains on this side of the Veil.”
After having lived my entire life with the Mark on my forehead, I can easily say that this one sounds much better. Especially since it connects me with Gabriel.
My lips twitch as I contort my thumb, rubbing my newly inked hand. “I—”
A raven caws, and the sound pulls on something inside me. I lift my head on instinct, searching the sky for the source of the sound.
It’s not long before I see it. A black bird is flying directly towards me, its eyes shimmering silver—just like Mist’s.
Murmurs ripple through the crowd as the raven’s wings slow. Then the oddest thing happens. The raven lands on my shoulder, perching as if it belongs there.
Another call from the raven, and the sound sends an odd wave of warmth through my chest. There is the strangest feeling inside me, like my bond with Gabriel, but different. Not as solid or as tangible, but still present.
Evelyn’s eyes are wide as she stares at the raven, and she lifts a trembling hand, making a religious gesture across her chest.
“May the suns have mercy on my soul. I never thought I’d see the day. Thrice.” Her words resonate around us. “You have been thrice Blessed.”
It’s then, as I look at the Hunter and the familiar at his side, that I realize what’s happened. Somehow, in the course of a single day, I’ve had my sisters returned to me, sealed my bond with my mate, and gained a familiar.
Nothing has ever felt so right.