And failed.
The contents of her stomach heaved onto the cold ground.
“Who is he? What did you See?”
Hearing her mother give voice to her power solidified something hot and sharp in her chest. Saying it made it viscerally real. Undeniable.
She was so, so young to have had her power manifest.
And with such horror.
The youngling had thought the worst agony in existence was when her Vaelaï tutor forced her to dance when she was long past exhausted.
But the truth had stormed into her life.
This was only the beginning of her pain.
Death would be a mercy compared to the future the Goddess had gifted her.
“I Saw him. He’s my mate. And there is no future where we survive.”
15
Istared down at the Seer I’d hunted into the mountains, now collapsed at my feet. Drenched in rain and finally glaring at me with the defiance I’d been missing.
My mate.
Myfuckingmate.
The word slammed into me over and over, lashing me harder than the thunderstorm overhead. With each strike came an excruciating agony. A throb between my shoulder blades. A crackle in my magic.
Beneath it all, herhatehammered down our bond.
For the first time, she held my gaze, and I saw the truth. Her truth.
I fell to my knees beside this female who had consumed my every thought—awake and asleep—for weeks. I didn’t mean to; my bodymerely obeyed the pull.
I was reeling. Undone.
It all made sense; and nothing did.
The ache in my chest wasn’t only magic; it was the loss of what this moment should have been.
“You are my fated mate?” I rasped, again, because I needed to hear her say it.
I need it to be real.
The thought slapped me back into myself.
“Unfortunately,” she bit out, her stare hot enough to sear.
I scooted closer, my body brushing hers. She cried out, face contorting in raw distress. I jerked back like she’d sunk her teeth into my flesh. A sharp stab speared from her into me. “What’s wrong?”
“You. Go fuck yourself,” she gritted out, attempting to slide over the rocks and put space between us. Another grunt fled her lips. With our new connection, Ifelteverything she did. Mate bonds were mystique, their power transcending all other magics. Now, everything between us was shared. And itguttedme.
Air choked in my throat as more pain flared.
“Stop moving, you’re only going to hurt yourself further,” I snapped, desperate to stem the emotion pouring from her into me.
