“No. That’s Wolfe’s soul mark. His dragons told us he made you his Velastra.”
My brows raised. “Dragons? And soul…mark?”
“Yes. The mark of a soul bond. He gave you his mark.”
Even in the mortal lands, the meaning of a soul bond was understood. They were sacred. Irrevocable.Forever.
“Blessed Mother.” My gaze fixed on the sigil, and I couldn’t look away. My breath thinned in my lungs. He must have truly …loved me. Loved me enough to bind himself to me. How cruel the curse was, to rob me of such a memory.
“I must go now. If you decide to help, show your grandmother this.” Arielle reached into her cloak and withdrew a small red wax seal with the same dragon wings from the sigil embossed in the center. “Prince Alaric, Wolfe’s brother, has requested your assistance. It’s not a summons, so you don’t have to help us. We’ll understand. But you may be our only chance. Call for me with the mage greeting if you agree to go, and we’ll come and get you.”
The seal gleamed in her palm, red and impossibly real. I stared at it, my pulse thudding unevenly in my throat.
“Arielle… this is a lot to process.” I pressed my hand to my forehead, trying to steady the rush of thoughts colliding in my mind.
“I know.” Her mouth curved into something sad. “So, read and think about it. And remember you have a choice.”
I took the seal, and before I could take my next breath, she faded before my eyes, disappearing as if she were never there.
I stared at the journal and breathed deeply.
I’d wanted the truth.
Now I was holding it in my hands.
Chapter 6
Elariya
“Tethers in the Dark”
Ibarely remembered walking back to the house.
The trees thinned, the earth softened, and suddenly, the stone path leading to the back door emerged beneath my feet.
Quietly, I crept inside. I didn’t want anyone—especially Thayden—catching me with the journal and the seal.
I slipped through the corridor, keeping to the shadows.
Laughter and hearty chatter drifted faintly from the sitting room, Thayden’s voice among it.
Good.They were occupied.
I didn’t slow. I headed upstairs like I was running from something that might reach out and grab me if I hesitated.
When I reached my chambers, I slipped inside, closed the door, and leaned against it. Then I stared out the window at the silent forest.
The branches swayed in the wind, dark and watchful but calm. As if the forest itself was assuring me my secrets were safe.
I wondered where Arielle had gone. I’d never seen anyone vanish before my eyes. At least not in this reset.
Only the Gods knew what I must have seen in the magical realm.
I still couldn’t believe I’d been there.
And…Wolfe Nightblade.
His name pulsed in my thoughts like a heartbeat.
