“No, little one, you were never alone.” He looks out the door, to the clearing, red sand colored burnt by the encroaching haze, the Hadeon standing guard. “We were always with you. You just didn’t see us.”
Inhaling, I still my nerves. “I have so many questions, so many things to know, but now isn’t the time.” Kaden first, then Baris. Then I would understand everything that’s happened—everything thatwillhappen.
“Unfortunately, not.”
“But I have to ask,” I begin, lips dry. “What did you do for marriages?” I look to my father, holding tight, eyes pleading. He’s a stranger, and yet, I know him, somewhere in my memories, my heart. “How were you and my mother married?”
Baris smiles, his gaunt frame slightly more filled out. “Once, long ago, there was a time when we would thankEnyofor such things.”
I chew on my bottom lip, body still sore from Zelos’ attack. “Enyo? She’s forgotten now.”
Baris nods, gently pulling us into the garden.
“Before the Great War, we used to pray toEnyobefore marriages. We would pray to her before we ate and before we found water, even before the birth of a child.” He holds my hands, staring down at the red staining my fingertips. He smiles softly, seeing my mother’s hands. “ForEnyois the Goddess of Life, and what is water and food, love and the next generation, but not life?”
“I may be the High Priest ofSeti,little one, but I will call forEnyoduring your marriage ceremony, like your Coven called during my marriage to your mother. And if she accepts, the marriage will be blessed.”
Big black eyes stare back at me. “You know, you got my hair,” he murmurs, flipping the ends of my long violet-black strands. “But you have your mother’s eyes.” Calloused fingers dust my brow. “And she would get the same look in her eyes when she needed to know something.”
“What did she look like?” I ask, bravely ignoring the pain at her absence. We’re only steps away from Kaden, so close I can feel his heat. “What was she like?” Did she act like me? Did we both smile at night, and hate mornings? Did a piece of her still exist in me?
My father inhales sharply. “She was the fire of the sun, the crashing waves of the ocean and firmness of the soil beneath our feet. Simply put, little one, she was a force of nature. She had big blue eyes, like you,” he smiles sadly, “and she had bright red hair, brighter than a poppy flower. But like all Blut Coven Witches, she had these bright red lips, the color of blood. You inherited that. It’s a sign of your heritage.”
Sadly, my heart yearns for a mother I don’t remember. “Is it silly to hope for her to still be alive?”
He shakes his head. “No, it’s not. Death is not an easy concept, even for those of us who make it our work.” Baris leans back, studying me. “But I know she’s gone.” Tapping his temple, I understand his meaning.
He was told bySetiwhen my mother passed.
That final bubble of hope that she could still be out there, bursts in my chest.
“The Gods do things us mortals will never understand. But you were meant to be here, Max. You’re important to everyone.”
“You know of my destiny?” I ask, shifting. The herbs in my hands smell spicy, melting in the early heat of the day.
“I’ve known long before most,” he agrees. “But we will talk of that later. Right now, it’s about you and your mate.”
I look out across the faces, stained in dirt and exhausted. The heir moves to stand at the front, body shifting, beast stirring. I see the war behind his eyes, and he’s failing. I can’t stall any longer—he needs help.
“It would be tradition in a bonding to exchange blood,” myfather explains, shifting to the front. “But I understand that’s already occurred. What has transpired should be enough to solidify the connection.”
Baris direct me to stand in the center, holding up his hands. With eyes closed, he murmurs chants under his breath, the air around us picking up speed as the red haze brightens.
Power, ancient and old, surrounds us as the hair on the back of neck stands stiff. A current of something washes over my senses and my eyes close, drifting along with the pull. Kaden growls, wincing with each word, as if it pains him.
Eyes fluttering, I try to step close to offer comfort, but Reid holds me back. “Don’t. Your father is weaving the bond.”
As the words rise up around us, a weight develops around my middle. It’s an anchor chaining my heart across the void to Kaden, who winces against the pressure.
The bond pops, seals with a sizzle as that connection turns heavy. My ears hum, my magic turning vicious as it listens to the hearts around us. But it’s not pain I feel, but the sweet coolness of shadows easing the pull. It surrounds it, soothes it, cooling the fire in my chest.
Kaden hisses, clawing at his chest, his neck as if to remove the hold. But I know instinctively, the bond has tethered our souls together. He feels the fury of my magic whereas I feel the calm of his and I focus on that part—that essence that is totally him. It’s always been there, a steady hand, but now, I grab it and force as much strength into it.
Kaden howls, and falls to his knees, but Reid doesn’t let me move. I stand, watching, Kaden panting as he digs his hands into the sand for stability.
Baris keeps chanting, words growing more feverish as the weight grows heavier, stiffer. It becomes tangible, no longer a floating link as it locks our souls together, a loud clanging in my ears.
Shoving more of my strength into the bond, I feel my magic dwindle. It’s being given to Kaden, allowed into his bond, taking theedge off of me. In its place, I feel the familiarities of his shadows, a coolness that pulls a gasp from my lips.
