“Not possible,” he said, brushing a kiss to her temple. “There is no one else in this world better suited to me.”
She smiled, but there was still a nervous pinch of her brow. “Glad to hear you say it.”
Teddy chuckled. “You were testing me?”
“Well, simply suggesting we come here is very romantic,” Grace said. “But I wanted to make sure you’re actually ready to commit. No use subjecting myself to this process if you have reservations.”
In that moment, Grace’s grin wiped away every fear that clouded his mind. Her sense of humor kept him on his toes. It came with the territory of being the daughter of the Argarian spymaster and the Olney ambassador. Years ago, her parents Evan Farlan and Lady Sylvie Brett had helped Teddy’s father wrestle control of his kingdom out from under an usurper. Grace read people as well as her father and manipulated them with the same cleverness as her mother.
This had to work. The life stretched out before Teddy, as the husband to a stranger, doing every single thing that was expected of him, being perfect in a way that no one else had to be, would be miserable. An heir belonged to their kingdom. He would never get to be his own person, never get to choose his path forward, and every move he made would be scrutinized.
The people of Argaria didn’t care what could be proven. They only cared what seemed true and the rumors of his father’s parentage hadn’t dissipated no matter how long he was king or how much good he did for the kingdom. It was an easy blade for any lord Xander offended to wield whenever he did something that chipped away at their power.
That was all compounded with the rising popularity of the Sons of Endros. The only thing that had kept the Saveros secure in their rule was their alliances with Novum and Olney and the support of the common people. But if Teddy could give them a sweeping love story, perhaps they’d buy into it with the same vigor they’d brought to other romantic stories in their history.
The line surged forward again and Teddy’s stomach twisted with excited apprehension.
Grace squeezed his hand and leaned in close. “And if by some chance we aren’t matched, all will still be well.”
Earlier she was thinking of his reservations, but now he wondered if she had her own. It was a huge commitment to be connected to someone so intimately. If the priestesses offered them a heart bond, he would sense all of Grace’s emotions and she would sense his. Gods knew that would be a lot for anyone to take.
She squeezed his hand again. “Don’t look at me like that. I respect the gods, but I need you to know that I don’t need their approval and neither do you. We can never be certain of their motives. I just don’t want you to be blindsided if this doesn’t go according to your plan.”
Teddy studied her face for any hint of apprehension, but she only smiled and nodded determinedly toward the priestess waiting in front of them. It was their turn.
Just beyond the doorway where the priestess stood was the temple where the ceremony would be performed. He placed his hand on Grace’s lower back and guided her forward.
The priestess wore blush-pink robes, her tight curls twisted up on top of her head and wrapped in a crown of bright florals. She had luminous dark brown skin and full lips that were painted a dark berry color. Teddy had always heard that Goddess Desiree had themost beautiful priestesses, and this woman was even more striking than he’d imagined.
Grace elbowed him, clearly noticing his gawking.
“Welcome, lovers. I’m sure you’re eager to get started, but first I need to be sure you’re aware of the rules,” the priestess said in a low, sultry voice. “If you cut your hand here and spill your blood in the bowl, you’ll be bound to the results inside. This means if you aren’t a match, then you’ll be sent away without a bond. You can still be together, of course. Plenty of people are happy together long-term without their hearts bound, but if you are heart-fated, then you’ll receive a temporary bond that will last until the new moon in two weeks. If you still want the bond at that point, it will become permanent. If you don’t solidify it, the bond will fade by the end of the month.”
“How do we solidify it?” Grace asked.
The priestess gave her a smirk. “Every bond is as individual as its duo, but you will know when it happens and once it’s solidified, it’s permanent, and even we cannot break it.”
“Not even with severing?” Teddy asked.
Grace scowled at him for even asking, but the question was a reflex of morbid curiosity. Isla had once witnessed a severing and had told Teddy how the process was excruciating physically, emotionally, and mentally.
“Not even with severing. We don’t have a way of doing so with this type of bond as of now because it’s borne out of more free will than the guardian and witch soul bonds of old,” the priestess said.
“Are you sure you want to be tied to me, Grace?” Teddy asked. “That you want to be queen? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t.”
Her face softened. “Don’t doubt me now. Whether you feel like you were meant to be king or not, I think we both agree that I am made to be queen.”
He studied her. It wasn’t a direct answer, but she had a habit of deflecting when she was nervous.
Grace looked at him expectantly. She was waiting for him to go first.
Teddy held out his hand, and the priestess grasped it. She drew her ceremonial blade across his palm. It was so sharp he didn’t feel the cut. Blood bloomed in a bright line over his skin. The priestess followed suit with Grace and then pressed their two palms together, allowing the blood to drip into the bowl. The droplets spread like smoke in the water and then dissipated completely.
When the priestess was satisfied, she released his hand and gave him a piece of linen. Teddy blotted the blood and used his magic to heal his palm.
His stomach grumbled loudly as he finished. Channeling healing burned through his energy quickly. If he was wise, he would have had more to eat earlier, but he’d been too nervous for the ceremony.
Healing was one of the first elemental magics he had learned to summon, right after his primary affinity of storms. For a young prince in a conflicted kingdom, there were few skills more practical than the ability to heal. The power to channel magic from the natural world passed through bloodlines, as did elemental affinities. Plenty of people in Olney and Argaria were born with no magic, even if they had witch ancestors. Teddy had been relieved when he took to summoning storms with the same ease his father had. It took longer to learn the other elements, and he would never wield them with the same efficiency, but that was true for every other witch in the two kingdoms.
