He curled over as a sob escaped his lips. His hands caressed Bryn’s nearly lifeless body as though trying to shape unwieldy clay into a vase.
“Bryn. You are the stars in the sky, the water in the ocean. You are the light in my dark days, the fire in my cold nights. You are my everything. In the old Baer tongue,fra na magmeans “my dearest of all,” and that is truly what you are to me. There is no life without you. Your love has made me stronger and braver than I ever thought possible. You are my soul’s other half. And I will go on loving you for every moment of every day that I live on this earth.”
He lowered his trembling lips to hers in a tender kiss. Bryn’s ghost-like lips tingled as though she could feel his touch, and she breathed in a shaky inhalation.
You are my everything, too, Rangar Barendur.And I refuse to be apart from you any longer.
“Come back to me, Bryn,” Rangar whispered.
Bryn gathered every ounce of her determination. She had no hexes in this ethereal form. She knew no spells for returning to one’s body. And yet, a piece of her felt connected to a deep well of magic that was older than spells, that predated hexes. The magic of the sea and stars. The magic of two fated mates fighting to unite against all odds.
Stilling her thoughts, she surrendered herself to the deep thrum of magic singing in the air. She poured every bit of her strength into the faint tingle of Rangar’s kiss on her lips. She visualized being back in her body, having his lips touch hers. Feeling his love for her pour from his heart into hers, giving her back her life.
And slowly, her spirit began to tingle a little more. She felt her extremities growing warmer. Rangar brushed his thumb over her body’s cheek, and she felt it even in her spirit form.
Yes, she thought.I can feel you, Rangar!
He continued to gently kiss her, and Bryn clung to that spark like a rope and pulled herself back into her body inch by inch. Warmth blossomed throughout her. She felt the thump of a heartbeat in her chest. Her lungs filled and emptied.
Then, she sank back into her body like slipping into a cool bath.
She sucked in a sudden breath.
Her eyes snapped open.
Rangar drew back in shock, his thumb still touching her cheek. His wide eyes searched hers as though he didn’t dare believe he wasn’t dreaming. “Bryn?” he whispered as though speaking to a ghost. “Bryn, are you . . .”
“It’s me, Rangar.” Breathless, she sat up, grabbing him around the shoulders and kneading her fingers into his muscles, needing to feel that he was real, too. “I’m back!”
His head shook slightly in disbelief. “How is that possible?”
“I heard you,” she whispered, touching her forehead to his. “I felt your kiss. It reached through the trance and gave me a way to pull myself out.”
He gripped her shoulders, holding her a few inches away so he could look over her face and body as though needing to verify it. He touched her forehead, her cheeks, her chin.
“You’re back?”
A smile broke across her face. “I’m back.”
“Dear gods.” He wrapped her in a fierce embrace, burying his face in her hair. “You’ve brought her back to me. I thank you with every word I’ve ever spoken.”
He finally released her. “But it wasn’t the gods, was it?Youdid this, Bryn. You are a warrior at heart, connected to magic in ways I’ve never seen, a true queen of the Baersladen.”
He kissed her as though they had been apart for years. He kissed her like the first crocus bloom after a long winter. He kissed her like she was the crackling warmth of a fire during a blustering storm. The kiss was a song, each touch, each movement, a beautiful melody played out in perfect harmony.
When they finally parted, both breathless and smiling, Bryn could feel their hearts beating as one.
“I made a vow to you, Rangar,” she said softly. “That we would be together forever. I meant that promise. And though I had to break all the rules of magic, I kept it.”
“You didn’t break the rules of magic,” Rangar replied, gazing at her with reverence. “You discovered a new way. A new path. You made your own rules, and magic rallied around you.”
They kissed again in a tangle of limbs. Now that Bryn was back in her body, she wanted nothing more than to experience every sensation she could. She wanted to touch Rangar everywhere, to feel him touch her. She wanted to breathe in his woodsmoke scent. Wanted to hear the blood rush in his veins. Wanted to taste his kisses, salty from his dried tears.
Once they had quenched their desire and lay on the bed, hands intertwined, Bryn’s head resting on Rangar’s chest.
“We did it,” Rangar said finally.
“You mean ratifying the decree?”
