Twenty-six #3
As this profound sense of newness rose, Ariadnne gasped, and against her Nieve made a small sound as a sensation akin to the stretch of an invisible rope snapped into place, tethering them.
Through this raw, unfettered link a flood of emotions surged.
Nieve’s emotions, barrelling into Ariadnne with the strength of a bursting dam.
Ariadnne couldn’t breathe as she was flooded with wild hope, joy, fear and pain, all eddying together and threatening to pull her into their current.
In her arms, Nieve shuddered, breathing heavily against Ariadnne’s neck.
Moments stretched as they held each other, until eventually the wild flood slowly calmed to a stream, and then a trickle.
The taut feeling eased, but the bond was still there, feeding Ariadnne Nieve’s most intimate feelings, as Nieve now felt hers.
Confused and afraid, Ariadnne clung to Nieve.
Fear of what this new sensation meant coursed through her, but also the fear of returning to her rooms. Of leaving Nieve when she’d never realised how much she needed her, and only her.
Nieve held her tight—her mouth finding hers and kissing her over and over, as if she was afraid to let go.
‘I…I…what was that? What is this.’ Ariadnne grasped her chest, scrambling for words as she tried to make sense of the thread that now bound them.
‘Ariadnne…’ Nieve breathed, pulling back.
Her face was painfully open, a tentative smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
‘I’d guessed… but I wasn’t sure if it would quicken, not when our time was so limited.
’ She swallowed, and Ariadnne felt the hint of nerves brush against her chest. Nieve’s nerves—she could feel them flutter like trapped butterflies in a jar.
Nieve continued regardless, her voice cracking.
‘I’ve been drawn to you. Each time you walk past me, my heart stutters.
If you’re hurt, I want to protect you. Even the faintest hint of your scent on the wind wakes my body and mind, bringing everything into focus.
’ Her eyes shone with the intensity of the sea in a storm, her voice gaining strength and surety.
‘Ariadnne… I have lived and breathed you since the moment you walked into my life.’ Her breath quickened.
‘I guessed what this meant … what it had to mean…well, I thought I had, but now…’
Nieve looked lost, her pink lips parting as she tried to form her next words.
She had never looked more vulnerable, or more beautiful, as she did then; her cerulean eyes shimmering in the dim light.
She placed her palm on the centre of Ariadnne’s chest where the invisible rope felt tightest, and her other hand on her own.
‘There is only one thing this can be.’ Her voice was barely a whisper but carried so much hope. ‘It’s you, Ariadnne. It was always meant to be you. For me. Fate won’t have it any other way. I won’t have it any other way, if you’ll have me. You are the other half of my soul. My mate.’
Mate.
Ariadnne pulled back slightly, a confused frown creasing her brow.
Nieve. Her fated mate.
She could see Nieve’s expression waver at her reaction, feel her uncertainty and fear of rejection. Gods, she could feel it all.
‘But… bonded pairs aren’t real. It’s a story we tell children…’ She fought a rush of rising emotion, trying to retain her balance while the world tipped on its axis.
‘Oh no…they’re real.’ Nieve’s smile was tentative.
‘My parents were mated. I never thought I’d find my own, I mean, what are the chances…
but then I saw you.’ She searched Ariadnne’s face for acceptance.
The rawness of her gaze touched Ariadnne, and through the bond she felt Nieve’s fear that Ariadnne would reject this link between them.
Which was stupidity itself. How could Ariadnne reject something that felt so right. Of course she would have her. There had never been any other path for her, either. Nieve was wrapped around her heart, and she couldn’t pry her from it even if she wished, difficult as that may be.
She responded in the only way she knew how to and kissed her.
Nieve held on tightly, relief making her body tremble. A fresh pulse of desire caught Ariadnne off-guard as she traced her hands up Nieve’s back, under her leathers.
Mate…she would deal with that thought later.
‘Why are you still wearing clothes?’ she murmured, letting her base instincts take over and avoiding the harder words that were just out of reach.
Nieve groaned, ‘Because we don’t have much time. We never have much time.’
Ariadnne rested her forehead against Nieve’s shoulder. ‘What are we going to do?’ she asked quietly, fighting the urge to undress her, time be damned. ‘This is going to be impossible—now I know I’m meant to have you, how am I supposed to pretend that I don’t?’
Nieve exhaled slowly. ‘We will work it out, I promise, Ariadnne.’
Ariadnne looked at Nieve’s face, despair threatening to creep up on her.
‘What do we do about Leth, and his plans for me. I…I can’t. I can’t do that.’
Nieve’s nostrils flared. ‘I meant when I said I won’t let that happen,’ she said with such surety that Ariadnne shivered.
How far would Nieve go, for her? Would she risk her place in the Guild that had given her so much? Would she flee with her if it came down to it?
If only she could find a way out of the curse.
Ariadnne looked into Nieve’s earnest face, and she found herself believing her. That maybe, anything was possible.