"Yes."
Holy shit, we weremates.
I kissed him.
My fingers buried in his curls, shock coursing through every fucking inch of my body and rapidly morphing to excitement.
He wasmine.
For real, this time. Forever.
He pulled away too soon, murmuring against my lips, "We've got an audience, Livvy."
"I don't remember that stopping you at any of the events we went to together," Callum drawled. "How many times have we all heard you fucking in a bathroom or closet?"
"I've only heard it once," Merrily put in.
"That's because you hardly leave your house. I'm at least at six," Dare said.
"It's around that for me too." Callum's voice was flat, but when I glanced over at him, he didn't look irritated.
He actually looked kind ofhappy.
Niall met my gaze. "We should kick them out."
"Not yet." I looked over at Merrily. "I need you to perform the mating ceremony."
Her eyebrows lifted. "Here? Now?"
"You're not even wearing pants," Callum pointed out.
"Yes, here and now. I'm not going any longer without the full mate bond, pants or not."
"She has a clothing aversion anyway," Niall put in. "The opposite kind from yours, Mer."
I swatted him on the arm, earning a playful wink, and Merrily smiled.
"We're still doing that party at some point," he warned me, when I met his gaze again.
"Deal." I waved Merrily over, and she crossed the room.
Any immortal could learn the words to the ceremony, I had just never bothered. No one really knew where it had come from, but it was ancient, powerful magic that couldn't be broken by anything or anyone.
When you sealed a mate bond, there was no going back. Your souls would be connected for all of immortality and whatever came after, for better or worse.
Merrily stood beside us and quietly led us through the vows.
They were simple promises, but our eyes remained locked as we said them, my heart beating faster with every word until we finally kissed as the bond settled between us.
That ancient magical force swelled and bloomed as it connected our souls fully, until I could feel Niall's mind pressed against mine, his emotions leaking through the thin barrier between our beings.
His love.
Happiness.
Possessiveness, always.
"I told you that you were mine,"he teased.
