I kneel beside her and place the snowdrops carefully beside her head, close enough that she’ll see them when she wakes.
My hand shakes where it hovers over the white petals. There is a vow every Rhavari must speak when they find their mate. No two are ever the same. Each one is born from the soul’s recognition of its other half. And these words... are my confession that I belong only to her.
My voice is barely a whisper.
“Kael’vurin veskae.”(This is my vow.)
“Nysa’thalum ar skar.” (There is no lifetime in which I let you go.)
“Velorin ael’thra ves shavrei, ael’kai ves tharûn.”You are written in my scrolls, and etched into the place my soul was carved.
My hand trembles with the sudden urge to trace the line of her jaw, to feel the heat of the life I’ve sworn to protect.
“Kaemorin… ves’kai.” (Mine… and still becoming.)
“Veyr’kai ves shalûn.”( Chosen by the forest.)
“Saelûn… ael’virel tharûn veskae.” (Soulbond… You are the vow that cannot ever be undone.)
I press my forehead to the armrest, eyes closing tight against the urge to scent her.
“Etra’saev veskae veyr’kai. Kael’vurin ael’shae.” (My blood speaks your name. My body obeys your pull.)
“Veyr’sal. Virethel. Ael’solmira ves’thein ael’tara veskae.”The frost. The birch. And every snowdrop I’ll find you in.
The words hang in the air like a binding. A physical pressure that makes the firelight flicker, and the forest tremble. It’s a vow even the gods have no choice but to honor.
I move to the herb cabinets and gather a handful of soft, green moss—the kind that grows only on the oldest stones. I tuck it deep into the soles of her boots, cushioning the place where her heels will rest. “May the earth remember your name,” I murmur. “And may you always find your way back.”
With the moss against her skin, the forest will not fight her. The roots will move for her feet, and the shadows will pull back to let her pass.
I set the boots down softly, the moss already beginning to weave its quiet magic into the leather.
I move back to her side, my knees hitting the floorboards with a dull thud. This is the closest I have ever been to peace. I reach for the small white bundle I left next to her. “Skarae’n ves lûr, kaemorin,” I whisper, fingers lingering on the white petals.
She’ll probably think they’re just flowers. She doesn’t know I claimed her in the way of my people, that in my world, this is as binding as any wedding vow—but I meant every petal.
When I glance up at her, I notice a faint, dusky hue creeping onto her skin. Her lips are pale, and her pulse has slowed to a sluggish rhythm.
No.
Panic slams into me. She’s too cold. The fire isn’t enough. The furs aren’t enough. I crawl onto the cushions behind her, wrapping my arms around her small, shivering frame, and pulling her flush against my chest. She fits perfectly, her head tucking naturally into the hollow of my shoulder. I lean close and exhale theael’vurinover her; the cold mist curls from my lips, settling across her hair like dew. (Breathmark.)
“Veyr’khalûn kae veyr,” I whisper into her snow-kissed crown. I wrap myself around her, willing the cold away. Within minutes, her pulse is back to normal. The dusky color begins to fade, replaced by a faint pink flush as warmth returns.
I exhale slowly, relief flooding through me. I’m not taking my eyes off her. I will stay here, lying by her side, watching as she dreams, and considering myself the luckiest male on this planet to do so.
7
TWILIGHT
Lumi-
I'm running through the forest as twilight bleeds behind the trees in long streaks of violet.
He's chasing me.
I can't see him, but I feel him getting closer with every step I take. Branches snap somewhere behind me, sending a flash of fear rushing through my body. But beneath the panic... is heat. I glance over my shoulder, but I don't dare stop. My foot catches on a root?—
