“I will,” I whispered, then louder. “I will!”
The dome shattered and brilliant, glorious power rushed from the center of the spire, blasting up to touch the high ceiling before spiking down to hit me square in the chest.
I shuddered but held my footing as I swallowed it down. It joined what I held in my well, churning and sparkling, and oh, how amazing it felt to reach down and delicately touch the surface now.
Lydel’s core of power had found me worthy.
“Thank you,” I said. “I love you, Mama. I understand, and I forgive you.” As I felt the touch of her hand on my brow, I sobbed, letting the tears fall. They washed away the pain of my childhood and left me weak and born anew.
A blink, and I stood on the rocky outcropping where I’d started, facing the turbulent sea. I spun and limped up the shore, taking the path through the woods that would return me to Lydel.
I was nearly there when my mind cracked open and . . .
Only one person could make me feel this endless, glorious, wonderful emotion.
I came to a shuddering halt and allowed him to completely fill me.
Fury,Vexxion rasped in my mind, his words tendrils caressing my very soul.
My eyes burned fiercely. A smile wavered on my face before growing to a blazing grin.
He was back. My Vexxion was back.
Vexxion,I croaked, staggering. I fell to my knees on the sand and held my face. With my tears, I released all the anguish that had stormed inside me for what felt like three lifetimes.
Fury. My fury,he purred.Where are you, my exquisite love?
48
VEXXION
The moment I’d emerged from the opening to the vast mountain cavern, I remembered.
Loving my fury in a way I could barely describe. Shielding her with my body and my soul.
She waseverythingto me, a constellation of joy and enchantment. Being with her lit up my darkest moments. When I couldn’t touch her or hear her low laughter, I wallowed in despair. Being with her muted all my doubts and fears of my uncertain future. Every thought of her anchored me to a sea of serenity. She was the melody that sent my heart dancing. Loving her made every moment brighter, more meaningful, more imperfectly perfect. This feeling wasn't just love; it was destiny wrapped in a warmth and grace that only my fury could provide.
I would’ve gone to her immediately, but a swell of people—mypeople—stood outside in the dim afternoon light.
“Weldsbane, Weldsbane,” they chanted, their fists surging overhead, and their faces lit up with joy. “High Lord of Weldsbane!”
Somehow, they knew what I’d done, and they’d come here to welcome me to the heritage I should’ve claimed only after my mother died of old age. She was stolen too soon, as was my childhood and the life I would’ve known here.
I’d wrenched the core of my court’s power away from the true beast who’d tried to steal it, and I would use it to lay waste to his goals.
I walked among my people, hugging those I vaguely remembered from when I was a child.
After my mother was gone and when I’d finally broken through the king’s grasp long enough to flit to Weldsbane manor, I’d found it and the surrounding countryside empty, as if the spell cast on Lydel had drifted this way and swept up my people along with it.
Now, we gripped forearms and shared promises for a better future. Their joy and happiness were infectious, but I was much too eager to get away.
Finally, they left to return to their homes, leaving me standing in twilight alone.
My mate waited.
Fury.My voice was a stark, empty crater only this one woman could fill.
Where are you, my exquisite love?I purred in her mind.Only seeing you will make me fully come alive. Touching you will make my heart shatter. And hearing you whisper my name will complete me.
