“From when you bound my magic?”
“No, it formed after that, when I visited some years later,” his voice echoed in my mind. I gasped at the soft rumble of his murmur but kept my eyes glued to the blanket. “I believe you were in your twenties at that time. You had just finished yourschooling. I would…visit you periodically. To make sure you were okay.”
I blinked at Samian’s confession, his words echoing in my mind. He came to find me, to check in on me. My heart fluttered in my chest, feeling light. “Why have you never talked to me like this before?” I asked, my voice trembling.
Samian hesitated. “I didn’t want to scare you. I wasn’t sure it was something that you wanted, and I didn’t want to push it on you.”
“Does this bond allow you to do what you can with the others?” My heart was beating so loudly in my chest now, I was sure Samian could hear every thump.
“No. No, it doesn’t. It just allows us to communicate this way. Would you like us to form that type of bond as well? It would give me access to your memories, your emotions, even your pain. Is that something you would be okay with?”
I took a moment to think about it, to consider if I really was okay with him being able to see my memories, to feel my emotions, but Aster’s face flashed through my mind again. I hated the jealousy that I felt toward her, but I couldn’t help wanting that closeness too.
“It is,” I said, this time out loud. My heart continued hammering away, but I refused to let my nerves win. “I want to form that type of bond with you.”
Chapter 3
Samian
Icouldn’t fight the smile tugging at my lips. I couldn’t even fight the heat that settled low in my gut. I was so afraid that I had lost her to Ambrose, that I had lost her because of the secrets I was forced to keep. Seeing her smile at him, laugh with him, I couldn’t stand it. When she looked at me with such wariness and mistrust after her bargain was formed, I thought my heart was going to shatter. And Kieran—fucking Kieran. I wanted to rip him into shreds for looking at her the way he did tonight, the fire that danced in his gaze as he watched her.
I pushed aside those thoughts before my frustration came bubbling up and studied Sybil carefully. Studied the way her eyes shone with nervous anticipation, the way her cheeks turned pink and flushed, the uneven breaths she took. She was beautiful. Simply beautiful.
I cleared my throat and looked out the window again, my smile playfully sharpening. “We can form the bond, but it's sealed with a kiss.”
I glanced back at her, watching her blink once, then twice. I watched how her throat bobbed with nervous anticipation, but then her face fell, and my heart clenched. “Would Aster really be okay with that?”
I cocked my head to the side, confusion filling my mind. This was the second time she had brought up Aster. “Why do you ask?”
“Because you and she are together?” Sybil’s voice was soft, and her hands twisted in her lap. She looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. She was nervous, I realized. Nervous and afraid of my answer.
“Why would she—” I paused, the memory of Sybil's first meeting with Aster, and our following conversation while going to the library coming to mind.
You and Aster, huh?
She took my breath away and stole my heart that day, and I have never been able to forget her since.
The memory came crashing in, and I could have cursed my past self for believing it was the only way to protect her. “Aster and I— We have a complicated relationship. We became close friends during our school days. She didn’t talk much, even then, but we studied together, and our friendship grew. She was with Ambrose for a time, and that nearly broke her.” I paused, my voice becoming solemn. “I helped her heal the pieces of herself that were torn apart by him, but never romantically. Though I did come to love her, we were like puzzle pieces that didn’t quite fit. That love I felt for her became something you would feel for a sister. She became part of my family. But we have never had a romantic relationship together.”
I hesitated then, not sure if I could tell her the rest, though I wanted to. Tonight was interesting, to say the least. Especially when Bryony came into the room. Aster’s mating bond snapped into place as soon as her eyes met with Bryony. Bryony had schooled her face, hiding the effect she felt from it, but Aster never thought it possible for her to meet her mate, and the fact that it was with Bryony…
Bryony was still mourning the death of her fiancé, Arbus, who died at Sybil’s hand just two days before. I had explained it to Aster through our bond, saying that it was something she would need to treat delicately, to take it slow when she was ready to approach Bryony.
Sybil released a weighted sigh, the tension in her body fading away as she relaxed against her headboard. “So, Aster isn’t someone that I need to worry about?”
I smiled at the timidness in her words, amusement warming my blood. “What would Aster need to worry about?”
“About you and me.” Her face flushed into a deep red, and I bit back my laugh.
“There’s a you and me?” I asked, moving my arms on either side of her so I could lean in closer, our faces inches apart.
She made a little noise, her eyes begging me not to force an answer out of her. I let out a soft laugh, unable to hold it in any longer. “Would you like to form the bond now or later?” I drawled, my voice barely a whisper. I inhaled slowly, steadying myself, willing my heart to calm.
Sybil swallowed and let out a shaky breath. “Now. I want to form the bond now,” she murmured, her eyes dipping to my lips.
My blood sang at her answer, though I forced myself to keep my cool. I tilted my head, closing the distance between us. Sybil held her breath as I softly pressed my lips to the skin above her ear and breathed her in. She smelled faintly of bergamot and lavender, with a hint of sage. Her scent alone could make me feral, but I forced that urge down, fighting to hold on to my vexing control.
I slowly left a trail of kisses along her jaw. I could feel Sybil’s breathing becoming erratic, could feel the way her body trembled slightly from my touch.
