My heart raced and the bond pulsed even harder. Those golden threads sparked between our joined hands. And then—they snapped.
Not painfully or violently. It was more like a river bursting its dam.
A bright, golden rush surged through both of us at once. Light exploded in a ring around our feet, spiraling upward in ribbons that intertwined—green for me, gold for him—twisting together into a helix of shared wonder.
My breath caught. “Savla—!” I gasped, unable to believe it.
And his voice broke as he said, “Zoga—”
The world roared with magick. It was warm, brilliant and utterly unstoppable. The bond clicked fully into place—a perfect fit. A completion. A recognition older than our lifetimes.
I felt him.
Not on the outside. I sensed that he was beside me, but that wasn’t it. It wasn’t our joined hands or the fact that he was touching me.
This feeling wasinsideme. He was present inside me in a way that transcended my understanding of what the bondshould be. I felt his fear, his gentleness, his heart and above all, his love.
It moved through me like sunlight through glass. He felt me back—I knew he did. His eyes widened, his breath stuttered, his bond wrapped around my magick like a protective embrace.
“Zoga,” he whispered, voice cracking. “It’s you. It’s always been you.”
The glow slowly faded, leaving only warmth and a faint shimmer around us. Then Zara and Tabitha erupted in gasps and tears.
And the clan—that I hadn’t realized had come running when they’d heard or seen the magick we were creating—broke into hollers and whoops.
Krusk shouted, “They’re bonded!Finally!”
Enka’s voice rang out, “Pay up! I had first bet!”
Ribbon launched himself at us in a toad-shaped cannonball, hitting Savla from behind and sending him stumbling into me—but neither of us fell. The bond steadied us both. Savla cupped my face with shaking hands, eyes shining like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Hanna,” he breathed again, softer this time. “My Hanna.”
I leaned into him, tears spilling with no shame.
“You,” I whispered. “Always you.”
He lifted my hands to his mouth and kissed them—one, then the other—soft, reverent kisses that splintered my heart in the sweetest way. Lights flickered around us, letting us know that my grandmother was still there, giving us her blessing.
And magick still hummed in the air around us. A low blessing chant started around us—my coven adding their special flare to it. The clan started dancing around Ribbon, who claimed the entire circle by sitting in the middle of it.
Tabitha wiped her eyes. “Your grandmother wanted to be here at your impromptu mating ceremony.”
Zara burst into happy tears, pressing her face against Rudgar’s chest. “Our little baby’s bonded. This is the happiest day of my life.”
The celebration ramped up instantly and we were forcibly escorted back to the main gathering room where everyone could fit. More food appeared, drums started and someone popped enchanted confetti that smelled like cinnamon.
But all I could see and all I could feel was Savla.His forehead resting against mine, his breath mingling with mine and the bond pulsing steady and sure between us.
“It’s real,” he murmured, voice trembling with emotion. “I didn’t believe it could be—but it’s real.”
“It’s ours,” I whispered.
He smiled—slow, warm, breathtaking. “A home. A future. A mate.”
A soft hum pulsed through my chest in answer. Then he whispered the words that lit me from the inside out.
“I choose you. In every life.”
