Home.
“Bound,” I say finally.“But not trapped.Does that make sense?”
“Perfect sense.”He kisses me again, softer this time.“Welcome to forever, guardian.”
“Guardian.”I test the word.“I like it.”
“It suits you.”
Around us, the brothers are gathering.Collecting weapons, checking injuries, beginning the long process of heading home.Rooster shifts back to human form, feathers dissolving into skin.Blade clasps Vex’s shoulder, a gesture of respect and brotherhood that needs no words.
Prophet approaches, still shaky but smiling.“That was...”He trails off, shaking his head.“I need to report this to heaven.They’re not going to believe it.”
“Tell them prophecies are more like guidelines,” I say.
“I’ll phrase it more diplomatically.”His expression sobers.“You know what you’ve become, don’t you?What you’ve tied yourselves to?”
“Guardians of the seal,” Vex says.
“More than that.”Prophet looks at both of us.“You’re the first of a new kind of warden.Not bound by death but by life.Not solitary but bonded.You’ve rewritten rules that have stood for a millennia.”
“Good,” I say.“The old rules sucked anyway.”
That gets a laugh from nearby brothers.
We start the long walk back to the bikes, Vex’s hand never leaving mine.Through the bond, I feel his contentment, his relief, his love burning steady and eternal.
We’re bound to this land now.Tied to the seal, to each other, to a purpose bigger than ourselves.
But as I look around at the brothers who fought beside us, at the frozen beauty of this territory we’ll spend our lives protecting, I realize something.
This place could never be a prison, it’s our home, one shaped by the moments, the memories, and the man who stands beside me.I wouldn’t trade it for anything, not even the promise of freedom, because what is freedom without someone to share it with?I have Vex, and for as long as my mortal life stretches, he will be my constant, my darkness and my light, my danger and my safety.Having him, choosing him, loving him... is more than enough.It’s everything.
Chapter Twenty
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