I thrust faster, feeling the orgasm building, my balls tightening. “Then it’s time for you to see how much I love you, hm?” I managed to say, and I closed my eyes in the darkness and opened myself as wide as I could, being careful not to reach out, only to expose my own heart.
I’d merged physically in the past with others, but those had been surface experiences, a little physical relief. But I’d never revealed my soul, even when my partners had wanted it. I’d always held back.
This time, I whispered my name into her ear, and let her see every single part of me. “Feather, my Tili, my beloved Scrap, I am Righteous Arm of Justice, once known as your friend Ashtad. I have longed for you for centuries, and now my name is changed. I am yours. Yours forever.” I smelled the salt of her tears as she took in my soul.
And then, before I could stop her, she stepped inside. Her own spirit merged with mine so effortlessly, like it had been inevitable since my creation, and hers. How had she done this without sharing her name? Was this an accident?
I let go of the sudden pulse of concern that she might regret merging with me. There was no room in my heart for anything but joy.
The universe I carried inside me lit up to welcome her.
She was glorious here. A nimbus of silver light surrounded her, with a dark flare from the place on her nape where she had lost Mikhail’s mating feather. Her wings weren’t small at all. They were a mix of gold and silver, and stretched to the horizon on every side.
I gazed into her face, knowing her. This was the woman I had seen when I’d sung at the Great Gate, only days after she had first entered Sanctuary covered with filth, and I’d judged her. This was the dream woman I’d seen, the one I’d torn Sanctuary apart looking for.
What is your name, my love?
She giggled, covering her bright face with both hands. Strange cords of power stretched from her palms and back behind her, bright energy pulsing light through her fingers anddeeper into her soul. I’d never seen anything like it, never heard of such a thing. She was connected to a vast reservoir of power.
I don’t want to tell you my name,she thought back, shaking her head.Yours is lovely. But… I had to choose a new one.
I fell to my knees in the spirit space we had created, my heart singing my name to her without ceasing.Tell me your name, my love.
For some reason, she shook her head harder.You’ll laugh.
You couldn’t deceive in this space, and I knew she must be right.Is it the worst thing, to bring joy to one who loves you?I stared down at her until her gaze met mine.And I do love you, Feather. Tili. More than my own soul.
When she spoke her name—which I knew she had chosen in the Abyss as soon as she said it—I did laugh. And when our souls entwined, there was nothing but pleasure, and love, and a waterfall of joy and amusement.
And in the bliss of the moment, I hardly noticed how the ribbons of power she held moved around us, connecting us in a new way.
Chapter 26
Righteous
We lay for countless hours in each other’s arms, our hands learning each other’s shapes and mapping our favorite destinations. She spoke softly about what had been happening in Sanctuary after myincarceration. I tried not to rage, and we ended up comforting each other, falling asleep as we mourned for our realm.
I woke, sitting up abruptly, when the dim wall sconces near the ceiling of the cell flashed twice as if in warning. They sputtered, then finally relit, but were so dim as to be almost useless. What was going on with our realm?
Knowing Feather’s penchant for being at the heart of the biggest messes in Sanctuary, she had something to do with it. I turned to the woman in my arms to ask, brushing her sleep-mussed hair away from her forehead, and froze. On my forearm, in the same place where Feather had pressed a feather to mark her second mating with Mikhail, I could barely make out a small silver feather.
Hers.
I felt a thrill of deep satisfaction, and no small amount of fear. How had this happened? Valor had taken the soul knife from me before I was thrown in this cell. The kind of feathers it took to claim a mate didn’t just fall out.
My mind flashed to the tiny one I had grabbed before Feather walked into the gate. I had lost it weeks ago—was this that one? But when I inspected it, I knew it wasn’t. That one had been small, and pure silver. This one had the new, intriguing swirl of silver, gray, and gold that now lay under Feather’s skin.
“Feather,” I murmured as she blinked, her naked body still glowing with the aftereffects of our merge. “Did you… Do you know how…?” I wasn’t certain how to say what I needed to. How to show her what had somehow inadvertently happened.
“Ry?” Her blush was adorable as she rubbed her eyes. “Is everything okay?” A flicker of something passed over her face as I thought of my hand. Her eyes dropped to it, and she whispered, “Ohshizz.”
“You didn’t mean to, then?” I asked, fighting to keep the disappointment out of my tone.
She shook her head. “I would never have done that without asking.” The horror in her face hurt almost as badly as when Valor had broken my hand. My wings had started fluttering in agitation, and I fought to still them. Hers were doing the same thing, and she leaned forward to squint at the mark in the near-darkness, her eyes locked on the feather that had somehow made its way onto me. Into me.Without asking Mikhail.
It was one thing to merge with the Maker’s small mate. It would be entirely another thing when he returned to Sanctuary to find me wearing her feather, the same as he did. Unmaking might be the least painful and permanent response he could have.
“I’m sure Mikhail will understand,” I began. “I know I’m not what you would want for a mate. I don’t know how it happened. Iwishedfor it, Tili. I’m sure it’s my fault. I wanted it, and somehow… Oh, Great Singer, I pray I didn’t somehow steal this from y?—”
